Data Portability & Reliability | 2 Essentials
Data Portability and Reliability for Everyone
PLAN is built on an open “pluggable” architecture that integrates end-to-end encryption, distributed and local data-storage, and interoperable data-transport technologies — all accessible from a realtime visual interface. Woah, that’s a Wall of Words to climb for a lot of people! Stick around though, we’re going to journey into uncharted territory with exciting concepts that you can’t unsee!
Above all, the open source technology being developed by PLAN Systems is about visual collaboration, data-ownership, and focusing on the needs of people in relationships as a design priority. Part of building a better data-model starts with understanding why you even need one in the first place.
We Don’t Have to Trade Privacy for Convenience
Take a moment to think about the data storage systems or providers you use for projects, files, pictures, timestamped messages, documents, music, and the critical information that brings you daily value. If you’re reading this, chances are the files you access daily are spread out across many hardware devices and software applications: a phone, desktop computer, laptop, tablet, networked devices, different OS’s, browsers, web-servers, etc.
The best information and data solutions are always those that are available right at that moment they are needed. But whether it’s iCloud, Facebook, G-Drive, Drop Box, AWS, or top tier hosting service, what happens when that connection isn’t available? Who really owns the data placed on these networks? Who else is that data shared with? And how likely is it for you to be able to access and maintain your data in the long-term? These are questions that every serious organizer or leader must ask before choosing a storage provider or data management solution.
"Do I really have the data portability and ownership that I need?"
The Rise of Distributed Trust Systems
Organizations and communities can lessen dependance on corporate owned & licensed technology, while also making it easier to stay connected utilizing PLAN with widely available last generation hardware; e.g. computers and mobile devices 5-10 years old. PLAN’s comprehensive data-model integrates the latest advances in open source digital ledger technologies (such as blockchain), and distributed cloud file protocols (like IPFS by Protocol Labs), and packages these technologies into a secure, simple, and visual interface.
IPFS is a brilliantly conceived open source project that combines a distributed cloud storage protocol, along with critical components for a replacement web-standard. With IPFS, information queries and retrievals are based on content addressing instead of IP addressing; meaning IPFS “addresses information by WHAT it is not WHERE it is… so the data can flow through the network [and] it can work in local or disconnected networks” (J. Benet).
This subtle, yet remarkable method of serving & publishing information can help secure and efficiently distribute information across the web, without the need for a central server. This is a vital attribute whether you are in a low-bandwidth environment, an offline network (intranet), or you simply want faster download speeds. Discover more about IPFS and Protocol Labs.
TechCrunch: Why The Internet Needs IPFS Before It’s Too Late
Motherboard: IPFS Wants to Create a Permanent Web
MakeUseOf: Faster, Safer, Decentralized Internet With IPFS
A Chain of Blocks: IPFS Simply Explained
While it’s unequivocally true that distributed technologies can offer tremendous value and advantages to people, it absolutely matters how those technologies are designed, the conditions they are released under, and who owns the relationship and connection that’s created.
We want to help others to replicate the process of organizing with the help of open source tools that don’t require a central managing server, and benefits from rules-based community templates to create collaborative personal and professional networks.