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ICT DATA MANAGEMENT

Rethinking the data age

By Eylem Oruc, senior director, Unstructured Data Solutions (UDS) - META, Dell Technologies

ata is the foundation of an intelligent business but data, data consumers and the
business expectations of data have changed. The shifting realities call for a higher
Dlevel of data maturity and the right technologies to achieve outcomes. It’s time for
businesses to rethink and modernise data management strategies to ensure they’re set
up to achieve better outcomes and digitally differentiate. As every organisation races to
transform, here are some key shifts that are converging in today’s data era.

Exponential growth of structured and unstructured data
Fueled by an abundance of smart devices and IoT sensors, worldwide data creation has
been soaring for more than a decade. A study from IDC cites that from 2020 to 2025, new
data creation will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23%, resulting in
approximately 175 ZB of data creation by 2025. Unstructured data like loose files, PDFs,
photos and video clips represent nearly 90% of annual data production with a growth rate
of 55-65% each year, according to Forbes. Businesses will need solutions that span edge, Eylem Oruc
core and cloud locations to help them with analysing, archiving and managing it.
In the new data era, simply being
Decentralised data digital is no longer a differentiator
The adoption of emerging technologies leads to more distributed locations where data According to the Dell Technologies Digital
originates. As data’s centre of gravity rapidly moves toward the edge, data is increasingly Transformation Index, 91% of businesses
being stored, processed and acted on closer to its source. But as more functions take place agree that extracting valuable insights
at the edge, you need to manage data differently and consistently - from the core across from data will be more important for
to edge and hybrid clouds. That requires changes to your compute, network, storage and their business than ever before. Most of
application architectures. today’s data management strategies are
optimised for a workflow that transfers
Emerging technologies data to a central data centre, eventually
Emerging technologies are enabling organisations to shift from iteration to innovation batch-processing it from data bases and
and create new business and customer value with data. Edge computing, 5G, artificial data lakes. But this centralised approach
intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are transforming how data is being collected, to data management no longer reflects
processed and used. For the first time in history, we’re meeting the explosion of data the realities of the data era.
with intelligent infrastructure, software and algorithms to rapidly turn it into actionable Fueled by the immense data growth,
information. This data can be used to create new value and drive better user experiences at emerging technologies are sparking a
the edge. new era of intelligence at scale. These
technologies enable troves of data to
Rising consumer expectations influence real-time decision making and
Today’s consumers are more empowered than ever and are demanding more data-rich, outcomes - all while generating even more
personalised, real-time experiences. The increasing reliance on AI and ML to make real- data insights for continuous improvement.
time decisions in a distributed environment can strain even the most advanced data There’s a symbiotic relationship between
management strategies. Also, most organisations don’t have the IT capabilities to keep up the advanced, connected technologies
because their data management is fit for an outdated world where insights and outcomes being deployed to thrive in the digital
can be delivered in hours or days. That’s no longer the case today, where every second economy and the wealth of new data
counts to derive actionable business intelligence from data. waiting to be uncovered. Likewise, there’s
a symbiosis between success with edge
Data breaches vs. regulatory environment technologies and data management. By
Cybersecurity threats are more sophisticated, and the number of data breaches is enabling organisations to act on data near
skyrocketing. Consequently, the regulatory environment is evolving, mandating more the source, edge technology can both
resilient data security, privacy and governance. As more data is collected, stored and improve efficiency and help create new
processed in multiple locations, the attack surface for malicious activity also grows, making experiences. Coupled with AI, the edge
compliance with global data laws and regulations more complex. In addition, customers will change how machines share and react
want to do business with organisations they can trust with their data. These trends to data - and this is where businesses
underscore the ways data users and consumers have changed, and how organisations are will find the opportunities to create new
adapting to stay relevant. value. n

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