iCAS - Flexible Long Term Archiving of Digital Data

What is iCAS?

iCAS (iTernity Compliant Archive Solution) is server-side software that allows the tamper-proof storing, respectively archiving, of random data. iCAS is a middleware solution that sits between legally compliant archiving applications (DMS/ECM systems, PACS etc.) and NAS or SAN storage systems. The patented CSC technology of iCAS offers enormous flexibility and an easy integration into existing IT infrastructure. Data is archived into Content Storage Container (CSC), which are secured against manipulations and deletion. The CSC can be stored on standard storage systems (NAS or SAN) from any vendor. Additional options to encrypt and compress data offer more security and space optimization. The two available interfaces for iCAS are a web service API and a file system gateway (iFSG).

Flexibility

The openness of the system is the fundamental difference between iCAS and other archiving solutions. Other products bank on closed systems under the black-box principle, requiring proprietary operating systems and similar components. iCAS follows industry standards and can use common disk-based storage systems. For the user this means:

•  Investment protection (because existing storage can be used for archiving)
•  Flexibility when buying storage systems, as iCAS is vendor independent
•  Guaranteed future and simple migration of protection- worthy data in the context of Unified Storage
•  Virtual archive possible thanks to virtual iCAS appliances and SAN virtualization
•  Security and legal compliance

The patented Content Storage Container (CSC)-Technology with optional compression, encryption (AES256) and SHA512 hash values (digital fingerprint) reliably secures your data from all manipulation efforts. Existing backup software can access the stored CSC containers and back them up incrementally or entirely. Retention times set forth by law can be managed flexibly per container. Deleting files cannot be deleted before the retention date has been reached. After the retention date, files can be deleted according to the US Department of Defense (DoD) guidelines.
Legal compliance to the relevant laws like AO, GDPdU, GOBS and others, has been certified by financial auditing firm KGMG and by legal opinion from renowned lawyer for IT and media rights, Dr. Ivo Geis.

Economy

iCAS is one of the most economical long term archiving solutions, achieved through several key factors:

•  Independence from particular, proprietary storage systems
•  a transparent licensing model
•  investment protection through the ability to use existing IT infrastructure (storage systems, backup and recovery structures, …)

Even just the simple implementation and fast migrating processes lead to huge TCO savings.