Where are my files stored, exactly?
File Storage & Document Formats
Your uploaded certificate files are stored securely within Microsoft Azure's UK South data centre region (London), protected by multiple layers of encryption and access control.
Storage Location & Details
Microsoft Azure UK South (London)
Specifically, your files reside in:
- Cloud Platform: Microsoft Azure.
- Region: UK South (physically located in London).
- Service: Azure Blob Storage (using the 'hot' access tier for quick retrieval).
- Redundancy: Locally Redundant Storage (LRS) within the data centre for high availability.
- Data Residency: All files and backups remain strictly within UK borders.
File Protection Measures
Encryption & Secure Access
Multiple security layers protect your files:
- Encryption at Rest: All files are automatically encrypted using strong AES-256 before being saved.
- Encryption in Transit: Files are uploaded and downloaded securely via HTTPS (TLS 1.2+).
- Secure Access Links: Files can only be viewed/downloaded via temporary, secure links (SAS URLs) generated specifically for your logged-in session. These links expire quickly.
- No Public Access: The underlying storage is private. Files cannot be accessed directly, even by CertNudge staff.
Data Deletion
Control & Compliance
Your uploads remain under UK GDPR jurisdiction. If you delete a file from CertNudge, it is removed from active storage immediately and permanently purged from backups according to our data retention schedule (typically ~35 days).