How to Choose the Best Chat Application for Defense?

Communication is important in any successful business, but it is life-critical in defense while carrying out the operations, every piece of data or information helps to keep the activities running smoothly. Any issues, errors, and so on can create chaos or freeze the defense collaboration endangering the entire situation, costing lives, and weakening national security, as a result, you must choose the best chat application for the defense that provides outstanding services rather than a mediocre platform.

For shortlisting the chat application for defense inevitably our minds will be programmed to compare it with regular chatting apps because the basic functionalities in the platform are replicated seeing the popular platform’s efficiency, with that said the defense messaging app or military chat app requires better qualities to be the best compared to an instant messaging software.

Amid Military apps, the factors listed below will assist you in selecting the best chat application for defense.

Data Ownership

The client should have complete data ownership within their data spaces and networks. Location, device id, messages, contact information, browsing history, and other data types should not be collected by the app's creators. It should give the client the ability to handle and maintain the entire data space, either individually or collaboratively.

Most instant messaging software or platforms collect data from their users but do not reveal it to the public, while others provide detailed details on what data they collect and how they use it to their advantage. As a result, double-checking the platform before making a decision is critical, since defense data is very sensitive.

Feasible Deployment

Few chat platforms or software have their deployment process, but when it comes to defense, no matter how standard a process the app follows that deviates from universal practice, it should be customized as per the requirements and make it possible to deploy on-premise in just a few steps without leading to multiple steps and accommodate all target devices such as desktop, laptops, mobile phones, tablets, and other devices.

Secure File Sharing

The chat platform must support army-grade file transfers that are very secure and encrypted. It should not be possible for anyone utilizing the platform to share files via consumer-grade file-sharing apps., The file-sharing should be limited within the platform.

Support Air Gap Networks

Instant chat platforms or office chat software typically operate on unsecured networks, but when it comes to a chat application for defense, it will run on Air Gap Network that works isolatedly from the public networks. As a result, don't base your assessment of the platform's performance on its use of unsecured networks.

Because the data and information exchanged between defense messaging systems are bound to be classified, they choose Air Gap Networks. As a result, the platform must collaborate securely within air-gapped networks.

File Management

The Military application should provide a central repository where all of the files exchanged on the platform are safely stored and accessible whenever needed.

Multi-Platform Availability

The chat platform must be offered on-premise software, and it must be adaptable to different platforms such as Mac OS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android, as well as mobile, laptop, desktop, and other devices or browsers.

Latency Issues

Since soldiers are required to work in various locations, a chat application for defense cannot afford any latency issues for obvious reasons. As a result, choose the platform that can efficiently work on High-Latency networks and whose developers conduct regular network monitoring and troubleshooting in the platform, resulting in the resolution of issues and improved latency.

End-to-End Encryption

Text, audio, video, and all forms of data or information communicated on the platform should be encrypted. Regardless of the policies in place, app developers should be prohibited from decrypting information to intruders, only chat participants should be able to decrypt and view the messages.

Support & Service

Select a platform that commits to deploying a group of dedicated individuals working entirely on providing support and service to the defense messaging app or platform, regardless of how good the app developers are at delivering support and services to their clients for the regular instant chat platforms. So, whatever issues arise can be solved on a priority basis irrespective of their severity.

Regularly Updated Platform

Check how often the chat platform is updated; this is a crucial factor to consider because each update or new version resolves previous issues and introduces new strategies, features, and so on. Military messaging tools should also be updated in parallel with the changing digital world.

A platform that is regularly updated states that app developers are working on it to provide consistent service while also adding new features that can reduce manual efforts in communication.

Advantages of opting for Troop Messenger

All the aforementioned qualities or factors can be mapped to Troop Messenger. It is a highly secured instant chat platform designed to empower defense collaboration apart from providing the basic functionalities of texting, HD audio & video calling.

Below are some of the unique features in this on-premise chat that can be employed to the benefit of defenses in terms of easing communication to a whole new different level, which you won't find in any major chat platforms.

