FAQ

Product Information

What is PiWeb cloud?

PiWeb cloud is a cloud-based solution for inspection data management. It differs from the on-premises PiWeb editions in the following points:

• ZEISS hosts the server and database system for you in the cloud.
• You can purchase PiWeb cloud as a fully customizable one-year subscription instead of a license for a specific software version. You can choose the number of licenses for the PiWeb modules (planner, designer, monitor) and decide between three different cloud database packages (10 GB / 30 GB / 100 GB).
• PiWeb cloud allows you to purchase and manage your PiWeb cloud subscription online with just a few clicks.

What are the benefits of PiWeb cloud?

• PiWeb cloud eliminates significant acquisition and maintenance costs for a local server and database system since ZEISS provides these services for you.
• With its subscription-based pricing model, you can scale PiWeb cloud to your needs – even throughout the subscription term.
• PiWeb cloud is an excellent fit for small and medium-sized companies that are looking for a powerful reporting solution but do not want to operate and maintain in-house servers and SQL databases. PiWeb cloud is also a great option if you already use PiWeb sbs and want to expand your storage capacity cost-effectively.
• Medium-sized and large companies also benefit from PiWeb cloud due to the location-independent accessibility of the public cloud. ZEISS PiWeb cloud makes it easy to share measurement data with customers or suppliers at different locations or even from different organizations.

What is the difference between PiWeb cloud and PiWeb sbs / PiWeb enterprise?

PiWeb cloud is different from PiWeb sbs / PiWeb enterprise in multiple ways:

• With PiWeb cloud, the server and database systems are in the cloud instead of on-premises.
• ZEISS provides the server, database, and PiWeb module licenses as an annual subscription instead of full-license capital investment.
• PiWeb cloud offers a self-service website. Via the PiWeb cloud portal, you can manage and scale your PiWeb cloud solution quickly and conveniently.
• With PiWeb cloud, the server and database maintenance is provided as-a-Service by ZEISS. PiWeb cloud means less work for in-house personnel and faster release updates.
• PiWeb cloud supports the concurrent use of PiWeb modules instead of PC- or dongle-based licensing or floating licenses.
• The different PiWeb editions provide the same set of features for inspection data management and visualization.

How do I purchase PiWeb cloud?

The access point to PiWeb cloud is the PiWeb cloud portal. Here you can purchase, configure, and manage your PiWeb cloud subscriptions. The portal website requires you to create a ZEISS ID account. ZEISS ID is your one central account to all ZEISS services, from applications to training, service, and documentation.

How much does PiWeb cloud cost?

A PiWeb cloud subscription is a contract with a one-year term. The subscription fee is based on:

• the selected database package (10GB / 30GB / 100GB)
• the type and number of PiWeb modules (PiWeb planner, designer, monitor)

The subscription fee is billed annually upfront. Fees for elements that you add to an active subscription are calculated based on the remaining subscription term. Elements removed from a subscription are available until the end of the subscription term. There is also an option to start a free PiWeb cloud trial that allows you to evaluate PiWeb cloud for 90 days at no cost. The PiWeb cloud trial includes a 10GB database and one license for each PiWeb module (PiWeb planner, designer, monitor).

Implementation and Usage

What are the technical requirements for PiWeb cloud?

PiWeb cloud has the following system requirements:

Network

PiWeb cloud modules need stable internet access to connect to PiWeb cloud databases.

Software

For the connection of measuring machines, the system requirements are:

• ZEISS measuring machines: CALYPSO 2020 / PiWeb reporting / reporting plus (7.4.2.0 or newer) CALIGO 4.0 / PiWeb reporting / reporting plus (7.4.2.0 or newer)
• Non-ZEISS measuring machines: PiWeb auto importer (7.4.5.0 or newer) PiWeb modules

PiWeb modules

PiWeb modules run on current Windows-hardware and need 10 GB of available disc space.

How do I know what PiWeb cloud configuration (number of licenses, storage capacity) I need?

• The recommended database size depends on the measurement frequency and the type of measurement data you upload to PiWeb cloud (e.g., numerical data, images or CAD models).
• The recommended number of module licenses depends on the number of modules that you want to use simultaneously. PiWeb cloud requires one license per running module. With PiWeb cloud, you can adjust the size of the available cloud storage and the number of module licenses at any time by adding additional databases or module licenses to your subscription.

How can I upload measurement data from a single-seat solution to PiWeb cloud?

The data upload depends on the software that you use with your measuring machine.

• ZEISS measuring machines: You can upload data via the built-in PiWeb interface in ZEISS metrology software CALYPSO 2020 & CALIGO 4.0.
• Non-ZEISS measuring machines: You can upload data via the free PiWeb auto importer (7.4.5.0. or newer).

