Platform Overview

SDL is a modular, container-native data platform that enables defense and intelligence organizations to collect, process, fuse, query, and disseminate mission-critical data — from cloud data centers to disconnected tactical edge nodes. A single software baseline adapts its runtime behavior to the deployment environment, ensuring operators work with an identical interface whether running at scale in the cloud or on a ruggedized server in a forward operating base.

Core Capabilities at a Glance

The capabilities below are available across SDL deployments. The specific capabilities enabled on a given node depend on the deployment form factor, mission requirements, and available resources.

Capability Description Learn More

Federated Query & VKG

"Zero ETL" virtual knowledge graph that federates queries across relational databases, streaming topics, object storage, and geospatial services.

Federated Query

Streaming & Processing

Real-time event streaming and transformation hub supporting 14+ tactical data formats with bidirectional conversion.

Streaming

Policy Engine

Data-policy-as-code enforcement with row-level and column-level obfuscation, classification markings, and multi-enclave evaluation.

Policy Engine

Data Tiering & Storage

Hot/warm/cold storage tiers with S3-compatible object storage, metadata lake (Bronze→Silver→Gold), and LZ4 compression.

Data Tiering

DDIL & Edge Operations

Bandwidth-aware streaming with priority queues, automatic caching during disconnection, and backfill sync on reconnection.

DDIL & Edge

Deployment Flexibility

SDL runs wherever the mission requires. The same container images and Helm charts deploy across four operating contexts without modification to application code.

Cloud

Full-scale deployment in classified or unclassified cloud environments. Horizontal scaling, managed storage, and high-bandwidth connectivity between nodes.

On-Premise

Bare-metal or virtualized data-center installations behind organizational firewalls. Supports air-gapped environments with local container registries and offline Helm charts.

Tactical Edge

Ruggedized single-server or small-cluster deployments at forward operating bases, command posts, or mobile platforms. Resource-constrained profiles reduce memory and CPU footprint while preserving core capabilities.

Autonomous Platforms

Embedded deployments on unmanned systems, sensor platforms, and vehicles. Operates fully disconnected with store-and-forward synchronization when connectivity returns.

Single Software Baseline

A defining principle of SDL is the single software baseline. Rather than maintaining separate codebases for cloud, on-premise, and edge deployments, one container image adapts its runtime behavior based on the deployment profile.

  • One image, many profiles — the same OCI container image is promoted from development through staging to production across all deployment contexts.

  • Adaptive resource allocation — the platform detects available CPU, memory, and GPU resources at startup and scales its internal services accordingly.

  • Feature flags, not forks — capabilities that require hardware or network resources unavailable at the edge are gracefully disabled rather than compiled out.

  • Consistent operator experience — the web UI, CLI, and APIs present the same interface regardless of deployment size.

This approach eliminates configuration drift between environments and ensures that every bug fix and feature improvement reaches every deployment tier through a single release pipeline.

Next Steps