UBIQ Network, with its patented decentralized architecture, provides an alternative to conventional cloud computing, providing increased reliability and data mobility at a lower cost.
The emergence of cloud computing, or the on-demand availability of computer system resources such as storage and computing power, has provided so much convenience for individuals and organizations worldwide. It has allowed people to access their data from anywhere, as long as they can connect to the internet. Cloud computing has also enabled businesses to have distributed workforces, often involving hybrid and remote work. This has allowed them to access a wider talent pool, as well as continue operations even during disruptions such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
While cloud computing has many benefits, there are also drawbacks, the most prominent of which is reliability. Cloud computing is a centralized technology that relies on data centers, which are often large facilities housing numerous servers. This introduces a single point of failure, where, if a data center is compromised, the entire service often goes down, interrupting operations and negatively affecting clients. This has happened with commercial cloud hosting services several times, such as on February 28, 2017, when Amazon Web Services suffered an outage for several hours, resulting in businesses that rely on AWS, becoming inaccessible.
It was this incident that inspired Mr. Steven He to think of a solution that ensures greater reliability while providing the same convenience as cloud computing. He, who has more than 30 years’ experience in the field of IT, including enterprise software and game development, founded Ubiq, Inc. that same year. The company’s mission is to develop the next generation of network computing. His research and efforts have resulted in several patent applications and grants from the US Patent and Trademark Office, with more patent applications filed in other countries.
Ubiq’s flagship product is UBIQ Network, it’s a next generation cloud computing platform that seeks to solve the reliability issues encountered by traditional cloud hosting services by fostering decentralization. According to He, today’s cloud computing is a deviation from the original goal of the internet, which was based on the US Department of Defense’s ARPANET. During the Cold War, the US wanted to decentralize its information network, preventing its capabilities from being crippled by a singular strike on headquarters.
However, He believes that cloud computing is a move in the reverse direction, reintroducing a single point of failure. Through UBIQ Network, he aims to provide an alternative to traditional cloud computing services, providing exceptional service in terms of reliability and data mobility. Ubiq has been granted patents in both these areas, signifying a major improvement over existing technologies. The company’s motto is SAFER, which stands for Serve All Fairly, Effectively, and Reliably.
With regard to reliability, He explains that it is measured in terms of uptime “nines”, where 99% uptime is “two nines” while 99.9% and 99.99% are correspondingly “three nines” and “four nines”. While four nines seems to be a very high level of uptime, it still corresponds to around 52 minutes of downtime each year. For crucial sectors such as financial services, utilities, and defense, a reliability of five nines is needed, which translates to an average of less than six minutes downtime per year.
According to He, with UBIQ Network’s patented decentralized architecture, it is able to provide a level of reliability commensurate to the client’s needs, even up to five nines and more. With conventional cloud computing, increasing reliability from four nines to five nines entails an exponential increase in cost. However, for UBIQ Network, it is just a linear increase, resulting in more savings for clients. The network now has more than 40 nodes worldwide, primarily in the US, China, Canada, Germany and Hong Kong, with multiple software applications now running on the platform.
Meanwhile, UBIQ Network also provides data mobility to clients. According to He, with conventional cloud computing, a user’s data resides in a data center in a particular locality. If a user is located near the data center, communication is smooth, but this degrades the further they get from the data center. With UBIQ Network, the data moves alongside the user and is stored in a node geographically closest to them. For example, a user on the US East Coast will likely have their data in a networking node located in New York. If they move to Germany, the data can be moved to nodes in Frankfurt or Berlin, ensuring smoother operation.
“Our vision has been continually evaluated and is now coming to reality,” He says. “In the age of centralized cloud computing, UBIQ Network provides an alternative that ensures better reliability and data mobility. It will not replace cloud computing, as cloud computing will not replace supercomputing. However, UBIQ Network overcomes several pain points and inherent weaknesses of cloud computing, providing end users with reliable, safe, high-performance, and cost-effective online services wherever they are.”
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