Isode is pleased to announce that its ‘M-Link’ instant messaging and multi-user chat server software (based on the XMPP protocol) and ‘Swift’ desktop client software have been approved for inclusion on the US Department of Defense (DoD) unified communications approved product list (APL).

M-Link & Swift are the first XMPP products approved for DoD use. Isode has become the first UK company to achieve a place for its products on the APL, the only listing of equipment by DoD to be fielded in DoD networks.

M-Link is commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) software that enables high reliability, secure instant messaging and multi-user chat based on the eXtensible messaging and presence protocol (XMPP), the standard for chat applications in high reliability environments.

It includes special provision for communication over low-bandwidth and high-latency channels such as the satellite and HF radio links often used by deployed forces.

To qualify for APL listing, M-Link had to pass a series of rigorous information assurance (IA) and interoperability (IO) tests performed under real-life conditions by the joint interoperability test command (JITC) at their Ft. Huachuca facility in Arizona, US.

"Instant messaging and multi-user chat are an increasingly important communication option for modern armed forces," said Steve Kille, Isode CEO. "Isode is an export focused company, with over 60% of our new product revenue over the last three years coming from non-UK markets. The APL listing is an important step in expanding the use of Isode software by military and government departments in the US and further afield."