Leonardo uses Cubbit geo-distributed S3 storage for enhanced security, sovereignty, and data control

Overview

Needs

• Build a flexible S3-based infrastructure to support manufacturing needs
• Archiving of large-scale datasets that can also be used for AI training and HPC
• Collect data from multiple production sites with security and sovereignty
• Protection from ransomware and geopolitical risks

Solution

Cubbit DS3 Composer on-prem

Results

• EU sovereign technology with the highest level of control and compliance
• Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) reduction for unstructured data management
• Integration with directory services already in place to track cyber threats
• Zero-knowledge encryption via internal KMS
• Overall simplification of the storage infrastructure

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Leonardo is a world leader in aerospace, defence, and security, with over €14B in revenue. The company manages about 20 million billion pieces of data. Protecting this data is a matter of strategic importance for Italy as a whole, requiring Leonardo to securely manage and safeguard vast volumes of sensitive information. 

With multiple production sites and a highly complex supply chain, Leonardo generates massive amounts of data from a variety of sources. High-resolution imaging, radiographic scans for quality control, sensor logs, and operational analytics are just a few examples of the critical information that must be stored, processed, and protected. 

Given the scale and strategic nature of this data, Leonardo prioritises a solution that ensures maximum security, resilience, and control while enabling seamless accessibility across its global operations.

Challenge 

Operating in the defence sector, ensuring security and compliance is a top priority for Leonardo, especially when handling sensitive data across multiple production sites. Disaster recovery is a critical concern for Leonardo, making it essential to minimise downtime and ensure data remains secure and always accessible. 

In short, Leonardo needed a storage solution that could support diverse workloads — including sensor data, logs, backup, and large-scale datasets that can also be used for AI training and HPC. With data generated and consumed across multiple production sites, the solution had to provide seamless integration, high availability, and robust security measures. 

Given sovereignty and regulatory constraints, a public cloud solution was not an option, as Leonardo manages strategic data of national and international importance. Indeed, Leonardo prioritises home security and therefore cannot depend on technologies from outside the EU.

Leonardo required an EU-sovereign, geo-distributed S3 storage solution seamlessly integrated into its existing infrastructure, providing full control over data residency and compliance, including adherence to NIS2 security standards.

Compared to traditional on-prem solutions, when it comes to data replication across multiple sites, Cubbit offers a more efficient and cost-effective approach while maintaining top-tier SLAs. Its geo-distributed architecture reduces replication overhead, without compromising security, sovereignty, and control.

‍Solution

By adopting Cubbit DS3 Composer, Leonardo is significantly reducing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for unstructured data management, lowering operational expenses and simplifying the storage infrastructure compared to traditional storage solutions. The geo-distributed architecture was deployed across Leonardo’s data centres, allowing precise data localisation at the country and site level to ensure compliance with sovereignty regulations.

Seamless integration with existing directory services enhanced cybersecurity by improving threat detection and monitoring. The system is inherently resilient against ransomware and other cyber threats, leveraging a fully encrypted, zero-knowledge framework where encryption keys are managed through Leonardo’s private Key Management System (KMS) for maximum data secrecy.

Cubbit’s edge gateway technology optimises data handling at various facilities, ensuring fast local access with caching while consolidating data into a single, geo-distributed repository. By repurposing existing x86 hardware, Leonardo maximised cost efficiency, achieving a scalable, high-performance storage solution without unnecessary infrastructure investments. Finally, its geo-distributed architecture strengthens data protection against cyber threats and outages.

Result

Carlo Cavazzoni, Head of Computational R&D at Leonardo, explains: “We are among the leading companies in a sector, that of Aerospace, Defense & Security, where secure data management assumes a strategic role and has crucial geopolitical significance; 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.”