If you have read my bio you will know I'm a big nerd. I have lots of data; various databases, documentation, coding projects and random files that I don't want to lose. And up to this point, my backup redundancy has been dispersed between my desktop's hard drive and my NAS (running RAID 5).

For some time I have been looking for a cloud service. This will allow me to have a local backup for easy access as well as an off-site backup for if my network ever gets hit by ransomware or something equally destructive.

The only thing is, I have several problems with cloud services that I've looked at. The first one that always jumps out is they're closed source. I don't exactly trust DropBox's code or Amazon's employees if there isn't any more protection than your average Joe. So strong encryption is a requirement.

And then I have issues with the payment. There are free cloud services, but one of my mottos is that if you're not paying cash, you're paying for it in some other way. By that I mean they could be selling your information, or even showing you malicious ads. On that note, I want a cloud service that I am paying for, but not one what will continuously charge my card, and preferably one not connected to my card at all.



https://supload.com/r1bx7Venx

This leads me to Sia.



http://sia.tech/about/

Not only does Sia fulfill my previous needs (open source, not too expensive, doesn't need card, strong protection) but it does so in a decentralized manner. To me, that alone is quite appealing.

Now yes, there is Storj. But if I'm going to invest in a cryptocurrency like Siacoin, I'm not only going to look at Sia but also its competitors. In my opinion, Storj will not reach mass adoption any time soon. The process of uploading and managing your files is way too intensive than the normal user wants to deal with. Straight out the gate, Sia appears to be much better in this area than Storj.

On top of this, Sia already has other innovations such as a NAS that earns you Sia from unused space. I believe these signs show that Sia will be more promising long term than the competitor Storj.



https://minebox.io/

Let's talk about some initial downsides to Sia. I've already downloaded the zip file, unzipped it, and launched the program. Thinking about users who are not used to decentralized applications, the synchronizing of the blockchain might be a bit annoying for them, or they may not even know what is happening. This is definitely a downside, but it could be fixed with some light education reading or maybe technological advancements in the future such as pruned blockchains for the application.

This concludes my first impression of Sia. In Part 2 I will discuss how well Sia actually performs as an everyday cloud service.

Thanks for reading! This is part of my homelab series, where profits go towards furthering my education. If you would like to support that, be sure to upvote and Resteem.

Have Siacoin you'd like to donate? Here's my address: 08d54c4faa9c546e6b9fd46a08bb8e15d6fcdae66dcae172aef5752cbf982feb5ff3e2f6b584