IceWhale Technologies has launched ZimaBoard, a low-cost single board server that functions as personal cloud storage and software router, and allows users to set up a VPN, stream 4K video, access media collections, and reinvent smart home projects on Amazon. Three models with tiered processing power are available in the brand’s shop for US customers: ZimaBoard 216 (2 GB RAM, 16 GB eMMC storage, dual-core Intel Celeron processor) is $139.99 USD, ZimaBoard 432 (4 GB RAM, 32 GB eMMC storage, quad-core Intel Celeron processor) is $169.99 USD, and ZimaBoad 832 (8 GB RAM, 32 GB eMMC storage, quad-core Intel Celeron processor) is $229.99 USD.
“Following our Kickstarter campaign and fulfillment to backers in July, we’re excited to announce our move to Amazon,” said founder Lauren Pan. “Getting here was no small feat, especially after more than a year of chip shortages and unpredictable lockdowns, but here we are. ZimaBoard is one board to rule them all—one that puts individuals back in control.”
“We as individuals put a lot of faith in the big-name cloud providers,” said Pan. “For many people it seems a necessary evil to store their confidential files, precious photographs, and media with these dominant players for so-called safe keeping. But the thing is, we see time and time again that these providers do not respect privacy. Users frequently have their personal data sold and stolen. And, to add insult to injury, providers issue a monthly bill.”
“As such, lots of people are looking to distance themselves from big tech and major players in the cloud space,” continued Pan. “Sovereign computing by way of personal servers is emerging as a viable option, but until recently, this space has been dominated by geeks, crypto fans, and hackers. With ZimaBoard, we wanted to create an accessible option for the average user wanting to set up a home cloud.”
Indeed, IceWhale is an organization on a mission to decentralize computing power and storage layers for Web3. They believe that privacy should matter to everyone, and a home cloud should be accessible. To that end, they’ve created ZimaBoard, allowing people to build their own cloud autonomy.
Key Features
- ZimaBoard allows users to easily expand their personal cloud to 36 TB disk space (2x SATA) as their data grows. They can enjoy fast reading and writing experience just like their local hard disk when connected via gigabit network.
- With its superior compatibility offered by the x86 chipset, users can turn ZimaBoard into a hardware router. They can create secure VPN connections, run lightweight services like FTP Servers, BitTorrent Clients, perform Traffic-Shaping and QoS, or even set up private access to their office computer.
- The Plex Media Server installed on ZimaBoard transforms the way users browse and enjoy their personal media library. Users can organize their media, stream their favorite collections of movies and TV shows anywhere on all of their devices. They can enjoy millions of high-resolution tracks via Tidal.
- Users can boost teamwork seamlessly on documents and spreadsheets in a protected environment. With ZimaBoard, they can set up a large-volume shared disk at home or in the office. This means users can edit their videos, photos, and documents with others on multiple systems in real-time.
- In practice, Zimaboard as a personal server offers excellent development possibilities and performance/price ratio as an x86 microserver. For example, it is ideal for git server, web server (Apache / lighttpd / NGINX), print server, chat server, or a Minecraft server.
- ZimaBoard can be used for data collection, data buffering, and data preprocessing to provide accurate and effective on-site IoT data for the cloud or local server, offering instant decision-making to provide agile responses, significantly reducing cloud and network infrastructure dependence.
- ZimaBoard is complemented by IceWhale’s elegant, easy-to-use, open home cloud OS called CasaOS. This community-based open source software is focused on delivering a simple home cloud experience around the Docker ecosystem.
