Leonardo has teamed with cloud storage enabler Cubbit to implement a new cloud architecture capable of ensuring both maximum security and maximum data usability, the companies announced on 29 September 2023.
Rather than storing data in a few centralised data centres, as with traditional cloud storage, the Cubbit solution instead sees each file encrypted, fragmented, and replicated across multiple geographic locations so that it can always be reconstructed in its entirety. Security is therefore ensured even in situations where one or more geographic locations may be compromised, such as in the case of physical or cyber attack or in the face of a natural disaster.
In the case of a malware attack, each individual file fragment becomes a trip-wire sensor to raise the alarm. Once an attack is detected, the node is isolated, the data fragment is deleted, and the rest of the network goes into a defensive mode, increasing its counter-offensive potential by leveraging its intrinsic supercomputing capability, thus raising a barrier that is claimed to be impregnable.
Thanks to the granular geographic distribution of the data, digital sovereignty is also guaranteed, as each file can be distributed within a single country or region.
Leonardo will be the first company in the aerospace, defence and security sector to use the Cubbit solution. The agreement between the companies provides that Leonardo’s sites in Genoa and Chieti will be the first to be involved in the development of the partnership.
Leonardo will create a distributed ‘data lake’ synergistic with the central one to validate protocols that significantly reduce the need to move data from the centre to the edge and vice versa. This will incorporate directly onto the data itself features for resiliency (disaster recovery) and low-latency access (EDGE computing). The goal is to increase support for the digital development of the Leonardo Group’s business, such as in the construction of digital twins of flagship products.
“The agreement with Cubbit will increase the security and sustainability of our cloud services,” Carlo Cavazzoni, head of computational research and development at Leonardo, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “Thanks to the adoption of granular geographic data distribution technology, we are now capable of addressing the growing trend of data to be stored – expected to triple by 2026 – which will generate a parallel increase in risks, costs, and complexities related to their management.
“We are among the leading companies in a sector – aerospace, defense and security – where secure data management assumes a strategic role and has crucial geopolitical significance,” Cavazzoni added. “For Leonardo, continuously enhancing data protection is an imperative duty. The signing of the partnership with Cubbit, aimed at jointly leveraging innovative technology, moves in this direction.”
Alessandro Cillario, co-founder and co-CEO of Cubbit, stated, “The project signed with Leonardo marks an important step forward in the evolution of our technology and it makes us proud and excited. Seeing our technology adopted by one of the major global players in the AD&S sector highlights the rapid growth of our geodistributed cloud solution.”
