Get IT Done - The Ayes Have IT

The Ayes Have IT!

Ok, so we didn’t take an actual vote, and the “nays” got IT too. Most of us opted into the embrace of Information Technology slowly, like a frog being gradually boiled in water. Don’t get me wrong, many dove in whole hog, but most of mankind was dragged in. Not kicking and screaming but certainly muttering complaints about “the way things used to be”.

Now the eyes have IT. On the Internet, we are constantly seduced by high-definition photos and videos of almost everything [mostly to sell you something]. Some of this content is dreary and, some you never would have believed if you hadn’t seen it. You probably still shouldn’t believe it. Truer than the expression “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it” is “I wouldn’t have seen it if I hadn’t believed it”. The mind is a crafty organ.

Most of our personal journeys began with analog copies of photos, audio recordings, and movies. Over time we scanned and digitalized these memorable moments. We now have all sorts of “remembrances” tied up in various digital media, some still on floppies as well as thousands of images and videos on our computers and phones – both new devices and those stored in our dusty closets. Historically it was on us to keep current with media changes. We moved analog tape to floppy, floppy to CD, CD to hard drive and, finally, hard drive to cloud. Now that our data is in the cloud, that need has dissipated. Instead, we need to ensure the cloud data is secured, backed-up and paid by month. Once we passed our uncomfortable phase of digital adolescence, we began slinging digital media like there is no tomorrow.

With the prevalence of cameras on phones, we take photos and video of everything. We seem to spend more time taking photos than being “fully present” and enjoying the moment. It is almost an unspoken obligation. Before the stains of “Happy Birthday…” ring out, I had better be ready to record the event for posterity. That or face the cold shoulder of my clan. But why? Where will we find the extra years needed to review each one of these images and videos? And that is just your own content. You also have access to the memories of your friends, extended family [and any others who may not have properly secured their assets]. In addition to these homemade images, there exists a seemingly infinite amount of other content, news, documentaries, and stories that are also richly supported with graphics and video.

We now have access to more digital information than we can imagine. The firm Statista predicts that we will create 74 zettabytes of data in 2021. That is an increase from 59 zettabytes in 2020 and 41 zettabytes in 2019. But just how big is a zettabyte?

A megabyte is 1,000,000 bytes.

A gigabyte is 1,000 megabytes.

A terabyte is 1,000 gigabytes.

A petabyte is 1,000 terabytes.

An exabyte is 1,000 petabytes.

A zettabyte is 1,000 exabytes.

A zettabyte is a trillion gigabytes (1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes OR 1020 bytes). That is more bytes of data than there are stars in the observable universe.

OK, so the eyes have IT, but where will you ever find the time?

Think About IT!

Tony Keefe, COO, Entre Computer Services www.entrecs.com