DUALOG: The Easiest Data Exchange Solution for Shipping

How can data exchange between ships and shore be simplified and systematised to meet the specific needs of your fleet? Introducing Dualog Drive, the file and folder replication service made for shipping.

Challenges in Maritime Data Transfer Today

• Increased bandwidth = increased data flow. How to systemise it?
• Generic file-sharing systems such as Dropbox, OneDrive and TeamViewer don’t address the specific needs of maritime shipping.
• How to ensure important documents in Microsoft SharePoint are available for my vessels?
• How to quickly distribute files even across complex folder structures?
• How to reduce manual work and IT personnel involvement in day-to-day operations?
• Cyber threats: How to protect your fleet’s data flow?

What is Dualog Drive?

Dualog Drive is a service that simplifies the exchange of data between ships and any shore-based location, including cloud storage such as Microsoft SharePoint. The source or destination can be a ship, a group of ships, or the entire fleet.

How it Works

Dualog Drive is installed on all your vessels and offices. You’re connected to the Dualog cloud, and you can send and receive data based on tasks you have configured.

To create a transfer task, specify the source and destination paths, set up the task, and the transfer will start automatically.

If you’re offline, Dualog’s cloud service will buffer data and immediately start transmitting when you’re online.

Kristian Olsen, Product Manager, Dualog Drive:

• “The need for data exchange between ships and shore is ever increasing. Dualog Drive helps simplify this data exchange. During the relatively short period in the market, it has become one of the most important IT tools for our customers. Its versatility and ease of use has helped customers find new use cases that Dualog Drive can handle.”

What Makes Dualog Drive Purpose-Built for Shipping

1. One-way synchronisation

Sources can be specified as a local drive, a network drive or even a cloud storage service like Microsoft SharePoint. All changes made to the source will be replicated across all destinations.

2. Suited for fleets of any type and structure

Exchange data with a single ship, a group of ships, or the entire fleet, even through complex folder structures.

3. Exchange any type of data​

Easily transfer PMS and VDR data, send reports, synchronise documents and distribute training videos, and gather IoT data for transfer to AWS storage.

4. Integration with Microsoft SharePoint

Easily share files to or from SharePoint, keeping safety documentation, circulars and certificates for your fleet synchronised in a single folder structure.

5. Quick to install and easy to use

Install Drive across your ships within minutes and integrate with your cloud storage. You don’t need to rebuild an existing folder structure to fit Drive. The built-in guide and easy-to-use interface make it ready to use from day one.

6. Automated folder creation

The service creates folders for each ship automatically and automates folder naming based on IMO number, custom ship codes or ship name. Reduced manual work and risk of errors.

7. Fleet-wide transfer overview

The dashboard allows you to monitor that all files are delivered to each ship or shore office and your sync folders are up-to-date across your fleet.

8. Easily share the status of your transfer

Generate a secure link to any of your transfers with a single click and send it to any stakeholders, such as operations, HR, captains, etc.

9. Multi-layered security of your data

End-to-end encryption​​, user authentication and malware scanner​​. Dualog Drive safeguards confidential documents and files from unauthorised access. It also prevents the transfer of infected or unsecured files.

Most Common Use Cases for Dualog Drive

1. Synchronise document libraries

Synchronise file directories from any shore location to an entire fleet or group of vessels: safety documentation (SMS), certificates, circulars, IT documentation, or any other type of documentation that must be shared fleet-wide.

2. Send operational data from ships to ship managers onshore

Officers can share large pictures or videos with the technical department during maintenance or survey. Maintenance systems or other shipboard equipment, machinery and IoT devices can send status reports, files, images, or videos to shore-based personnel for review.

3. Transfer business-critical data

Transfer critical data such as Planned Maintenance System (PMS) data and Voyage Data Recorder (VDR) data. Dualog Drive optimises the transfer of large files and reduces delivery time.

4. Send software updates and patches

Whenever a new version of some software is available, you can copy it directly to a corresponding Drive folder, and the system will quickly distribute the updated software to the entire fleet or group of ships.

5. Collect IoT data

Automatically send large amounts of data from shipboard IoT systems and sensor equipment directly to Amazon S3 cloud storage for further analysis.

To experience how easy it is to exchange data using Dualog Drive, try it out for free on your ships. All you need is to get access to the Dualog Portal on our website.