Big data's challenges not a simple matter of big storage

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Analytics and organization, not raw storage space, are likely to be key concerns for businesses grappling with large amounts of electronic data, according to Gartner.

Technological advancements like cloud computing, the research company said in a recent report, have caused the quantity of data stored by many companies to grow exponentially. While many see this as a headache for already overworked IT departments, Gartner and others say it's actually an opportunity to make all that information into an asset for the company.

A great deal of business intelligence can be gleaned from big data, the company said. Particularly in IT, the information can provide an unprecedented insight into the operation of a business' technical systems and offer potentially extensive opportunities to streamline and optimize for better cost-effectiveness and flexibility.

Specialized cloud computing vendors, experts say, are able to integrate this type of functionality into their Storage-as-a-Service options in many cases, providing additional value to their clients and greatly simplifying what could be a highly complex task for a company's on-site IT department.