Northrop Grumman, Broadware form video alliance

Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Information Technology sector and BroadWare Technologies Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., have formed a strategic alliance to deliver networked video applications for the defense, public safety and homeland security markets, officials of Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman announced Nov. 11.

Company officials said their alliance could enable video streaming from police cars to headquarters, for example, or from helicopters to command posts responsible for security at major public events such as football games.

Northrop Grumman IT provides advanced IT solutions, engineering and business services for government and commercial clients. The business unit is based in Herndon, Va. BroadWare Technologies Inc. provides viewing, storage, and management of video and audio streams in a networked environment.

The partnership combines Northrop Grumman IT's systems integration capabilities with BroadWare's Interactive Media Server platform to provide customers with custom wired and wireless solutions to view, store and manage real-time video for thousands of cameras and users.

BroadWare IMS is a scalable and reliable Linux- or Solaris-based video server platform with open interfaces that simplify integration with other systems. The IMS architecture supports any video encoding technique and works with a wide range of network configurations, including fully encrypted secure networks.

The high wireless data rates Northrop Grumman IT delivers over encrypted wireless local area networks, combined with BroadWare's bandwidth management capabilities, mean customers no longer have to be physically connected to get high-quality, real-time video. This technology is especially valuable in video streaming applications where video cameras are in vehicles and aircraft, according to a Northrop Grumman statement.