Introduction
For satellite operators located within the United States, managing restricted data is part of everyday operations and with it comes ensuring export compliance, both towards clients, as well as within the complete supply chain. In particular, when managing ITAR data, high standards are required for control.
That’s why if you know that you will have to handle data falling under the ITAR restriction, it is important that you consider and select your supply chain to be compatible from the very start.
Leanspace offers you a series of deployment options, including those that support AWS GovCloud, meticulously crafted for ITAR compatibility. With any option, you will gain access to all tools and services from Leanspace that enable you to build a fantastic mission operation center, complete with Command and Control, Mission Planning Systems, and Flight Dynamics Systems, while maintaining your ITAR compliance.
For deployment into the AWS GovCloud, you get two options to choose from: Self-Managed or Managed on a Private AWS Cluster. The key difference is no external access vs hands-off operations. Let’s explore these options in greater detail.
Self-Managed on Private AWS Cluster
If you want to have complete control over your deployment with no external access, then a self-managed approach may be the right solution for you. As the image below demonstrates, you fully own the AWS root account and all sub-accounts. You also host your own application and its data on top of your AWS infrastructure, optimized for your needs, while having access to the Leanspace Platform running in your infrastructure.
There are some requirements to achieve this, as you’ll need to have your own DevOps team who can manage the deployment and maintenance of the Leanspace platform within your own AWS environment.
From Leanspace’s side, we’ll keep making platform improvements as easy-to-install packages. That means that it’s up to you when you want to integrate these improvements into your deployed version, placing the decision-making power firmly in your hands.
Managed service on Private AWS Cluster
This hybrid approach allows you to get full access to the Leanspace platform as a managed service. Leanspace’s DevOps team will, as an external service provider, manage the initial deployment and maintenance, and help you with any queries, along with a general onboarding of the Leanspace Platform.
We’ll keep bringing you the necessary improvements via regular updates and you’ll retain ownership of the AWS account, including the root account and any sub-account that you desire.
From Leanspace’s side, we’ll have access to a sub-account, with a very specific and limited set of privileges, allowing our teams to maintain the Leanspace platform, but not to access any data that is ITAR-restricted. We have the processes in place to do the necessary due diligence and safeguard our business. It’s still up to you to decide when you would like any updates to happen, i.e. you remain in control of the maintenance schedule.
To safeguard against any residual risk of data visible to Leanspace, having been classified erroneously as non-ITAR, we’ll support you, if desired, in the process of receiving formal confirmation through a Commodity Jurisdiction request.
One of the perks of owning your own AWS account, either Self or Leanspace Managed, is that you can benefit from AWS volume-based discounts and reach any AWS Enterprise Savings Plans (ESP) you might have in place, which helps keep your usage costs in check.
Flexibility to change as you mature
For earlier-stage companies who don’t need to worry about restricted data or don’t have an AWS account yet, you can take advantage of our simpler deployment options. For example, you may only need an option for flatsat testing, in which case a development environment running on our AWS infrastructure is all you need.
One of the great benefits of Leanspace is that you can start to organize your deployments where it suits you today and upgrade when the time comes to move to GovCloud. So, if you’re at an earlier level of maturity and don’t work with restricted data, you can take advantage of the following deployment options.
Managed service on LS AWS Cluster (multi-tenant)
In this format, you can start with a Managed, Multi-Tenant environment, deployed in the AWS. For early-stage satellite operators, this is the perfect entry point to access the Leanspace platform, where the deployment and regular updates are handled for you.
This setup is ideal for a development environment. It gives you the opportunity to kickstart your development early, with the peace of mind that you can upgrade to an ITAR compatible GovCloud when it suits your needs.
Managed service on LS AWS Cluster (dedicated)
For early-stage companies that need more customization, you can take advantage of a Managed Service on a Leanspace AWS Dedicated Cluster. This gives you the freedom to choose the region that works best for your needs (except GovCloud) while benefiting from the isolation and performance improvements that come from having your own cluster.
Conclusion
Aligning with Leanspace and AWS GovCloud is an investment in a future-proofed approach, one that offers the necessary flexibility that allows for ITAR-compatible satellite operations.
Does this resonate with you? If you are seeking to become ITAR compliant and want to learn more about Leanspace’s cloud deployment options, including AWS GovCloud, feel free to click the button below and talk to Peter Healy, our business development manager who will be delighted to walk you through our deployment options.
