In this article, we will guide you to link your own storage to Nimble for storing your data.

Skip Ahead to: Overview Key Features Access and Scope Navigation Link to Your Google Cloud Storage Link to Your AmazonS3 Link to Your Microsoft Azure Blob Storage

Overview

The Link Your Own Storage feature offers administrators of Nimble the ability to seamlessly integrate external storage providers like Google Cloud Storage, Amazon S3, or Microsoft Azure Blob Storage with Nimble. This feature simplifies data management by allowing administrators to select their preferred storage option.

Key Features

1. Unified Integration: Administrators can easily link their chosen storage provider from a range of options, including Google Cloud Storage, Amazon S3, or Microsoft Azure Blob Storage.
2. Flexible Storage Options: Users have the freedom to select the storage provider that best fits their organization’s needs and preferences, offering unparalleled flexibility in data management.
3. Enhanced Security: Leveraging established cloud storage solutions ensures robust security measures and compliance standards are maintained, safeguarding sensitive organizational data effectively.

Access and Scope

Only the Nimble Admin has access to this feature as it is available under the Administration menu. Once the linkage to one of the storage options is completed, the linkage will be available to all users of the Nimble enterprise. Note that only one storage provider can be connected at a time for the enterprise. If Nimble storage is connected to Google Cloud Storage, the other two storage options (Amazon S3 and Microsoft Azure Blob Storage) cannot be connected simultaneously.

Navigation

 In the left navigation panel, expand the Apps menu and select the Organization name. Hover over the top breadcrumb, expand the Administration <module, and click Link Your Own Storage.

Link to Your Google Cloud Storage

To link your Google Cloud Storage to Nimble, perform the following steps –

1. Open the Link Your Own Storage Screen.
   
   
2. Click the CONNECT button on the Google Cloud Storage tile. The Link Google Cloud Storage dialog box appears.
   
3. To get the project ID, go to the https://console.cloud.google.com/ URL to open the Google Cloud Storage Home Console. 
4. On the top bar, click the My First Project drop-down list. All your projects will be listed here.
5. Copy the project ID of the required project.
   
   
6. To get the Connection String, in the Search bar, enter Cloud Storage and press the ENTER key.
7. You will see a list of buckets. Select the required bucket.
   
   
8. If a bucket is not created, you can create one by clicking the CREATE button. 
9. To get the Service Account email, in the Search bar, enter IAM and Admin and press the ENTER key. 
10. From the left pane, click Service Accounts.
    
    
11. Copy the required service account email where you have the desired permissions. 
12. To get the Private Key, click the service account that you have copied.
13. Click the KEYS tab. 
14. From the ADD KEYS drop-down list, select the Create new key option.
    
    
15. The Create private key for dialog box appears. 
16. Select the JSON option and click CREATE. 
17. Open the JSON file and copy the private key.
    
    
18. Once you provide all 4 parameters in the Link Google Cloud Storage, your Google Cloud Storage is linked with Nimble and any file attached on a user story will now be saved to your Google Storage account. 

Link to Your Amazon S3

To link your Amazon s3 account with Nimble, perform the following steps – 

1. Open the Link Your Own Storage Screen.
   
   
2. Click the CONNECT button on the amazon S3 tile. The Link AWS S3 dialog box appears.
   
3. To get the AWS Region and Bucket name, open the Amazon Home Console and navigate to the Buckets listing page.
   
   
4. Copy the desired bucket name and its AWS region. For the AWS region, copy only the part after the location as shown in the above screenshot. 
5. To get the AWS Access key and the AWS Secret key:
   
   1. Click on the Services icon at the top-left of the screen. 
   2. Click IAM. 
   3. From the left pane, click Users.
      
      
   4. Click the required user name who has the desired access for the AWS Access key.
      
      
   5. Click the Create Access Key link. If the Access key is already created then we can copy that.
      
      
   6. Select the Other option.
   7. Click the Next button. 
   8. Enter the description for the access key.
      
      
   9. Click the Create access key button. The Access and the secret keys are generated.
   10. Click the Copy icon to copy the access key and the secret access key.
       
       
6. Once you provide all 4 parameters in the Link AWS S3, your AWS Storage is linked with Nimble and any file attached on a user story will now be saved to your AWS account.

Link to Your Microsoft Azure Blob Storage

To link your Microsoft Azure account with Nimble, perform the following steps – 

1. Open the Link Your Own Storage Screen.
   
   
2. Click the CONNECT button on the Microsoft Azure Blob Storage tile. The Link Azure Blob Storage Account dialog box appears.
   
   
3. To get the Container name, open the Microsoft Azure Home Console.
   
   
4. Under Azure services, click Storage accounts.
5. On the Storage accounts page, click the desired storage account where you want to save your data.
   
6. A pane appears. Under the Data storage, click Containers.
   
   
7. On the Containers page, copy the container name. 
8. To get the Connection String, in the pane, under Security + networking, click Shared access signature.
   
   
9. Click the Generate SAS and connection string button. The connection string is generated on the Access keys page.
   
10. To copy the Connection string, under Security + networking, click Access keys.
    
    
11. Copy the desired connection string. 

Once you provide all 2 parameters in the Microsoft Azure Blob Storage Account, your Microsoft Azure account is linked with Nimble and any file attached to a user story will now be saved to your Azure account.