Did you watch Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner break the sound barrier in Roswell, New Mexico on Sunday October 14th? If you had the chance to witness this revolutionary and record setting jump via the internet and live streaming of the Red Bull Stratos project, it was most likely due to a strong internet connection secured by some sort of SSL Security software that kept the broadcast from being hijacked.
Although the jump was truly spectacular, what we truly witnessed on a crisp fall day in Roswell, New Mexico was a team who used Intelligence to develop a great plan of attack and strategy to execute the plan. And ironically, this same methodology is what powers the development of SSL products which protect computer users from unwanted hackers, identity thieves and viruses from stealing their valuable personal information.
Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner truly stunned the world yesterday by becoming the first man to break the sound barrier without flying in any jet or rocket powered vehicle. His power was supplied by Vitamin “G” or gravity. Free-falling from a stunning height of 128,100 feet and wearing a revolutionary space suit, Felix Baumgartner eclipsed speeds in excess of Mach 1.24 or 833.9 miles per hour during his record-setting jump according to initial reports.
The record jump was watched by well over 3 million people across the world and broadcast on Youtube.com as well as the Red Bull Stratos project website. Each one of these websites are protected by an SSL Security Certificate which allows website visitors to safely watch this live streaming video feed without having to worry about their private information hacked.
But what is similar between Felix Baumgartner’s effort and the development of high-quality and trustworthy SSL Certificate Software is that it takes both Intelligence and Strategy to successfully accomplish any mission.
INTELLIGENCE is defined as abstract thought, understanding, self-awareness, communication, reasoning, and learning, having emotional knowledge, retaining, planning, and problem solving. The Red Bull Stratos team encountered several hurdles in accomplishing their mission to safely allow Felix Baumgartner to jump from the edge of outer space and land safely on Terra Firma. They used several resources which all provided INTELLIGENCE to come up with effective solutions.
This same INTELLIGENCE is used to create the SSL products you use today. Developing any SSL Certificate can be a highly challenging project. With new computer viruses launching daily and hackers finding new and clever methods of breaking ‘the code’ to steal private information, the challenge of staying ahead of the bad guys requires Intelligence.
When the Red Bull Stratos team decided to implement the plan, they needed to find a place suitable for this plan to be effective. They chose Roswell, New Mexico. Not simply due to the cities notorious reputation, but the weather conditions is achieved in mid-October, calm, cool and collective. Roswell also allowed tremendous open space to ensure Felix Baumgartner has plenty of room to land after free-falling for nearly 5 minutes.
Nothing is every accomplished overnight. Successful operations take time, team work, intelligence and strategy in order to develop a winning product. As we saw yesterday, Felix Baumgartner and his Red Bull Stratos team showed they had the intelligence and strategy to accomplish their mission. And these same values power the SSL Security industry and the people who develop the programs to protect millions of computer users across the globe.
