Online storage services for science are subject to special requirements which commercial products do not offer, for example with regard to volume, availability, data protection, data security and flexibility. The service operated at KIT, bwSync&Share, can now be used by all scientific institutions across Germany within the German National Research and Education Network (DFN). For the first time this gives institutions outside Baden-Württemberg the option to use an online storage service tailored to the needs of research and teaching in Germany. The University of Rostock is the first user within DFN.
The bwSync&Share service allows employees and students of participating institutions to store data on KIT's systems, and synchronize them between desktop PCs and mobile devices. What's more, users can make their stored data accessible to other users by assigning appropriate access rights. Users who are not part of a participating institution can also be given access rights.
The University of Rostock is the first university outside Baden-Württemberg to be part of the largest German university cloud – bwSync&Share. The service is incorporated via the German National Research and Education Network (DFN) and is hosted by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The Steinbuch Centre for Computing (SCC) at KIT has built this service in collaboration with PowerFolder, a cloud service provider. This now allows around 15,000 students and 3,000 employees to create an account under the name “Uni Rostock Box” in Karlsruhe, including 10 gigabytes of storage and featuring customized web and app design.
KIT now offers the online storage service bwSync&Share via the DFN cloud beyond the boundaries of the state of Baden-Württemberg. (Picture: KIT)
Research results, term papers, pictures and videos can be saved, shared and synchronized. The service can be accessed via desktop systems, smartphones, tablets or a web interface across all platforms, providing users with maximum convenience. Users can access the service easily using the login details from their own local institution without the need for additional access data.
Unlike with most commercial providers, data is not stored at foreign server locations but at KIT, so within German jurisdiction. Communication between the users' end devices and the central storage systems is encrypted. Data access is restricted to the users who make the data available, and to other (possibly external) users authorized by them.
The storage service is partially funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research, and the Arts, making it free of charge for members of regional universities and institutions of higher education. DFN institutions from outside Baden-Württemberg can subscribe to the service for a fee.
Institutions outside Baden-Württemberg can get information on how to access the service here:
https://www.dfn.de/dfn-cloud/bwsyncshare-in-der-dfn-cloud/
Users from Baden-Württemberg will find information here:
https://www.scc.kit.edu/dienste/bwSyncAndShare.php
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