Piql - Unique Proprietary and Open-Source Solution

Unique proprietary and open-source technology - safeguarding and future proofing the world’s critical information

Background

Piql is a Norwegian innovative technology firm that is safeguarding and future-proofing the world’s valuable and critical information , - based on having created a disruptive and holistic technology and solution for ultra-secure, non-hackable, immutable, and long-term data storage and digital preservation. The solution is unique in this world, based on a combination of proprietary and open-source technology components. Piql’s technology is securing society- and business-critical information as well as world memory - for tomorrow and the future, - across sectors and industry verticals globally.

The solution

Piql has researched and developed a unique and very robust data storage solution which is ultra-secure, non hackable, immutable, self-contained, unalterable, migration-free, flexible, completely searchable, and permanent – and that has a tested and

documented longevity of over 1000 years . We have developed “Bits on Film”, a proprietary technology by which data can be digitally stored on an ultra-high-resolution photosensitive film, the piqlFilm .

Piql is autonomous and self-contained

The piqlFilm has a very unique feature that is not existing with any other storage medium; Everything needed to recreate the data in the future is written in human readable form on the piqlFilm, - i.e. the instructions on how to understand the storage medium, how to deal with it, how to convert the storage format back to the original files, file format descriptions and source code for the relevant programs to render/view the data, is all included on every piqlFilm in clear text. No other storage medium has this feature. This makes Piql’s solution migration free and resilient against the accelerating development and obsolescence of the needed software and hardware needed to keep data “alive” and readable in the future with other storage solutions.

One-of-its-kind in this world

Piql’s data storage technology is absolutely unique in this world. No other storage technology can store both human readable and computer-readable information on the same storage medium/information carrier, thus no other storage technology can be self-contained. The longevity of piqlFilm is unique and so is the combination of being non-hackable/immutable and the immunity to electromagnetic (e.g. EMP weapons) and nuclear radiation and cyberattacks. Thanks to the longevity and being truly migration-free, Piql is the most sustainable data storage solution with the lowest possible carbon footprint. Nothing compares .

Piql is both proprietary, patented and open-source

Piql’s imaging and data writing technology (i.e. that transfers the data to the piqlFilm through light modulation of the data – converting the data to super high-resolution QR-codes) is proprietary and protected through patents, trade secrets and copyrights . The reading technology is all based on open-source and license-free software and off-the shelf hardware. This is for the benefits of the clients, so that they can retrieve the data in the future independent of specific vendors or technology, - a light source, a camera and a computer is what is needed.

Piql is tested by third parties

The longevity and readback of data from piqlFilm have been tested by an external third-party laboratory ( Norner in Norway - www.norner.no). This institute have been doing accelerated aging of the piqlFilm over the last 10 years, and a readback of data after an estimated 1000 years (with the piqlFilm stored at a temperature of 21 ° C at 50% relative humidity) have been validated. At a temperature of 0 ° ± ° 2C the life expectancy is more than 2000 years. As far as we have been able to verify, no other storage medium has been through such an extensive testing on durability or longevity.

The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI - www.ffi.no/en) have assessed our technology and services relative to all kinds of security challenges for storage/preservation of data over time; inside threats, fire, water, chemical

compounds, microorganisms, nuclear radiation, sabotage, espionage, electromagnetic radiation, and different forms of "cyber"-threats. “ The number of potential risk sources eliminated by the offline properties of the Piql Preservation Services is therefore great ”.

The Norwegian Institute for Energy Technology (IFE – www.ife.no) wanted to test the piqlFilm’s robustness against electromagnetic and radioactive radiation and has exposed different data storage technologies (Hard disk (HDD), Magnetic Tape (LTO), USB stick and Solid-State Drive (SSD)) and piqlFilm to deadly doses of electromagnetic radiation (EMP).

“ The only technology that survived was the piqlFilm, all the data could be read back 100%. The other storage media could not even be connected ”.

A unique and holistic service journey

Piql has created a unique and holistic service journey all the way from assessing and advising on the project scope, converting/digitising analogue information (e.g. paper documents, books, manuscripts, maps etc.), audio, video, film, objects of art, physical objects/monuments (e.g. Taj Mahal), adding value to that information through digital transformation (i.e. extracting and adding indexing information and metadata through the use of AI and Machine Learning), making this information searchable and accessible and ensuring an ultra-secure storage as well as archival and long term preservation of the digital assets. As far as we know, Piql is the only player in the world that can offer such an holistic solution.