What is the Connected Framework?

The Connected Framework is Bent Ear Solutions' methodology for turning the Esri ArcGIS and Microsoft 365 your agency already owns into one interoperable common operating picture for emergency management. BES configures your existing tools into a working incident-management system, with no new software and no subscription fees.

Do we have to buy new software or pay a subscription?

No. The Connected Framework runs on the ArcGIS and Microsoft 365 licenses you already own, so there is no new platform to purchase, no per-seat fees, and no annual subscription. You configure the capability you already pay for instead of re-buying it.

How is it different from an off-the-shelf incident management platform?

Off-the-shelf platforms move your data to vendor-controlled servers, lock you into a proprietary system, and charge per-seat fees that grow with every user. The Connected Framework keeps your data in your own environment, runs on open standards (REST, JSON, SAML2), preserves your existing workflows, and adds no license cost.

What technology does the Connected Framework work with?

It builds on Esri ArcGIS as the mapping backbone and Microsoft 365, including Teams, for collaboration and alerting, and connects the Google, notification, IoT, and CAD/AVL systems you already run. Because it uses open standards, partner agencies and outside systems can plug into the same operating picture.

Where does our data live, and who controls it?

Your data and configurations stay in your own environment: ArcGIS Enterprise, Azure or AWS, and SharePoint, under your control. BES does not move your data to a vendor-hosted platform, and access is governed by role-based permissions on your own ArcGIS organization.

How quickly can we deploy it?

Working capability is delivered in days, not the 6 to 18 months a typical platform rollout takes. Because it is built on tools your team already uses, an initial operating capability, one dashboard and one guided workflow, stands up fast, then scales as you grow.

How do we get started?

Every engagement begins with a Technology Alignment Assessment, where BES reviews your decision architecture, technology inventory, and data flow, then delivers a Technology Implementation Plan. From there you can start at Tier 1 (initial operating capability), Tier 2 (full EOC incident-management hub), or Tier 3 (enterprise operations).

Who uses the Connected Framework?

State and local emergency management and public safety agencies. Kentucky Emergency Management runs a statewide operating picture across 120 counties on the framework, using existing ArcGIS and Microsoft 365 investments with $0 in new platform fees, after a legacy system failed at 150 to 200 concurrent users during COVID-19.

Is Bent Ear Solutions an Esri partner?

Yes. Bent Ear Solutions is an Esri Gold Partner and a certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), founded by senior practitioners with executive backgrounds in emergency management and homeland security.

Connected Framework: Modernize Your EOC Without New Software

Modernize your operations without new software

The Connected Framework turns the technology you already own into a seamless approach for emergency operations, no new software and no recurring fees.

Works with the tools you already use

SMS & text

Email

Incident Management
Systems

Alerts

Reports

Plans

Voice

SMS & text

Email

Incident Management
Systems

Alerts

Reports

Plans

Voice

The Connected Framework

One connected environment, built within the software systems you already use.

The Connected Framework configures the technology and data your operations center already uses into a set of capabilities that work together. Hover a cluster to see how each one comes together in your own environment.

Front-line operations

Modern-capability layer

Foundation you own

Capability

Hover on a cluster, then a capability

Each cluster opens to show the specific capabilities it delivers and how each one improves operations.

Tap a cluster on touchscreens. Hover on a cluster with a mouse.

Connected
Framework Technology you already own

What is a connected framework?

The Connected Framework is Bent Ear Solutions' methodology for turning the technology you already own, Esri ArcGIS, Microsoft 365, Google, Slack, and more, into a single, interoperable environment for crisis and emergency management. No new software. No new subscriptions. No new vendors.

We configure your existing GIS, productivity, and notification systems into a connected incident management environment: live dashboards, AI-assisted checklists built from your own emergency operations plans, position-based alerting, and full support for every emergency management function and community lifeline. Because it maps to your operational structure, each functional area gets the right tools, at the right time, in the format that works for them.

This is the antithesis of buying yet another single-point solution, a scalable, modern decision-making environment that runs quietly in the background and is ready the moment you activate it.

        
Built on systems you already own
The Connected Framework doesn't replace your technology stack. It unlocks it. Everything runs inside the Esri, Microsoft, and Google environments your teams already use, so adoption is quick and the learning curve stays low.

No new fees. No vendor lock-in.
No new licensing, no subscriptions, no per-seat costs. Because everything is configured inside systems you already own, you're never locked into a proprietary platform or dependent on a single vendor to keep running.

Future-proof by design
Your mission will change and your tools will keep advancing. Built on the platforms you already invest in, the framework grows as you grow and picks up new capabilities as those tools evolve.

Secure by default
Your data and configurations never leave your environment. They stay protected by the security controls, compliance standards, and governance your organization already trusts, with nothing handed to a third-party platform. You keep full ownership and control.

