So what’s the deal with big data? Not too long ago, almost nobody bothered to talk about this topic – it was the exclusive privilege of CIOs and business executives. You’ll be surprised however at how things have changed. Big data is now a challenge for end consumers as well!
– 2011 – it was estimated that 2 zettabytes of data were created globally
– 2015 – 2.16 zettabytes of information from all around the world
– 2016 – 3.77 zettabytes worth of files being uploaded
If these numbers aren’t apparent enough, let us take а minute to tell you – never before have we ever been so dependent on data.
The ceiling for the average file size has risen to an extreme extent. We have 20MB images, blu-ray movies as big as 40GB and the not so average music collections of 7.160 songs (if we take into account the average song size of 7MB). Big data talks aren’t only a matter for discussion for large business. You will hear even more talks from business executives and IT specialists than ever before.
Although technology doesn’t fall back with providing the right storage capacities, big data does bring a lot of questions and challenges.
Challenge 1: The right amount of storage
Well, you need something to save your data in and although technology does keep up with storage advancements, it comes at a salty price and you will be at a disadvantage looking at mobility. Most space packed pieces aren’t meant to be mobile, which will hinder ready accessibility.
Challenge 2: Convenient file upload
Hardware isn’t the only option for saving your data. There are numerous cloud-based platforms that offer data upload options. What can come as a challenge, however, are the upload limitations that come with them. You will have trouble uploading larger files as most services have upload and bandwidth restrictions that can go as far as 4GB.
Challenge 3: File transfer
FTPs, email attachments or personal file delivery are some of the most well-established ways to transfer data, nowadays. However, they just aren’t sufficient enough for big data transfer. FTPs may take quite a while to set up and lack the appropriate levels of security. Email attachments won’t do you any good if you want to transfer more than 10GB worth of data. And let’s face it, who has the time to do a personal delivery? Finding the right data sharing method in conclusion can become a serious issue, if you’re taking speed, ease of use and convenience in mind.
Challenge 4: Top-level security measures
This issue has been here for a while now. As we save more files digitally, we’re bound to have more security sensitive data on our hands. It’s no secret however, that hardware pieces are prone to damages and data corruption, while encryption is not a feature you will see in a lot of online services.
So what can help with such issues? Although they aren’t perfect in every sense, cloud storage services do solve the majority of challenges big data sets. Providers continue to develop ways to demolish upload barriers, facilitate secure file sharing and increase the layers of data protection. If you keep a couple of things in mind, you will have no problem with data chunks.