Degoo backup – the first back-up service based on dynamic routing of transfer data to data centres

Project Information

DEGOO

Grant agreement ID: 728541

DOI 10.3030/728541

Closed project

EC signature date 23 May 2016

Start date 1 June 2016

End date 30 November 2016

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies - Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

Total cost € 71 429,00

EU contribution € 50 000,00

Coordinated by

DEGOO BACKUP AB
Sweden

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DEGOO (Degoo backup – the first back-up service based on dynamic routing of transfer data to data centres)

Reporting period: 2016-06-01 to 2016-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The overall objective of the DEGOO innovation project is to upscale and validate a data-routing algorithm and integrate it into Degoo Backup - a fully operational and commercially viable back-up service. As a result, Degoo will be turned into a truly vendor agnostic cloud storage solution. Via implementation of the algorithm Degoo will redefine the established business model on the global cloud back-up market. Oligopolistic position of multinational players that control IaaS market will be broken up once and for all and their status changed from card dealers to simple players. The company itself will be able to capitalize on its innovations and experience accelerated growth.

Objectives of the Phase 1 project:

a) to perform detailed market investigations
b) to develop a business plan for the commercialisation of the new back-up service

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The study identified the key factors and market constraints influencing the future marketing and commercial activities and confirmed the market potential of the new service.

The areas that were scrutinized and turned into a business plan are:

- Market overview: evaluation of market available for the new service, recognition of business opportunities and maximizing product/market fit
- Analysis of Cloud Storage Providers (CSPs): summary of CSPs currently active on the IaaS market, with special attention given to technical affinity between their APIs and Degoo’s data-routing algorithm as well as geographical location of infrastructure; evaluation of European candidates for potential partnerships
- Charting of users and their needs: statistical analysis of current cloud storage users and their preferences, to better prepare Degoo’s offer and value proposition
- Development of strategies to generate revenue: preparing ways of translating technological excellence into commercial success: 1) via achieving high account conversion rates from free to premium and 2) via monetizing on non-subscribed users/ free account holders through advertisements
- Setting up new distribution channels: mapping of channels of massive outreach to prospective users and ways to use them efficiently
- Engaging key stakeholders on the market: strategies of involving key stakeholders in the project
- Review of competing solutions: development of a better understanding of the competitive landscape and Degoo’s Backup exact position against current solutions
- Description of market barriers: recognition of market barriers that may hamper project’s implementation and listing measures to overcome them
- Compliance with regulatory standards: analysis of the legal aspects of the project and identification of issues or regulatory constraints that need to be resolved
- IP protection measures: choice of a method to best protect Degoo’s innovations
- Success criteria of the project: establishing precise ways of measuring project’s achievements
- Future directions for the company: outlining long-term growth prospects and needs they will generate
- Project requirements: estimation of technological effort & capital requirements to finalize the project
- Justification of adopted business model – freemium: evaluation whether it is an optimal way for Degoo to run the business
- Promotional strategy: development of an approach to reach the users and target their expectations
- The economics of the business: analysis of current growth of the company in terms of users and gross revenue, building projections for the near future to determine the volume of sales needed to cover the expenses and to become profitable
- Development of the business model: defining ways and means to more firmly establish Degoo Backup on the market

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The novelty of the project lies in creating a back-up solution that can dynamically adapt as new users arrive, based on a set of rules. Equipping the existing storage service with novel algorithm and software framework will allow Degoo to dynamically route traffic between users and data centres.
Once fully developed, Degoo’s back-up service will be a truly vendor agnostic solution, plummeting the cost of storage and at the same time empowering the users, by giving them a level of control over where their data is stored. Whenever, due to legal constraints, geographical location of files and documents could become an issue, e.g. when data deemed sensitive is not supposed to leave a particular country, full compliance with the applicable rules and regulations will be offered and guaranteed. In addition, by the end of Phase 2 project, Degoo-initiated deconstruction of IaaS market oligopoly will be well advanced and consumers and providers alike will benefit from new areas of free competition.
Since a quick market reaction is expected, a successful launch of the project will in turn provide Degoo with unique, long-term competitive advantages and spur further growth and development of innovation activities of the company.

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