WISERA Inc. and NFTDrive Inc. Jointly File Patent for Decentralized Storage NAS Technology “NAS-X”

— Achieving new backup technology utilizing users’ free capacity and independent of central management. Aiming to build a long-term, permanent data preservation storage infrastructure. —

WISERA Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Wataru Kishimoto) and NFTDrive Inc. (Headquarters: Kyoto; Representative Director: Ryo Nakajima) announce that they have jointly filed a patent for new technology related to “NAS-X,” a decentralized storage-compatible NAS technology.

NAS-X is a collective term for decentralized storage-compatible NAS technology where multiple Network Attached Storage (NAS)1 devices, connected to a network, mutually utilize users’ free storage capacity to perform distributed data backups. The goal is to achieve a new storage architecture with enhanced fault tolerance and permanence, independent of specific management servers or single cloud providers.

Background: Rising “Data Loss Risk” and Concerns with Centralized Storage

The volume of data handled by individuals and corporations, including photos, videos, and business data, increases annually. Concurrently, structural risks related to data preservation are becoming evident, such as:

Data loss due to NAS device failure or disasters.

Service termination risks due to reliance on cloud providers.

Cyberattack damage from ransomware, etc.

While RAID configurations2 for redundancy and cloud backups offer some effectiveness, they face challenges in their vulnerability to failures at the “enclosure unit” or “provider unit” level.

In response to these issues, WISERA and NFTDrive developed and filed a patent for “NAS-X,” a decentralized storage-compatible NAS technology, as a mechanism for users to collaboratively protect data without relying on a specific central authority.

Overview of NAS-X Technology

NAS-X leverages IPFS (InterPlanetary File System), a decentralized file system. IPFS is characterized by its ability to assign and manage a unique identifier (CID) based on the content of data itself, rather than its traditional “storage location (URL),” allowing data to be shared and retrieved independently of specific servers. In NAS-X, each user’s NAS participates in a P2P network, establishing a distributed storage environment with the following features:

Mutual Backup between Users: Utilizes the free capacity of each NAS to store data in a 1-to-N configuration, creating a backup environment free from single points of failure.
High Secrecy with Data Encryption: Data stored on other users’ NAS devices is encrypted, designed so that third parties, including the host user, cannot view the content.
Independent of Central Management Servers: Backup processes occur directly between NAS devices, without mediation by specific management servers. This mitigates risks such as service termination or regional outages.
Management and Restoration via Content Identifiers: By managing data based on its “content” rather than its “storage location,” flexible and advanced restoration becomes possible.

Through these mechanisms, NAS-X aims to build a decentralized storage infrastructure for long-term and permanent data preservation.

Proof of Concept and Verification Status

Test trials and verification for NAS-X have already been completed, confirming that distributed backup and restoration operations function normally. Moving forward, gradual implementation into products and optimization for various applications are planned.

Future Developments

NAS-X is intended to be a core technology for:

WISERA’s platform for family and individual memory preservation and data inheritance.
NFTDrive’s decentralized storage and Web3 related technologies.

Future plans include expanding its application beyond personal use to data preservation for corporations, local governments, and communities, as well as collaborating with partner companies.

Glossary

1: NAS (Network Attached Storage)
A data storage device connected to a network. Used in homes and businesses to share and store photos, videos, and business data from multiple devices.

2: RAID Configuration (Redundant Arrays of Independent Disks)
A mechanism that combines multiple hard disks to distribute and duplicate data, reducing the risk of data loss during disk failure. Primarily used within the same NAS unit.