Securing Digital Repositories: Hosting and Digital Preservation

In the third session of the Future Proof Repositories series, Luke Taylor presents on the vital topic of hosting and digital preservation. This session dives into security measures for repositories and content, with a focus on managing bots and DDoS attacks. Luke, having over 12 years with Discovery Garden and extensive experience in IT and cybersecurity, provides deep insights into different hosting methods, including on-site data centers and AWS-based solutions. Discussion also covers storage handling, potential costs, scalability, and innovative hybrid hosting approaches. The presentation wraps up with a detailed look at recent trends in bot attacks, underscoring the importance of robust security. This comprehensive session is a must-watch for those looking to enhance the security and efficiency of their digital repositories.

With DDoS attacks up over 500% YoY, relying on host-based security is no longer viable

Top Takeaways from this Webinar

Hosting Strategy Options

Institutions can choose between on-site hosting or fully managed AWS hosting.
On-site provides direct control but is limited by local infrastructure and scaling challenges.
Discovery Garden’s managed AWS hosting offers scalability, agility, and advanced security.

Security is Essential

Rising threats like DDoS attacks highlight the need for modern security tools.
Discovery Garden implements:
- AWS GuardDuty
- Crowdstrike EDR
- Taegis VDR
- AWS WAF (Web Application Firewall)
- SOC2-compliant controls via partnership with Canadian security firm Carbide

Smart Scalability with AWS

Auto-scaling with Amazon EKS and Aurora RDS Serverless
High availability and virtually unlimited storage
Tailored to handle traffic spikes and large-scale migrations

Flexible Hybrid Models

Institutions can use their own AWS S3 accounts or opt for hybrid configurations (e.g., Discovery Garden hosting public-facing content, with admin hosted locally)

Preservation-Focused Storage

Versioned, geographically distributed storage
Built-in disaster recovery through cross-region replication

Migration at Scale

DGI’s FOXML migration framework enables moving up to 1 million objects per week
Safe, lossless migrations that preserve derivatives and metadata

Bot Management is Non-Negotiable

With DDoS attacks up over 500% YoY, relying on host-based security is no longer viable
DGI-hosted sites using AWS WAF have seen zero downtime during attack surges

Ready to see what Islandora can do for your organization?

Whether you’re managing a single repository or supporting a multi-institution consortium, Islandora offers the flexibility, scalability, and support you need. Contact Discovery Garden to schedule a demo, start a project discovery session, or learn more about how we can help you build a future-proof digital repository.