Page 10: MDS Cloud Relay

Introduced with Mobile Data Studio version 10.0 of August 2021

Mobile Data Studio version 10 is a major upgrade introducing MDS Cloud Relay as an easy way to set up and run secure wireless communication between MDS server and mobile client devices.

Reasons for MDS Cloud Relay

CreativityCorp has twenty years’ experience with provision of solutions for data collection on mobile platforms. In 2021 we acknowledge there are two categories of potential MDS customers reluctant to ‘mobilise’, being:
• large corporations and government agencies concerned about mobile devices communicating through their firewall, especially with ‘Bring Your Own’ devices, and
• small businesses challenged by complex networks to manage communication with mobile devices.
‘MDS Cloud Relay’ has been introduced to assist these customers.

Using Cloud Relay, there is no need to adjust port forwarding or firewall rules to allow incoming connections to MDS Server, or to keep track of changing IP addresses. Both MDS Server and mobile devices can connect securely to CreativityCorp's MDS Cloud Relay service. Customer data is end-to-end encrypted as it has always been, protected with the existing Mobile Device Password, which is not provided to CreativityCorp.

COST of MDS Cloud Relay:The convenience of MDS Cloud Relay is provided at AUD50 a year for two relays for multiple mobile devices for a customer licensed to use Mobile Data Studio. Irrespective of a customer being licensed for 5, 50 or 500 mobile device clients, the AUD50 annual cost of MDS Cloud Relay remains the same.

Create a MDS Cloud Relay

Cloud Relays are associated with software customer accounts at www.creativitycorp.com/login
To start using the Cloud Relay service, a customer must log into the website using their existing customer account, then click the link to "Learn More and Create a Cloud Relay". (Later, once a relay has been created, this changes to “Manage Cloud Relays”)
The next step is to select a Cloud Relay Name. A Cloud Relay Name identifies the customer’s private relay, and needs to be unique across all CreativityCorp customers. Relay names start with $, to clearly distinguish them from normal internet addresses. For example, $AJAX567
The customer then chooses a Cloud Relay Server Password. This is different from the existing mobile device password (which is never provided to CreativityCorp). The Cloud Relay Server Password is used only to connect the customer’s MDS Server to their Cloud Relay (see below).
Finally, the customer can select a Latency Region that is close to their country, to minimise communication latency through the Cloud Relay. Additional regions may be added in the future. MDS Server (see image above)
To configure MDS Server a customer: opens MDS Wireless Server Settings (see image above) and:
Selects MDS Cloud Relay mode, instead of accepting connections to the MDS server host PC or server.
The customer then Provides the Cloud Relay Name and Cloud Relay Server Password exactly as registered with www.creativitycorp.com/login
The port number and encryption options cannot be configured in Relay mode, and are greyed out. End-to-end encryption is always used in Relay mode.
The Mobile Device Password is used as before, however a strong ten-character password is recommended. This password is private to the customer and their mobile devices. Mobile Devices
To configure a MDS mobile client device, open the Settings menu and:
Enter the Cloud Relay Name as the Server Address Cloud Relay Names start with a $ to clearly distinguish them from normal internet addresses.
Enter the Mobile Device Password as before (not the new Cloud Relay Server password).

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