For government agencies, armed forces and other organisations that operate critical societal functions, a disruption to digital infrastructure can quickly affect the ability to sustain operations. This creates a requirement for IT environments that can continue functioning even in the event of, for example, loss of communications, cyberattacks or other disruptions.
Avalanche is Expando's response to this type of continuity requirement. The platform can be used entirely disconnected, moved together with the data that needs to be protected, and used to process information close to the location where it is collected and where decisions are made.
"For us, the core issue is operational digital resilience. Critical operations must be able to continue even when the ordinary infrastructure cannot. Avalanche gives organisations the ability to retain control of their data and continue using it under such conditions," says Carl Johan Runer, CEO of Expando.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is now highlighting Avalanche in its own communications on how European public sector organisations can build a layered data infrastructure spanning from the operational edge and customer-owned facilities to the cloud. Avalanche uses S3-compatible object storage and IAM-compatible authentication, allowing the platform to connect to AWS services whenever connectivity is available.
At the same time, Avalanche is not tied to AWS. The platform can be used standalone or integrated into other existing IT and cloud environments. For Expando, AWS's communication is therefore primarily an example of a broader approach in which cloud services are complemented by local and disconnected capacity.
"The fact that AWS is raising this issue shows that digital resilience needs to encompass more than what happens in the cloud. Organisations need to be able to take advantage of cloud services while also having a plan for how critical data should be managed when connectivity or ordinary infrastructure is unavailable," Carl Johan Runer continues.
One example cited by AWS is Ukraine. During 2022, the company helped migrate and protect more than 15 petabytes of Ukrainian government data following Russia's full-scale invasion. According to Expando, this experience illustrates the need to already have, before a crisis occurs, the capability to protect and relocate critical information if the ordinary infrastructure comes under threat.
Avalanche is developed and owned by Expando in Sweden and is built on a rugged aluminium chassis that meets MIL-STD-810. Depending on configuration, the platform can offer up to 3,360 terabytes of storage capacity and can be used standalone or as part of a larger IT architecture.
According to Expando, the capability can be used in several ways. Data can be managed locally where connectivity is lacking, storage environments can be relocated to a safer location in the event of a disruption, and information can be processed close to the source when large data volumes or limited communications make it impractical to first transfer the information to a central data centre.
"Europe's organisations should not have to make themselves dependent on a particular IT environment in order to achieve continuity. Avalanche is designed to give them control over their critical data and the ability to decide for themselves when it should be handled locally, relocated, or connected with cloud services," Carl Johan Runer concludes.