Establishing a connection to a PiWeb cloud database and uploading data from one of the aforementioned applications requires a ZEISS ID user account for PiWeb cloud. In addition, this ZEISS ID user account must be a member of the target subscription and have access to the PiWeb cloud target database.

How can I allow other users to access my PiWeb cloud database?

You can manage access to the database and module licenses within a PiWeb cloud subscription via the PiWeb cloud portal. See the section Subscription Management for more details.

Can I upload measurement data to PiWeb cloud with a shared user account?

For a shared user account, you need to create a shared email address for your company, e.g., via your IT department. Then, after creating a ZEISS ID account with this email address, you can invite this shared user to the subscription the same way as regular users.

Is there a user limit for PiWeb cloud?

PiWeb cloud does not limit the number of users that can access a PiWeb cloud subscription, databases, or module licenses.

How can I ensure that subscription users cannot make changes to my subscription, i.e., change names, remove users, purchase additional elements?

In PiWeb cloud, you can assign one of three roles to subscription users:

• Owner: Can access databases and licenses, purchase and remove elements, invite and remove users, set roles and permissions, and cancel the subscription.
• Admin: Can access databases and licenses, invite and remove users, and set roles and permissions.
• User: Can access databases and licenses.

PiWeb cloud automatically sets subscription owners and admins as admins for each PiWeb cloud database. In addition, you can assign more detailed user roles and permissions within a single database through PiWeb planner.

Can I scale the storage capacity of a PiWeb cloud database?

At the moment, PiWeb cloud databases are fixed to their initial three sizes: 10 GB, 30 GB, or 100 GB. However, we have planned storage upgrades for a future release.

In the meantime, you can always add additional databases to the subscription and increase your cloud's overall storage capacity.

Note that each cloud database is an independent instance. Therefore, it is not possible to view data across multiple cloud databases in a single PiWeb report.

Can I use my PiWeb sbs or PiWeb enterprise modules to connect to PiWeb cloud?

Yes. Suppose you have an existing PiWeb sbs or enterprise solution. In that case, you can access data from your local database as well as PiWeb cloud databases. To connect with PiWeb cloud, it requires PiWeb 7.4.5.0 or newer.

Can PiWeb cloud modules connect to a PiWeb enterprise or sbs server?

No. Modules purchased with a PiWeb cloud subscription cannot connect to a PiWeb enterprise or sbs server. PiWeb cloud subscription modules can only connect to a PiWeb cloud database.

Can I automatically transfer data from the cloud to an on-premises server?

Yes, in combination with a PiWeb enterprise server. PiWeb enterprise servers include synchronization jobs that can retrieve data from any PiWeb cloud database automatically.

Automated synchronization of PiWeb cloud with a PiWeb sbs server is not possible.

Can I track additional data from the environment of the measurement device (e.g., ambient temperature or humidity, barcodes from a scanner, workpiece data, or operator ID)?

PiWeb provides two options to transmit and store additional data – either with a supported file format via PiWeb auto importer or directly via the PiWeb API.

Note: Currently, PiWeb cloud does not support the PiWeb API. Please get in touch with piweb-support.metrology.de@zeiss.com regarding specific data formats if you are a PiWeb customer. Otherwise, if you have not yet purchased a PiWeb subscription or on-premises installation, don't hesitate to contact the corresponding sales representative.

Do the PiWeb modules require a permanent connection to the PiWeb cloud to work?

PiWeb modules require an internet connection to launch and to work with live data from the server. PiWeb module to server communication is based on individual requests with short-lived HTTP connections. Most of those requests are the result of user interactions. Hence, you can handle short network outages by simply retrying a failed action.

How does the licensing model for the PiWeb modules work? What are the limitations?

PiWeb cloud supports concurrent use. Concurrent use authorizes the simultaneous usage of PiWeb modules for a set number of users. If an additional user wants to start PiWeb monitor, they will have to wait for a current user to close the application. You can add new licenses to a subscription at any time via the PiWeb cloud portal.

Can I trace the access history by each module license?

PiWeb cloud does not track and display module license usage.

Who is responsible for upgrading and maintaining PiWeb cloud?

ZEISS provides maintenance and upgrades as-a-Service for all server components. In addition, all PiWeb cloud customers can always download the newest version of the PiWeb modules from the ZEISS Software Center in the ZEISS portal.

Do I need an SMA/SLA for PiWeb cloud?

No. All annual fees for a PiWeb cloud subscription include maintenance and support for the PiWeb modules. Therefore, there is no need for an additional software maintenance agreement (SMA) or service level agreement (SLA).

Can I export my data from the PiWeb cloud if I want to cancel my subscription?

Yes. You can export data from PiWeb cloud as a .qdb file using PiWeb planner. You can then manually transfer the data to another storage such as an on-premises database.

