For much of humankind’s evolutionary history, we could only store memories in our own minds. Eventually, we developed written language that allowed us to record a few important events for future generations.

Nearly five thousand years passed after written language was developed before the Gutenberg press was invented. The printing press enabled memory outsourcing on an industrial scale. Between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries, the number of books produced in Europe grew from a few million volumes to nearly one billion copies.

Fast forward a few centuries, and we now live in a time when the internet and mobile technologies have dramatically accelerated memory outsourcing. Every word and image, every event, and every conversation can now be recorded forever. What is said to one person in an isolated hut on one side of the world can be retrieved instantaneously on the other side of the globe. These advancements in memory outsourcing have brought many benefits to the human family, but they have also brought grievous liabilities. Minor indiscretions or lapses in judgment now live forever. A private conversation can be stored and broadcast endlessly. Confidential and personal information is stolen routinely.

Researchers have long known that expertise is, among other things, the byproduct of enhanced memory and efficient memory management. The more memories you have in a domain, the more of an expert you can become. And the more effectively you manage your memory with cognitive skills, the more your memories enhance your performance. Of course, the opposite is also true: without memory, there is no expertise or expert performance. Memories make or break experts.

The free distribution of memory is one of the largest challenges for SMEs in all domains. Today, unlike at any other time, memory and its management are being outsourced and distributed. Memories that once signified an expert’s knowledge and performance are now being uploaded and distributed to every interested person on the planet. The result is the commoditization of expertise and the rapid entry of competitors.

SMEs now more than ever must use technology to enhance and upload their memories. They must remain aware of the memories of others, and they must continue to develop memories that differentiate themselves from others.

Memory outsourcing cannot be slowed. It will expand and accelerate. Today’s SMEs must seek out the memories of others, contribute to the memories of their domains, and leverage every available resource for managing memories. They also need to access memories more quickly and accurately than at any other time. The time may be coming when experts are not distinguished by the memories they store in their own minds. Instead, they will be known for their ability to manage the memories of themselves and others.