AION requirements
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      1. AION guide
      2. AION - Instructions for Use
      3. AION requirements

      Minimum IT requirements

      These instructions are not recommendations and should be strictly adhered to in order to ensure user safety.

      Concerning VCF format and data requirements, please check the page dedicated to it.

      Access management

      • Access to AION is password protected. The system is designed for individual use, and as such, users should not share user accounts or passwords with each other. 
      • Users should pick strong passwords, more than 16 characters long and using special characters for the best security.

      Operational Environment

      • AION is a fully cloud driven solution. Clinical phenotypes (in the form of HPO terms) and genetic data (in the form of VCF files) are stored on AION’s AWS RDS, AWS S3 object storage and AWS EFS file storage servers in Germany. Data can be hosted in locations outside of Germany on demand through contractual agreement.
      • A job ID per case submitted for analysis is created on job submission for indexing purposes, therefore no personal identifiable patient data (i.e. name, email, etc.) is required.
      • Data is segregated into different databases based on purpose. Database access is restricted based on role. Sensitive data such as family members information, relevant variants, age, sex, HPO terms, date of birth is encrypted using the Fernet recipe for extra security.
      • AION should only be used within secured networks. Work on public networks puts data safety at risk, and should not be done.
      • Workstation security hygiene should be practiced so that people without proper authorisation working besides the user may not read, film, or take pictures of any confidential information.
      • Users should log off AION when leaving their workstation, and workstations should have auto locking enabled to reduce the risk of data theft in the absence of the user.

      Technical setup requirements 

      • AION is tested on the latest 64- bit version of Google Chrome. We therefore recommend using the latest version of Google Chrome for best performance. Based on published browser compatibility comparisons, Firefox is expected to be compatible as well, but is not tested on and therefore not recommended for use. Other browsers such as Safari or Internet Explorer may not support all of AION functionalities.
      • A device with 2GB of RAM or more.
      • A CPU with 2 cores or more.
      • A resolution of 1024x768 or higher.
      • A fast internet connection to allow for data transfer.
      • The local and the wide area network at the customer side needs to support the worldwide internet protocol standard HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) and a corresponding connectivity to Germany (Locations outside of Germany are available on demand through contractual agreement.). 

      Scheduled maintenance

      AION is a cloud provided service with an evergreen client. The deployment and validation of all software and security updates are handled by Nostos Genomics and do not require any actions taken by the user or their IT team

      AION is frequently updated to add functionality and increase security. Such updates may impact data integrity and analysis consistency. When such an update is scheduled, users are informed via the snackbar system with specific instructions on which actions to avoid at which time.