| Assureon Technology 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). |
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| 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 (MD5 and SHA-1 hashing algorithms) to create its unique file identifier (UFID). The dual cryptographic process offers fail safe security against the occurrence of a collision. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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 media. |