During an active mission, effective communication between users must be rapid, seamless, and secure. ArcGIS Mission Server is specifically designed to support these requirements in several ways.

ArcGIS Mission Server uses security protocols, including token-based authentication and WebSocket Secure (WSS) connections, that allow persistent communication connections to be maintained securely. WSS connections allow for a more rapid transfer of data, as the connection does not need to be reestablished with every message.

Another role of ArcGIS Mission Server is to ensure that data is communicated to users properly. For ArcGIS Mission components to communicate with each other, by a location ping, chat, or geomessage, all data must go through the server first. Depending on the message source and the intended recipients, ArcGIS Mission Server translates between Cursor-on-Target Extensible Markup Language (CoT XML) and Esri JavaScript Object Notation (JSON).

ArcGIS Mission Server includes functions and architecture unique among ArcGIS Server roles. One of the key differences between ArcGIS Mission Server and other ArcGIS Server roles is that it does not contain a data store of its own. It is designed only to pass data between users as efficiently and rapidly as possible, meaning that Manager and Responder users do not interact directly with the server. The absence of a data store in ArcGIS Mission Server also allows for minimal server administration and maintenance during and after installation.