Assureon
is based upon a combination of CAS (Content Addressable
Storage) with advanced 256-bit AES encryption and other
security and data protection technologies. CAS technology
produces a unique file identifier or "fingerprint"for
all objects, based on their content. Assureon’s object
storage model stores files, images, recordings, web pages,
etc, as objects with a unique universal identifier. This
approach differs from traditional file system models, where
an application or user names the file and then places it
in a hierarchical file system. Traditional file system models
suffer from a lack of scalability and a high management
cost.
In an object model, the archived physical object is completely
separate from the logical location or application. Administrators
can be relieved of performing typical storage housekeeping
tasks, such as formatting file systems, creating volumes
and binding LUNs (logical unit numbers).
Assureon's CAS technology provides:
Immutability - because each file fingerprint is based
on the specific bit pattern of that file, if a bit is changed
then the file fingerprint would be different. Assureon does
not allow changes and will detect if any tampering has occurred.
Single-instance storage - one
copy of each file is stored, regardless of how many users
write that file to storage, giving significant storage-use
efficiency.
Scalability - Additional storage
can easily be added
Reduces Storage Management Cost
- Storage housekeeping tasks, such as formatting file systems,
creating volumes and binding LUNs are not necessary
Load Balancing - Enables a uniform
distribution of files across available storage locations.
Assureon’s load balancing enhances performance and
enables storage to scale into the petabytes
Assureon uses a dual cryptographic process (MD-4 and SHA1
hashing algorithms) to create its unique file identifier
(UFID). The dual cryptographic process offers fail safe
security against the occurrence of a collision.
Encryption with patent-pending secure encryption key management
Encryption
a powerful tool to ensure privacy and protect against data
theft. Assureon implements encryption on a file by file
basis using the AES256 encryption standard. Each file has
its own unique key, which is transparently and automatically
handled by Assureon’s secure “key manager.”
Secure Key Management: The management of encryption keys
is critical to data protection. Key management needs to
be secure from attack and also from inadvertent corruption
by insiders or physical theft of the hardware that contains
the keys. Assureon’s advanced, automated encryption
key management system has a unique quadruple backup process
safeguarding the keys against disaster. Assureon provides
support for multiple offsite repositories of keys, which
are themselves encrypted, as well as active deposits of
file manifest information at secure locations or with a
neutral third party.
Scalability - Assureon's performance
and capacity scale independently
Assureon’s architecture is not a “pizza box
or brick” design whereby a certain number of server
nodes need to be configured based upon the amount of storage
and the two are locked together - if you want to scale capacity
you must also scale performance. Assureon is flexible. Storage
capacity can be vastly increased if needed and more server
nodes can be added to the configuration for faster performance
independent of each other. This allows the customer to purchase
exactly what they need for their environment and, in the
case of a large archive, reduces the cost per terabyte dramatically
Media Independence
In addition to disk, Assureon supports offline media such
as tape and optical. By combining CAS single instance store
technology with secure encryption on removable media, Assureon
reduces costs and prevents any unauthorized access to stored
data including security breaches, attacks and lost or stolen
tapes.
