The world we live in is getting smaller every day. As technology advances, it’s easier to get information, and we have access to more detailed images of the world around us. For example, there is a local sports team that recently took a panoramic picture of the crowd during one of their games. No big deal, right? Wrong. This picture is actually 26 billion pixels and can zoom in to see the faces of just about every one of the 20,000+ people in the arena (better hope you didn’t call in sick to go to the game). Again, pretty cool, but how can that affect your business? It’s pretty simple actually: pictures like this typically get emailed around an office like wildfire. And I’m sure you can imagine the size of the file and the time and server space it takes to make it through the email chain. If not kept in check, this could cause your network—and your business—some problems.
Now you might be thinking to yourself, “This is a 26-billion-pixel picture. I’m never going to have to deal with that.” While this may be true, this issue of data sharing could still become an issue for you. We recently spoke with a business that takes high-resolution pictures of disaster areas for documentation and relief efforts. One of the problems they are discovering is that these pictures are getting more detailed and the files sizes are getting larger. There simply isn’t enough capacity on the email servers to efficiently send these files back to the home office. When they started using SecureDrawer, they were able to upload their large files (securely) to a storage area while out in the field. Once there, the home office was able to download the files without any additional stress on the e-mail system. This process has been able to save them time and the money while keeping sensitive information encrypted. Sure, you might never have to worry about taking a 26-billion-pixel picture and identifying everyone in the crowd. But you never know when your customers might need a detailed image or a large file.
The bottom line is this: Technology is changing quickly. Customers are expecting you to change quickly as well. And while some people aren’t adjusting as fast, others are, and you do not want to be the person sitting back, expecting people to understand that technology has passed you up. Do the research, make the investment, and most importantly, avoid the big headache caused by big data.