Centralized databases controlled by tech giants have long needed a rethink. Censorship, leaks, skyrocketing costs—these issues have troubled businesses and individuals for years. The Walrus protocol aims to change this game—built on the Sui blockchain, it’s a decentralized storage network that uses the $WAL token to keep the entire ecosystem running.

From a business perspective, this solution addresses real compliance pain points. Data is end-to-end encrypted, so only those with the private key can access it. The key is that it uses erasure coding to fragment and store data across nodes worldwide; even if a single node is compromised, it’s useless—hackers can’t get the full information. Sensitive data like medical records, financial documents, and legal files can finally be truly controlled by enterprises without relying on third parties.

What about individual users? Low-cost permanent storage becomes a reality. Photos, videos, and archives uploaded once can be stored forever on the chain for a very low fee. Compared to subscription-based cloud drives, Walrus’s fee model is more reasonable—money flows directly to node operators, creating positive incentives. Interestingly, users can also stake $WAL$ to become nodes, earning passive income from storage itself.

The technical blob storage solution is also impressive. With Sui’s high performance, uploading and downloading large files is no problem at all. This combination might truly bring storage back from centralized control into the hands of individuals.