| February 26, 2010
Data explosion needs attention
By Anthony Wong*
Companies need a strategy to regularly assess the way in which they manage and protect their digital information in light of the dramatic explosion in data volumes around the world.
According to research firm, IDC, the world's volume of data will reach 18,000 exabytes (an exabyte is 1,000,000 terabytes) by 2011.
This growth is being driven by entirely new classes of digital information that require more sophisticated storage requirements in emerging areas including e-health, (interoperability, electronic storage/retrieval of health records), e-education, and digital entertainment.
Not only must organisations today find more effective and efficient ways to handle their data, but they must also comply with stringent regulatory requirements involving records, archives, access, privacy, evidence, electronic commerce, data destruction and protection, and more. In Australia, there are reportedly more than 450 separate Acts of Parliament containing provisions that deal with the retention of records.
The impact of the global financial crisis is also likely to see requirements for more data to be retained as a result of tighter fiscal policies.
While the cost of storage has reduced significantly in recent years, we must also consider the hidden costs of physical space, power consumption, environmental impact, and the human labour involved in gathering, analysing, and managing so much information.
The ACS supports the development of green data centres that leverage technology advances to minimise the carbon footprint.
Facebook recently announced its first data centre will be among the world's greenest when it opens in Oregon. The new centre will have a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) rating of just 1.15, which means that for every 1.15 watts that go through the utility meter, 1.00 watt is delivered to the computer infrastructure. The average data centre has a PUE of around 2.0 or higher which is obviously not particularly efficient.
The ACS would like to see Australia monitor this global trend and introduce PUE guidelines locally. The Australian Government has an opportunity to lead the way in adopting this internationally significant measurement system as a standard benchmark within government data centres and also encouraging its use within private enterprise.
ICT professionals responsible for operating and managing data resources need to apply the latest technologies and strategies to optimise efficiency and data integrity. This will include server virtualisation, enhanced caching, and disk deduplication as part of back up and mirroring facilities, and advanced analytical and reporting tools with high levels of automation.
With exponential growth in data volumes a certainty, ICT professionals need to deliver systems and processes that support users in effectively managing and accessing information without being overwhelmed.
Our ability to deliver on this goal will have a significant impact on productivity and, ultimately, our quality of life.
*Anthony Wong is president of the ACS and chief executive of AGW Consulting, a multidisciplinary ICT, intellectual property legal and consulting practice. www.acs.org.au
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