It can be difficult to comprehend the amount of digital data we generate via social media platforms, online marketplaces, medical facilities, and through government, education, and financial institutions.
At the start of 2020, the number of digital bytes worldwide was 40 times the number of stars in our observable universe. The World Economic Forum estimated the amount of global digital data to be 44 zettabytes. A zettabyte is one sextillion bytes––1,000 bytes to the seventh power––and has 21 zeros.
With so much data being generated and shared, institutions and individual users rely upon zip files and file compression to securely and quickly share information.
In this article, we discuss the value of file compression, its uses for businesses and employees, and how to open zip files on mobile iOS devices.
What is a zip file?
Imagine you would like to send multiple files (e.g., Microsoft Word documents or photos) to someone via email. One option is to attach each file individually, but this can easily become cumbersome and inefficient.
To make file sharing easier, you can create a zip file, which is a way of grouping (also called “archiving”) multiple digital files. Once zipped, these files act like one file. In the example above, you would need to attach and send one file, which the receiver would open to view the entire zip file’s contents.
Zip files are just one of many ways to archive files (other examples include ARC, ARJ, RAR, and CAB), but they are not the most common. They archive encoded information that is unusable by other applications until it is extracted from the file and decompressed. Zip files are not limited to a single type of data. They may include images, audio, video, and more.
How do zip files work?
Zip files are created through the process of file compression. A compressed file contains one or more files that have been reduced in size, which makes them easier to transfer or store. Once received, compressed files can be decompressed back to their original state without degradation in quality.
Zip files specifically work through lossless compression, which removes redundancies (the same data pieces that are stored in multiple places within the storage environment).
For example, uncompressed data may look like this: AAABBBBBCC.
While lossless file compression may look like this: A3B5C2.
The new, compressed code—A3B5C2—holds the same information as the original code. However, by using numbers to signify the number of times the data repeats, the second code takes up less space.
Files in a zip archive are compressed individually, so you can extract or add new data without compressing/decompressing the entire archive. When you decompress the file, it goes back to its original form.
Why do businesses use zip files?
Zip files help businesses organize, share, and store data quickly and efficiently. Some of the many ways zip files are used include:
- To free up space on a device. Zipping large files can save 80% or more of available storage space. For example, images saved on your computer may take up a lot of space; compressing them into zip files will free up space but enable them to remain readily available.
- To transfer data. Sending large files or several documents can be cumbersome and time-consuming. (If you have ever waited for a file to download, you understand this first-hand!) Compressing data into a zip file increases transfer speed and gives the recipient a single, organized folder that contains everything they need.
- To save time. Zipping content saves storage space on the server, decreases the time it takes to transfer/download, and organizes all files in a single zip file for better file management.
- To store more data. Businesses store and process an enormous amount of information every day. Because zipped files are smaller, you can store and share more data on a server, in an email, or on portable storage media.
- To organize data. A survey by SmartFile of more than 421 IT administrators within the US concluded that businesses lose an average of $17,000 in productivity costs annually due to poor file management. Since zip file names end with “.zip,” users easily identify zip extensions to quickly locate files and differentiate them from files of other origins (such as PDF or .jpg).
Why would employees need to open zip files on an iPhone?
Gartner predicts that 31% of the global workforce will be remote in 2022 and 53% of the US workforce will be a hybrid of remote and on-site work.
The increasing popularity of remote work shifts how IT resources are used. Zipping files makes it easier for off-site personnel to access content quickly and securely without worrying about slow transfers, prolonged downloads, or storage limitations.
Basic zip file features are built into the operating systems for Windows or macOS computers, which means that if you use one of these types of computers, you do not need additional software to create and open zip files.
Workers operated on an average of three devices in 2019 and will use an average of four by 2024. As the number of devices used by employees continues to increase, the need for employees to access important zipped documents, images, and other media types directly on their smartphones will also rise.
This means that the use of the 1 billion active iPhones around the world will likely increase as well. Apple controls all aspects of its technological ecosystem including hardware, firmware, and software. It’s thus no surprise that, when iOS users around the world are broken down by industry, 22% are in computer software and 14% are in information technology and services.
However, iPhone use extends beyond these verticals, as workers in all types of industries may need to complete work-related tasks on an iPhone while on the go.
Hypothetical scenarios for iPhone use in the workplace include:
- A nurse needs to quickly review patient information (e.g., test results or image diagnostics), and doesn’t want to spend valuable time finding a dedicated computer workstation.
- A truck delivery driver needs to access zipped files that contain details about his next few routes.
- An employee who is on the way to the airport needs to view an email that includes attached zip files.
When running iOS 13 or later, employees can copy and back up file contents to USB flash drives and SD cards. This feature enables easier file sharing between devices that historically did not communicate directly. Previously, users typically relied upon a third device, such as a laptop or desktop computer, to receive files from one device and send them to another.
How to open zip files on an iPhone
The process for opening a zip file will differ depending on if the zip file is from your email inbox or from another source on the internet, such as a company’s cloud storage.
To open a zip file from your email app on your iOS device, complete the following steps:
- Open your device’s mail application. This could be the standard iOS Mail app or a third-party application such as Gmail’s Mail app.
- Open the email that contains the zip file you wish to open.
- Tap on the file. In the menu that appears, tap the Share icon (the square with an arrow).
- In the menu that appears, tap “Save to Files.”
- Open the Files app.
- Locate the file you wish to open.
- Tap the zip file. Your device will automatically begin unzipping it.
- A new screen will appear with the name of the zip file. From this screen, you can preview the files before deciding which to open or download, or you can download the files.
- To preview the zip files, scroll through the files by swiping left.
- To download any file, tap the word “Download.”
To open a zip file from the internet, complete the following steps:
- Locate the zip file you wish to download. This will vary depending on your company; in many cases, it will be located within your company’s cloud storage account.
- Download the file to your iPhone. Note that download options will also vary depending on where the file is located.
- On your device, open the Files app.
- Locate the file you wish to open in the “Downloads” section of the app.
- Tap the zip file. Your device will automatically begin unzipping it.
- A new screen will appear with the name of the zip file. From this screen, you can preview the files before deciding which to open or download, or you can download the files.
- To preview the zip files, scroll through the files by swiping left.
- To download any file, tap the word “Download.”
The steps for opening zip files on an iPhone differ depending on which iOS system your phone uses. If your iPhone runs on iOS 13 or later, you will not need a third-party app to open zip files. Prior to this version, the Files app of iOS devices could only unzip files or uncompress zip archives.
Use WinZip Enterprise for secure file sharing
WinZip® Enterprise is a comprehensive solution that provides enterprise-grade features to enable organizations to secure and manage files (including zipped ones), enforce access control and protocols, and equip their teams to work collaboratively yet safely.
WinZip Enterprise provides businesses with the following key benefits:
- Enterprise-level compliance. This solution adheres to Windows Information Protection (WIP), which is a series of policies designed to protect data at rest on endpoint devices, as well as in transit. It’s also Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 compliant.
- Advanced encryption. WinZip Enterprise offers FIPS 192 certified encryption, which is the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) that requires FIPS-approved encryption to protect electronic data.
- Secure file sharing and collaboration. Password protection, read-write privileges, and other custom controls for individuals and groups ensure access privileges for the right people.
- Complete IT control. Through its centralized console, WinZip Enterprise places custom control in the hands of IT administrators who can immediately set (and revoke) permissions and access controls.
Discover how WinZip Enterprise provides a simple, secure solution for zipping sensitive files.