Ubiquitous Storage - data everywhere
How many times we have heard someone saying:
"Send me the Quarterly numbers….I will check on my Blackberry…"
"It’s a big file….gmail it…or put it on the thumb drive…."
"Lets look up every thing on xyz product – designs, manufacturing records, marketing materials and support cases"
When you start connecting the dots of data management. It is no longer limited to the data center or desktop...
If you follow the bit trail....There is data everywhere...
The Data management revolves around a simple information lifecycle and associated tools:
Data Creation – MS Office, ERP
Distribution – Email, Web, FTP..
Action – Document management systems & other applications
Disposition – Backup and archival application
On further study, You will realize there are three distinct classes of storage:
Personal Storage
- iPod generation
- Smart Phone, Blackberry, PDA
- Thumb drive
Internet Storage
- iDisk, SkyDrive, Gdrive
- Flickr, youTube, gmail
- Online backup
Enterprise Storage
- Gigabyte mailboxes
- Terabyte Data warehouse
- Petabyte File Archives
The History of Personal Storage can be traced back to punch cards, microfilms, large floppy disks(5 1/4 or larger) and tape. The adoption of solid state drives into consumer electronics has driven down the cost of personal storage devices. The evolution from Kilobyte to terabyte size personal storage devices creates compelling need for data management.
There is notion that Internet Storage is always available and accessible. It does not eliminate the need for data management. There is a sense of loss of control and lack of privacy with internet storage. This in turn creates new opportunities for data management for Internet Storage.
There is no need to emphasize the need for data management in the enterprise storage space....
Innovative companies like Fabrik (http://www.fabrik.com/) tacking these data management challenges by marrying personal storage with internet storage and topping it up with online backup services with its recently acquired a personal Storage Vendor (http://www.simpletech.com/).
There are others like Apple who have integrated simplified backup capability into a Wireless Access Point with deep integration into the operating systems and tying it with .MAC services based internet backup.
There are players like Synchronica offering solutions to backup mobile phone based personal storage.
We cannot ignore the Google Gears approach to always available data for Google Apps. Microsoft SkyDrive and Live Integration with its Cloud OS(Internet Cloud) Strategy is a step in the same direction.
There are hardly any vendors seriously pitching Enterprise storage in the Cloud. The new trends in virtualization like Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, Cloud Computing, Grids, Managed Applications and Software-as-a-Service are first steps to moving enterprise data into the cloud
Ubiquitous Storage can be viewed as a convergence of personal, internet and enterprise that’s always in sync. This convergence is inevitable, Its happening on mobile devices like laptops and smart phones today. It is taking shape in the data access layer in the enterprise with Mash-ups and enterprise portals.
There future challenges of data management revolve around providing consistent means to manage personal, internet and enterprise storage.
I firmly believe that next generation operating environments and web computing platforms will realize the vision of seamless always available data everywhere...A. K. A. ubiquitos storage
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