Lenovo, secunet and Cloud&Heat Technologies present turnkey solution for highly secure digital infrastructures

06.10.2021 - Lenovo, secunet Security Networks AG and Cloud&Heat Technologies GmbH are jointly launching an energy-efficient total solution for highly secure digital infrastructures under the name SecuStack Titan. The product combines hardened hardware as well as software and is designed in particular for the strict security requirements of critical infrastructures (CRITIS). As a fully configured solution, SecuStack Titan combines scalable computing power with maximum IT security and sustainability. For this, the three companies rely on proven components, such as the SecuStack cloud operating system and the energy-efficient, liquid-based cooling system Lenovo Neptune. Cloud&Heat Technologies is responsible for setting up and installing the SecuStack Titans at the customer's premises; if desired, the experts can also take over the complete operation.

The security requirements for digital infrastructures in the public and private sectors are constantly increasing. When it comes to protecting business-critical applications and sensitive information, it is not only in-house standards or specifications from customer contracts that apply. It is above all the highly regulated CRITIS areas that must also meet strict legal security requirements. With SecuStack Titan, the world's leading provider of hot water-cooled systems, Germany's leading cybersecurity company and the developers and operators of the world's most sustainable digital infrastructures - Lenovo, secunet and Cloud&Heat Technologies - have developed a turnkey, scalable and energy-efficient basis for precisely this.

"Our critical infrastructures such as hospitals, energy providers or government institutions are particularly in need of protection because they ensure the ability of our society to function and act," says Kai Martius, CTO at secunet, and emphasises: "SecuStack Titan is a particularly convenient overall solution for CRITIS operators because it meets even the highest security requirements 'off the shelf', i.e. without additional effort for the customer."

Secure cloud operation with Yaook and SecuStack

SecuStack Titan's cloud environment is based on the open source lifecycle management system Yaook ("Yet another Openstack Kubernetes") developed by Schwarz IT with its STACKIT brand and Cloud&Heat Technologies. Yaook can also be used to manage and operate SecuStack. This is a security-hardened variant of OpenStack developed by Cloud&Heat Technologies and secunet. As an "Infrastructure as a Service" platform, SecuStack enables the secure provision of resources for the operation of cloud applications. The operating system ensures strict separation of the client networks, complete encryption of the stored user data and simultaneous control over the cryptographic keys.

"After SecuStack as a software solution, SecuStack Titan as a holistic technology stack was the next logical step," says Marius Feldmann, COO at Cloud&Heat Technologies and CEO of secustack GmbH. "The BSI is classifying more and more organisations as KRITIS. This is accompanied by diverse IT security requirements, certification needs and small-scale work. The overall concept of SecuStack Titan considerably simplifies the fulfilment of requirements and the associated work."

Lenovo security hardened hardware

The physical basis of the SecuStack Titans is security hardened Lenovo hardware, which is manufactured, integrated and tested at Lenovo's European manufacturing facility. The configuration includes controller, storage and compute servers, including monitoring hosts and firewalls. Customers can choose between different processor types including a variant for hardware-based memory encryption based on SGX (Software Guard Extension) from Intel. If desired, KRITIS operators can also have a  Use SmartNIC (Mellanox BlueField by NVIDIA) as another protection tool.

"At Lenovo, our goal is to pave the way for easy and secure digitisation and, together with our partners secunet and Cloud&Heat Technologies, we are now pleased to make this possible for CRITIS operators," adds Andreas Thomasch, Director HPC & AI at Lenovo.

Scalable and sustainable computing power for critical infrastructures

The modular design allows SecuStack Titan to scale from a standalone solution (micro data centre) to a data centre with multiple racks. If the greatest possible flexibility and a lot of computing power is required on site, the experts from Cloud&Heat Technologies can also equip and connect several 40-foot containers with up to ten SecuStack Titans. These data centre containers have energy-efficient water cooling systems and are even suitable for outdoor use under extreme climatic conditions. Optionally, they can also be used with the other two variants: While air-cooled SecuStack Titans are easier to scale, the water-cooled servers are particularly sustainable in operation. Among other things, operators can subsequently use waste heat by feeding it into a heating or district heating network, for example.

Installation, operation and maintenance from a single source

Cloud&Heat Technologies is responsible for the turnkey configuration and installation of the SecuStack Titan digital infrastructure at the customer's site. The setup also includes, for example, the connection to corresponding interfaces as well as burn-in tests. Afterwards, customers have two options: Cloud&Heat Technologies can take over the monitoring, administration as well as maintenance of the SecuStack Titan solution and thus the complete operation or, if required, only offer support to guarantee a secure handover to the customer's corresponding operations team.

About Lenovo

Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a Fortune Global 500 company with revenues of US$60 billion, serving customers in 180 markets around the world. With a clear vision to deliver smarter technology for all, Lenovo develops world-changing technologies that power (through devices and infrastructure) and empower (through solutions, services and software) millions of customers every day to collectively create a more inclusive, trusted and sustainable digital society for everyone, everywhere. To learn more, visit www.lenovo.de and read the latest news on Lenovo's StoryHub.

About secunet - Security for digital infrastructures

secunet is Germany's leading cybersecurity company. In an increasingly networked world, the company's combination of products and consulting services ensures resilient digital infrastructures and the highest possible protection for data, applications and digital identities. secunet specialises in areas where there are particular security requirements - such as the cloud, IIoT, eGovernment and eHealth. With secunet's security solutions, companies can comply with the highest security standards in digitisation projects and thus drive forward their digital transformation.

Over 700 experts strengthen the digital sovereignty of governments, companies and society. Clients include federal ministries, more than 20 DAX-listed companies and other national and international organisations. The company was founded in 1997. It is listed in the Prime Standard segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and achieved sales of €285.6m in 2020. secunet is the IT security partner of the Federal Republic of Germany and a partner of the Alliance for Cyber Security. You can find further information at www.secunet.com