  The cloud changed the way we manage and store data. Today, cloud storage
services offer clients an infrastructure that allows them a convenient source
to store, replicate, and secure data online. However, with these new
capabilities also come limitations, such as lack of transparency, limited
decentralization, and challenges with privacy and security. And, as the need
for more agile, private and secure data solutions continues to grow
exponentially, rethinking the current structure of cloud storage is
mission-critical for enterprises. By leveraging and building upon blockchain's
unique attributes, including immutability, security to the data element level,
distributed (no single point of failure), we have developed a solution
prototype that allows data to be reliably stored while simultaneously being
secured, with tamper-evident auditability, via blockchain. The result, Audita,
is a flexible solution that assures data protection and solves challenges such
as scalability and privacy. Audita works via an augmented blockchain network of
participants that include storage-nodes and block-creators. In addition, it
provides an automatic and fair challenge system to assure that data is
distributed and reliably and provably stored. While the prototype is built on
Quorum, the solution framework can be used with any blockchain platform. The
benefit is a system that is built to grow along with the data needs of
enterprises, while continuing to build the network via incentives and solving
for issues such as auditing and outsourcing.