Live Location Tracking

It is unavoidable that a soldier's occupational hazard will be patrolling or working in remote areas where they will be unable to communicate their location details. This function allows you to keep track of your soldiers' whereabouts without losing sight of them on your radar.

Join Now

It's a feature that lets you join a missed group audio or video conversation or reconnect with a call that was dropped due to signal problems. This feature ensures that you never lose contact with your battalion or troop.

Attachment Preview

You may look at the attachments in the chat, such as text, images, video, maps, order paperwork, and so on, without having to download them. As a result, when you use a system, you don't have to download anything and you don't have to manually erase files.

Favorite Users

A lieutenant colonel receives a lot of messages from their regiment's soldiers. For example, in a general chat application for defense, you might have to search or scroll through the entire soldiers' list to find the commanding officers’ or deployed soldiers for important messages. To save you time, this defense app feature allows you to mark specific soldiers as your favorites and view your favorite soldiers' messages with a single click.

Edit

Today's many giant social chat platforms and office chat software do not provide an edit option for sent messages, which is critical for defense because soldiers share the enemy's location, tanks, and other weapons positions’ live coordinates in latitude and longitude, which are entirely dependent on their observation, which can be prone to minor errors, but with such a feature, soldiers will have 5 minutes of grace time to correct any message with mistakes, it will avoid them sending a new message correcting the previous message and confusing the officers at receiving end, who are marking the maps on soldiers’ information.

Airtime groups

You may start an airtime group with only one click, and your soldiers will be able to observe it but not respond to it.

Chat Area Filters

This privilege allows you to search the message based on your criteria such as the user, images, files, location, video, link, and so on.

For example, unlike instant chat platforms, you may search for a specific soldier's chat history or messages in the group without wasting time perusing the multiple messages of other users that display when typing a word in the search bar.

Group call without the host

This privilege avoids other members of the group call from being disconnected as a result of the host ending the call because, by default, the next member in the list after the host becomes the host, or the host can make another member the group's host before ending the call.

You may encounter a few situations where the officer or soldier who hosted the call becomes disconnected due to a signal issue or unforeseen circumstances, causing other soldiers in the group call to become disconnected by default. However, sometimes the soldiers in the group call are required to remain in constant contact to maintain collaboration without losing communication, so in such situations, multiple soldiers in the group call each other leading to confusion or someone in the group takes the initiative in calling but the initiator may not be familiar with all of the troops' contact information, and the situations at actual host’s place may get severe. This feature will come in handy in such situations, allowing other soldiers in the squad to continue collaborating through the conversation without needing a host.

Orange Members

The feature allows you to add individuals who are not from your regiment, allowing them to communicate via text, audio & video calls, indeed, their access can be restricted in contacting other soldiers, and groups.

All caught up

This tab facilitates you to view all the unread messages in a specific tab without missing any information.

Respond Later

In certain cases, you may respond to messages that are supposed to be responded to but are not that vital to hold the current job for a while because you neglected to respond to them earlier in the day, assuming that you would respond later.

You can use this function to mark a received message as Respond Later, and then view the marked messages in a specific tab at the end of the day or whenever you have free time, respond to them without missing them.

Access to unlimited Chat History

Other platforms limit their users' chat history, but Troop Messenger recognizes the importance of information communicated on the platform so it provides unlimited chat history access.  

Forkout

Using this feature, you can send a message to multiple soldiers or groups in a single go reducing the time taking process.

Conclusion

When comparing the features of a chat application for the defense to those of a regular chat platform, it's like comparing a defense employee to a regular employee in terms of who serves the country better, with no disrespect intended for other people's jobs. The design of a messaging app for defense requires not only basic functionalities like texting, audio, and video calling, but also a sense of great responsibility, because the soldiers' lives, operations, and so on, are entirely dependent on the defense communication grid, and the ramifications if it goes dark for even a moment for any reason, are unimaginable.

Troop Messenger is an instant chat platform that is developed in India and is already used by a country's defense messaging system. As a result, it proves that it is an effective chat application for defense or the best chat app for the Military, in addition to the unique qualities listed above.