Web3 and the Need for Evolution, not Revolution (Because I’m Lazy)
How The OmniIndex Platform & Dropblock add Web3 security and privacy to your existing workflow
We all want increased security and privacy for our work and data online. However, we don’t all want the stress and disruption of adding another app and sign-in to our workflows. (Or at least, I don’t.)
This post looks at Web3 and how its security and privacy benefits need to be introduced as an evolution to our workflows, and not steamrolled in as a revolutionary replacement.
Why? Because I’m lazy and want the benefits of Web3 technology and security without having to change my current working environment.
Brief Web3 Explainer
Explanations of Web3 are often tied into debates around the future of the internet and an ideal vision of who should own what. For example the Web3 Foundation believes it’s crucial Web3 is “a decentralized and fair internet where users control their own data, identity and destiny.” However, while I find these discussions interesting and important on an abstract level, they are precisely that: Abstract. Something for the future. What interests me more selfishly today is how Web3 can help keep me and my files secure and private NOW.
The core technology behind Web3 is Blockchain and its decentralized nature. IBM have written extensively about Blockchain and among their listed benefits includes a focus on privacy and security:
By creating a record that can’t be altered and is encrypted end-to-end, blockchain helps prevent fraud and unauthorized activity. Privacy issues can also be addressed on blockchain by anonymizing personal data and using permissions to prevent access. Information is stored across a network of computers rather than a single server, making it difficult for hackers to view data.
https://www.ibm.com/uk-en/topics/benefits-of-blockchain
Similarly Simon Bain (OmniIndex CEO) in ‘Why Web 3.0 with a Hybrid Blockchain is the Only Viable Blockchain Solution for Organizations’ surmises the key benefits of Blockchain for users:
If implemented correctly, it [a Blockchain] helps protect you from attacks, makes your data always available without compromising security, provides a real Return on Investment and in a lot of cases does not impede your current workloads or create new headaches for users.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-web-30-hybrid-blockchain-only-viable-solution-simon-bain/?trackingId=E9%2BvgvSzRFKtlxnlyIzXHw%3D%3D
These two links are good places to start, however there is plenty of other information available online if you wish to learn more about Web3 and Blockchain technology and the benefits.
The Desire: Web3 In my Existing Workflow
In my day to day work I mainly use the Google Workspace: predominantly Drive, Gmail, and Docs. I chose this because I wanted everything in one space as opposed to having a separate email, writing application, and cloud storage. As such, I’m incredibly reluctant to now swap back to a workflow of multiple different applications – despite my desire for the security and privacy of Web3.
The Solution: Dropblock & OmniIndex
OmniIndex is a Data Platform utilizing an FHE Blockchain to provide encrypted Web3 data access in various tools including the Google Workspace and Google BigQuery. With Dropblock, users can load and save files from their encrypted OmniIndex Blockchain directly in the Google Workspace. The Add-on is fully integrated as a trusted extension and users never have to leave their Google Workspace in order to access and manage their files – despite files being stored externally in the user’s own encrypted Blockchain.
For some users, like myself as a writer and content creator, a key benefit is that an external company (Google) is no longer managing the encryption and security of my files with me the only one holding the encryption key and able to gain access to the decrypted files. These files are also protected from Ransomware attacks thanks to the protections that Blockchain offers, and they are also available externally if I ever need them. This means I can access them directly from my Dropblock mobile app without needing to use the Google Workspace if I ever desire.
There are also other OmniIndex Web3 integrations into multiple other cloud productivity and collaboration tools. These include Microsoft Office 365, Oracle Cloud Analytics, and Tableau. This means whatever your usual workflow, from writing and content creation through to analytics and administration of sensitive data, OmniIndex adds Web3 technology and security without the need for a drastic change in how you work.
What makes OmniIndex truly unique as a Web 3 integration, however, is that data never has to be decrypted. This is because OmniIndex’s patented encryption technology enables computations and full-text search on encrypted data. In other words, I can search my encrypted Blockchain without exposing the data through decryption, and I can export encrypted data from the Blockchain into Google Sheets and BigQuery for analytics and insights. While as a writer this is only a small part of my job, my colleagues in other departments use these features regularly to gain insights from data previously too sensitive and confidential to risk exposing.
The result?
The same cloud working environment, but with the added peace of mind from Web3 security and privacy.
Written by Matt Bain.
https://web3.foundation/about/