Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for determining how to encode data in accordance with a systematic coding technique and encoding data in accordance with the determined systematic coding technique, the method comprising: determining the code parameters n, k, r and B, wherein n is the total number of nodes, k is the total number of nodes of source data, r is the total number of nodes of redundant data, such that n=k+r, B is the number of substripes of data in each of the nodes such that all of the nodes of source data and all of the nodes of redundant data comprise the same number of substripes, wherein k is 2 or more and B is 3 or more; determining nodes of source data that comprise source data that is not encoded by the systematic coding technique, wherein all of the B substripes in the nodes of source data store binary values only; and for each of the substripes of each of the nodes of redundant data, determining to generate the substripe of redundant data in dependence on a generator matrix; and encoding subst