Does PiWeb cloud support third-party access to the PiWeb API?

Currently, PiWeb cloud does not support the PiWeb API. However, we plan to fully support third-party access to the PiWeb API in the future.

Does PiWeb cloud support PiWeb notifications?

Not yet. PiWeb notifications are scheduled for upcoming releases.

Subscription Management

How do I add users to my subscription?

Each subscription owner or administrator can invite new users via email. To invite a new user to the subscription, log into the PiWeb portal, select the desired subscription, navigate to the Users section and click "Invite users".

Each person you invite will receive an invitation email. Once they have registered or signed in to PiWeb cloud, they can accept the invitation and become a subscription member.

Can I assign subscription users with different roles? What are their authorizations and abilities?

Yes, as an owner or admin of a PiWeb cloud subscription you can assign different roles and permissions:

• Owner: Has the same same access as Administrator plus the ability to make changes to database and licenses, and transfer or cancel the subscription.
• Administrator: Has the same access as User plus the ability to invite and remove subscription members.
• User: Has access to databases and PiWeb cloud module licenses.

PiWeb cloud will automatically assign Owners and Administrators of the subscription as admin of each PiWeb cloud database.

Can I add or remove users without changing the subscription?

Yes, you can invite new users or remove existing subscription members without any limitations. Additionally, you can configure access to your PiWeb cloud subscription via the Users section in the PiWeb cloud portal.

Can I access my data in PiWeb cloud even if I am late with my payments?

Since PiWeb cloud subscription is billed annually upfront, there are no monthly payments and no risk for you to exceed payment dates throughout the subscription term. Additionally, we automatically renew each PiWeb cloud subscription after the one-year term if you did not cancel it within a 30-day termination period before the expiration date. We will deny access to the cloud databases and module licenses if you cancel the subscription or miss the annual payment. After the subscription cancellation, we will permanently delete all data 180 days after the term has expired. Please make sure to back up your data with PiWeb planner if you decide to end your PiWeb cloud subscription.

Data Security

Where does PiWeb cloud store my data?

ZEISS hosts databases and servers for PiWeb cloud in a data center in West Europe. All data centers are operated by Microsoft Azure.
See https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/global-infrastructure/geographies/#geographies for more details.

How secure is my data in PiWeb cloud?

PiWeb cloud builds on the services of Microsoft Azure and therefore uses the various data security mechanisms provided by the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. Please see the following links for more information on data security with Microsoft Azure:

• Microsoft Trust Center: https://www.microsoft.com/de-de/trust-center/?rtc=1
• Microsoft Security Content Library: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/content-library/

How does ZEISS ensure that other PiWeb cloud customers cannot access and view my data?

You fully control the usage and access to your subscription via the PiWeb cloud portal and the PiWeb planner module. Thus, you decide who gets access to your inspection data and to what extent. In addition, PiWeb cloud uses one dedicated database for each PiWeb cloud database to guarantee data isolation.

Are the PiWeb cloud databases encrypted?

PiWeb cloud encrypts all data at rest with TDE (transparent data encryption).

How does PiWeb cloud encrypt data traffic?

All data traffic to the PiWeb cloud is encrypted via TLS-1.2.

Which ports and protocols does PiWeb cloud use?

All data between the web browser, PiWeb modules, and PiWeb cloud is transferred via HTTPS on port 443.

How secure is my data in PiWeb cloud in case of a network breakdown?

Measurement applications store inspection data locally (e.g., on a Calypso PC) until the upload process to the PiWeb cloud has finished. In the event of a network failure during upload, all measurement data remains stored on the local PC. When the measurement application or PiWeb auto importer re-establish the connection to the cloud, they can automatically complete the data transfer.

Are there retrievable backups of my data in PiWeb cloud?

PiWeb cloud encrypts all data and stores it redundantly. We also save daily backup copies which we store for 30 days. The backup copies are not directly accessible to our customers. However, the PiWeb cloud team can use them to recover your data. After the expiration of the retention period, PiWeb cloud automatically deletes the backup copies.

Is there a warranty against data failure?

The customer is responsible for data backup. There is no legal warranty claim.

How will PiWeb cloud use my personal data?

ZEISS will not use customer data for marketing campaigns. ZEISS will use your contact data solely to provide the PiWeb cloud services, process orders, and provide customer support.

Support

Whom can I contact if I have further questions or technical problems?

There are multiple options for product support depending on the issue at hand:

• Application and technical support for PiWeb cloud: Contact piweb-support.metrology.de@zeiss.com for further support and troubleshooting. You can also contact your local sales representative.
• General support for configuration, setup, or training: Contact your local Carl Zeiss Industrial Metrology service center via email or by phone. You can find relevant contact information at: https://www.zeiss.com/metrology/contact.html