Amazon S3
Introduction
censhare supports Amazon S3 Cloud storage as an external data system. The database and the Application Server can interoperate with Amazon Web Services. censhare can be operated locally, partially, or totally in the Cloud.
Security note: For the authentication of the censhare Server to access Amazon S3 always use IAM roles (Identity and Access Management). Only, if the censhare Server runs outside Amazon AWS, use IAM keys.
Adequate resources rank among the production-critical IT factors. It is not always easy to estimate the requirements correctly. And every expansion ties up additional capital. With the integration of Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) Cloud storage, censhare may be operated completely on Amazon Web Services (AWS). The Application Server is also compatible with Amazone EC2 (Elastic Cloud Computing) and the Oracle database with the ARDS (Amazon Relational Database Service). It is also possible to just relocate the external file system into the Cloud. Depending on how much flexibility a company needs, without tying up too much capital, the AWS can be used completely or partially.
Mapping of various file systems such as Amazon's S3 to a particular domain in censhare
Operating a solution in the Cloud means that a company does not have to commit any of its own hardware resources. Server, database, and external file systems are provided by AWS. The solution is then located centrally on the Web, is available for all divisions of a company, and can be extended very easily. Additional partners, service providers, or customers can be linked over the Web. censhare AG is a technology partner for AWS and supports companies in implementation and operation.
If a company only uses Amazon S3 in the Cloud, it can very flexibly relocate some or even all of its files into the Cloud. Application Server and database then work in the company. This allows a very flexible reaction to varying storage requirements, without tying up additional capital on site. In this way, the investment costs can be kept low, or temporarily increased storage requirements handled.
Amazon's S3 can be integrated very simply into censhare. All that companies need for this is an Amazon S3 Account. With this, it only takes a few steps to integrate the Cloud storage as an external file system. From then on, Amazon's S3 is transparently available.
Customer Benefits
Complete operation of censhare as a Cloud solution with Amazon Web Services
One central installation for all company divisions, partners, service providers, and customers
Flexible provision of all necessary services with the Cloud
No investments necessary for server, database, or storage hardware
No laborious planning of storage capacity for files
One central storage system covering multiple sites
No high investment costs for the extension of the external file system
Fast and cost-effective provision of storage space at peak times, especially when the average storage requirement is considerably lower
Granular control of the deposition of files on Amazon's S3 or other file systems with the domain concept, including rights administration
Simple setup of the Amazon S3 storage area in censhare
Simple migration of files in a domain to Amazon's S3 and back
Use cases
No high investment costs
Central provision
Simple linking in of partners, customers, or service providers
Provision of a central file system for multiple sites
Cost-effective and simple provision of the required storage space
Coverage of times with high storage requirements such as the production of a catalog
Comprehensive protection mechanisms
Amazon S3 appears to censhare as an additional file system. The censhare domain concept allows control of which files are stored in Amazon S3 and which in a local file system. The domain concept divides a company into various areas or domains for the purpose of rights administration, for example by location or products. These may then be assigned to an Amazon S3 area. It is transparent for users whether the files are located on Amazon's S3 or another file system.
A module in censhare enables a company to migrate asset files very easily to Amazon's S3. Conversely, the files can also very easily be transferred back onto a local file system if the Cloud storage is not to be used anymore.
To protect the data, transfer to Amazon S3 takes place over SSL. Further protection is offered by the optional encryption of the data stored on Amazon's S3 with Amazon's Server Side Encryption. Within censhare, a sophisticated permission concept with domains, roles, and permission groups protects access to assets and files with fine granularity.