The Connected Framework
Jump-start where you are.
Scale as you grow.
Every engagement builds in phases on the software you already run. Capability lands in weeks, not months, and each step delivers value before the next begins.

    Every engagement starts with a discovery call: a purpose-driven conversation about where you are, where you want to go, and what's feasible on the technology you already own.
  
These are  illustrative examples of the capabilities we can provide. 
 All outcomes are tailored to your needs and budget.

        Example 1
        
      
Initial Operating Capability
Live in weeks
An AI-assisted awareness and alerting workflow, stood up on the tools your team already uses every day.
What you get
One live operating dashboard and one guided workflow
Field and damage reporting from any device
10 response checklists ready to run
AI that turns your EOPs into immediate action

        Example 2
        
      
EOC Incident Management Hub
Built out in phases
A full EOC hub with a leadership dashboard, built for live activations across your agency.
Everything in Example 1, plus
Role-based alerting and tasking
Resource request and management
Significant-event leadership dashboard
Role-based access for every function
40+ hazard types and 1,000+ users

        Example 3
        
      
Enterprise EOC & Daily Operations
Ongoing, as your mission grows
One environment for blue-sky operations and full-scale activation alike, configured to your mission.
Everything in Examples 1 & 2, plus
Advanced configuration and development across your entire ecosystem
Interagency and multi-jurisdiction integration
Drone, camera, and AVL feeds
AI and machine-learning workflows

    Book a Tech Discovery Call
    Explore the capability map
  

A deeper dive

Download our brief summary detailing how the Connected Framework approach could level up your operations center and help you get the most from your tech.

Get the summary

Your environment, your control
Built for your jurisdiction.
Emergency management looks a bit different in every jurisdiction, and it keeps changing. The Connected Framework is configured inside the environment you already own, so it fits how your agency actually operates today and adapts as your mission and leadership change.

Shaped by you and your stakeholders
No two operations centers operate exactly the same way. Because the framework is configured in your environment and designed with you, based on your processes, you and your stakeholders decide how it runs, and it evolves as your leadership and mission change. An off-the-shelf platform asks you to adapt to how it was built. This approach reflects how you already work.

        Configured for you
        Adapts over time
        Your stakeholders decide
      
Cost-effective and future-proof
The framework builds on the ArcGIS and Microsoft 365 your agency already licenses, so you never pay twice for capabilities you already own. There is no per-seat subscription and no platform to keep renting. As your mission grows, the environment grows with it on infrastructure you control, so the investment holds its value instead of expiring at the next budget cycle.

        No subscription
        Built on what you own
        Future-proof
      
Secure, and your data stays yours
Your data and configurations stay inside your own environment: your ArcGIS org, your Microsoft 365 tenant, your cloud. Nothing moves to a vendor's servers, and access follows the roles and authentication your agency already enforces. You are not handing your operating picture to an outside platform and trusting that its controls match your policy. The record stays yours, under your governance, from end to end.

        Your environment
        Your access controls
        Data stays yours
      
You are not adapting to someone else's platform. 
 You own the environment and the data, and you decide how it runs, today and as your mission grows.

Proven Experience

Read the Case Study for KYEM

Frequently Asked Questions

The Connected Framework is Bent Ear Solutions' methodology for configuring the Esri ArcGIS, Microsoft 365, and other technology your agency already owns into a single, interoperable operating environment for emergency management, with no new software and no subscription fees.
No. The Connected Framework runs on the ArcGIS and Microsoft 365 licenses you already own, so there is no new platform to purchase, no per-seat fees, and no annual subscription. You configure the capability you already pay for instead of re-buying it.
OAn off-the-shelf platform asks you to adapt to how it was built. The Connected Framework is configured inside your own environment, so it fits how your agency already operates and adapts as your mission and leadership change. Your data and configurations stay under your control and is easily modified and expanded in the future.
It configures the systems you already run — Esri ArcGIS, Microsoft 365 (including Teams and SharePoint), Google, and your existing notification and mass-alerting tools — into one connected environment and integrates with public-safety feeds such as CAD, AVL, and weather.
Your data and configurations stay inside your own environment — your ArcGIS org, your Microsoft 365 tenant, and your cloud. Nothing moves to a vendor's servers, and access follows the roles and authentication your agency already enforces.

Because it builds on technology you already own, an initial operating capability can be live in weeks rather than months, with additional capability added in phases that each deliver value before the next begins.
Every engagement starts with a discovery call — a short, purpose-driven conversation about where you are, where you want to go, and what's feasible on the technology you already own.
State and local emergency management, homeland security, utility Emergency Preparedness Centers, intelligence & fusion centers, and public safety— from a single county desk to an international operation.
Yes. Bent Ear Solutions is an Esri Gold Partner and a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business.