[SatNews] KVH Industries, Inc. (Nasdaq: KVHI) has unveiled their new KVH CommBox(tm) Ship/Shore Network Manager at the Digital Ship Scandinavia Conference.

Developed by KVH Norway, the original CommBox technology is now supporting more than 800 vessels worldwide. The new, enhanced KVH CommBox solution includes dedicated shipboard network management hardware, network hub options for enhanced performance and network control, and versatile software applications that expand onboard communication capabilities and add valuable capabilities, including:

• Least cost routing between multiple communication services like KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband(sm), traditional VSAT, Inmarsat, GSM, WiFi, or WiMax, with configurable rules to determine when to switch as well as the functions available with each service
• Roaming and pre-paid crew accounts that allow crew members to keep one Internet and e-mail account for usage on any vessel in the fleet
• Data compression, web caching, and web acceleration to get the most out of each vessel’s network use
• Easy file transfers from ship to shore and shore to ship, including file compression and synchronization among files and folders
• Dynamic reporting on communication activity on the fleet’s vessels at all times along with IP routing that supports remote operations and diagnostics of the vessel network right from the fleet headquarters
• Configurable firewalls and encryption for data and network security

“CommBox uses dedicated hardware rather than relying solely on software installed on shipboard computers that are often used for other Windows applications, which raises the risk of exposure to viruses, as well as increases the likelihood of your network management failing when your PC experiences a blue screen crash," said Morten Aasen, managing director of KVH Norway AS (formerly Virtek Communication AS). CommBox users also enjoy the choice of using either a KVH-hosted hub or installing a private hub at a site of their choice, as well as dedicated shipboard LANs to segregate communications for operations, crew, or clients and charter customers. These are options not available via software-only solutions. Our approach allows our customers to customize their network, user, and security configurations rather than forcing them to operate within a standard configuration that’s being applied to other fleets as well.”