ACADEMIA

Hamburg-Cloud and TeamDrive scoop coveted IT security awards and offer template for how cloud service providers can deliver value added synchronization services

Enterprise cloud synchronization provider TeamDrive has announced successful implementation on the Hamburg-Cloud allowing the innovative service provider IT-WORKS to deliver secure data synchronization and win a prestigious German IT award.

Hamburg-Cloud is operated from three professional data centers in Hamburg to ensure that all mission-critical data and applications are held within German jurisdiction and adhere to the strict German data protection regulations. With the increasing demand for secure data sharing between clouds, smartphones and tablets, Hamburg-Cloud needed a cost effective, yet secure, option and turned to its partner IT Works! Consulting for advice. The result was the creation of its 'Smart Sync' platform which is based on the server edition of TeamDrive.

"File sharing is a key service offering for any serious cloud service provider, but without security at a reasonable cost it will not be adopted. Working with TeamDrive we went live with a fully, Hamburg-Cloud, branded offering less than 3 months after we signed our agreement," explained Christian Schroeder, Managing Director at the regional cloud service provider, Hamburg-Cloud.

"Hamburg-Cloud has developed a highly secure and scalable solution for data synchronization that benefits from proven technology, yet deployed within its own control," comments Volker Oboda, CEO at TeamDrive, "This is a significant milestone as it demonstrates that cloud service providers and enterprise customers can gain the same advanced data sharing and synchronization technologies without having to make compromises over where data is stored -- especially when jurisdictional issues like the US Patriot Act could be a major concern.

The Hamburg-Cloud "Smart Sync" platform and TeamDrive received the Web/Internet Security award at the 2012 IT Security Awards. This award recognizes the innovative TeamDrive based solution that allows Windows, Linux, Mac OS X and mobile devices running iOS and Android to automatically synchronize data across the devices of any team member.

Before transfer, TeamDrive encrypts files on both the cloud and the device using the AES-256 algorithm with a separate symmetric AES-256 key produced for each folder. As soon as members are invited to a group, the symmetric key of the folder is encrypted with the public key of the group member and sent to the new participant. The access data for the disk space on the TeamDrive server or Cloud Deployment is also sent in an encrypted form. Group members can decode the symmetric key using his or her private key and join the folder to ensure only authorized group members have access to the data.

TeamDrive has been checked by the experts of the Independent Regional Centre for Data Protection of Schleswig-Holstein (Unabhängiges Landeszentrum für Datenschutz Schleswig-Holstein (ULD)) and awarded its Data Protection Seal of Privacy. The ULD is an office of the regional government of Schleswig-Holstein and carries out state control and advisory functions in the field of data protection and freedom of information.