First of all, I need to say that if anyone knows of something like this that already exists, please e-mail me! I'd love to start using it. But, I don't think anything like this exists. If I had the brains, time, and motivation then maybe I would try to create it myself.
I am amazed by the bit torrent network. Downloads have never gone so fast. Linux distributions have picked up on this as well as many other companies. Blizzard uses this method of distribution for it's patches of World of Warcraft. It is beautiful because of the bandwidth savings by letting "peers" and "seeders" share the bandwidth load. I think the uses of this technology are widely overlooked and underused.
Why not utilize the same kind of peer to peer network for backups? I give up X amount of space on my hard drive in exchange for X amount of data to be backed up (plus a fee). I create my own encryption key (using some easy to use tool provided by the company offering the peer to peer backup), choose what I want backed up, point the program to a space on my hard drive where it can use for storage, and then hit the go button. It would take my encrypted files and distribute them across the peer to peer network of other users of the network.
Now, I know, there are a lot a questions to be answered and a lot of holes in my simplified idea in the paragraph above, so before you flame me in the comments, know that I know that. However, the basic idea of taking your backup and distributing it over a peer to peer network, is one I have never seen addressed.
So, ideas? Questions? Comments? Links to existing services I don't know about? Please, comment or e-mail me!
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I know that others have posed such an idea before, Robert Cringley's article for example http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/2004/pulpit_20040909_000825.html, but I don't know of anyone who has implemented this system.
Why not just back stuff up on DVD's? I guess if you wanted immediate access to your backup, then it would make sense.
Speaking of ideas, remember our color based code? I heard recently that Intel is making a chip that uses lasers instead of imbedded wires for a processor. Different, but the same concept is there - info. traveling at the speed of light!!! Get that and large-capacity flash HD's and wow....fast is an understatment.
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