Space Machines Company saves overhead costs on mission-critical work

Background

Just like cars, satellites also need maintenance to stay in space. In space, those satellites can be serviced by Space Machines Company. Founded in Australia in 2019, the company is building a fleet of servicing vehicles that can repair orbiting satellites. Its mantra? Making space more sustainable by extending the life of our celestial infrastructure.

Challenge: A simple, secure storage solution

Space Machines Company exchanges data and content among three offices in two countries. It also collaborates with a global network of partners. In the past, the company struggled with messy shared folders, duplicated files, and confusing access controls. It needed a centralized storage solution to collaborate easily.

Security and data integrity were one of the greatest concerns. It was essential to host data in Australian data centers to comply with local regulations. “We work with sensitive customers. So, security and data integrity are crucial,” shares Sharmila Fernando, Head of Marketing at Space Machines Company.

Space Machines Company also needed a user-friendly solution that offered high uptime, fast upload speed, and the ability to control file hierarchy centrally. “Our engineers work with large files for designs and share them across global offices in India and Australia. It’s important that we can access them as quickly as possible to continue working smoothly,” adds Fernando. 

Finally, the business operations team at Space Machines Company was looking for a solution with built-in signature capabilities. “Previously, we would email PDFs back and forth for people to sign. It would often come back in the wrong format, and was a pain to redo the whole process again,” says Ben Spoor, Chief of Staff and Head of Business Operations at Space Machines Company. “When looking for a solution, Dropbox was the only one that ticked all the boxes for us.”

Solution: A clear file hierarchy and predetermined access rights

The first order of business was to set up a clear file architecture and access controls. Then, it was time to migrate the data from the previous solution. “The Dropbox admin console is very easy to use, so our migration was smooth,” Spoor recalls. “The Dropbox team made sure that our data arrived safely, with the file structure and access rights intact.”

Next, the team started using Dropbox Sign to execute documents. They’d right-click a document, put it into the signature workflow, set a signing order, and send. The team receives notifications when people sign it and the completed version is saved to the original Dropbox folder. “We need tools like that to optimize our time and effort, which is important for a startup to succeed,” shares Fernando.

Finally, the team integrated Dropbox with Microsoft Word and Google Suite. This way, the staff can create Microsoft or Google documents within Dropbox or store external links in the internal file system. “Dropbox offers a million other integrations, but the key for us is to link our storage tool to our office tools,” adds Spoor.

Results: Time-savings, easy maintenance, and data security

With a clean, simple file structure, there are fewer questions from employees about where to find or store information. While some employees enjoy filing assets in folders, others prefer Dropbox’s search function to locate things.

With proper access rights in place, everyone can easily do their job. A new team member is assigned to a pre-set group with all necessary access rights, making employee onboarding a breeze.

As a result, Space Machines Company sees more time-savings and productivity.

Their new, more productive storage environment is also easier to maintain. “For a startup that always worries about the bottom line, Dropbox hits the mark. We don’t have the resources to hire many people to maintain a document management solution . Just one person is enough to set everything up and make sure that it’s running smoothly, so we save on overhead costs,” adds Fernando. This means the company also doesn't need to invest in training sessions—a few Wiki pages have been enough to bring the entire team on board.

Another big benefit is a clear audit trail for every document. This log is especially important when several external stakeholders collaborate in shared folders. Automated alerts also flag if anyone moves data around accidentally, ensuring data integrity. “Dropbox gives me central oversight with minimal effort,” adds Spoor.

Space Machines Company's partners, especially government agencies, also need to make sure that their data is secure. This is where data residency plays a key role. By following Australian laws, the company reduces the risk of unauthorized access. “For such sensitive projects, Certain clients prefer to work in Dropbox because of its security and data residency,” shares Fernando.

Dropbox was already put to the test during the launch of the Orbital Servicing Vehicle, Optimus. Space Machines Company used Dropbox to share files and set up permissions for various stakeholders. The next step is the Space MAITRI mission. The company will collaborate with the Indian Space Agency to launch another vehicle on an Indian rocket, which will involve a lot of testing before validating the spacecraft. Managing and exchanging the testing data efficiently between the team in Australia and India will be crucial. “We’ve had a good run with Dropbox, so I’m sure that everything will go smoothly. I’m not worried,” adds Spoor.

With hundreds of new satellites venturing into space, objects will collide; space debris will accumulate. Space Machines Company is endeavouring to keep space sustainable. With a secure, intuitive storage solution, the company is ready to scale and face the challenge.