How data management will rock IT in 2018

By Zachary Bosin, director of solution marketing at Veritas Technologies.

IT will be forced to take responsibility for cloud data management and cut costs. In 2017, we learned that 69 percent of organizations wrongfully believed data protection, data privacy and compliance were the responsibility of the cloud service provider, significantly increasing the likelihood of data breaches. Pair this with the current “wild west” style adoption of multiple clouds – many customers putting cost considerations aside -- and IT will get a sudden and rude awakening in 2018. IT will find out they are responsible for management in the cloud – possibly through a breach – and the CFO will demand cuts infrastructure costs. (Source: Truth in Cloud 2017 research)

Data will grow exponentially, but data storage will slow for the first time. Last year, the annual data growth rate skyrocketed to 48.7 percent, filling valuable storage capacity at an incredible clip. In fact, more than 50 percent of files being stored by organizations were of “unknown” nature. In 2018, we’ll see successful companies shift their storage strategies from a “save-it-all” mentality to one that identifies and stores data that provides valuable insights or mission critical information. (Source: Data Genomics Index 2017)

One of the first companies to be fined under the GDPR will be in the US. Despite the impending deadline (May 25, 2018), only 31 percent of companies surveyed by Veritas worldwide believe they are GDPR compliant. Penalties for non-compliance are steep and this regulation will impact every and any company that deals with EU citizens. (Source: GDPR research)

Data management will get a major IQ boost from analytics. We’ll begin to see advancements in analytics that move the traditional archiving, backup and storage conversation far beyond “add more capacity.” Expect new data valuation techniques to get a boost from AI to reshape information lifecycle management through the automation of policy enforcement and more intelligent data management actions. Organizations will also tap into their traditional repositories to unleash insights that power new discoveries, sales initiatives and customer experiences across a wide array of verticals.

The severity of data breaches will increase. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, 2016 saw 1,093 data breaches last year, a 40 percent increase from 2015. 2017 almost hit that mark by July. This makes it all the more critical for companies to have a simple, holistic way to regularly protect and backup workloads in the cloud, in complex environments and on premises – and in fact, protect their entire infrastructure – one that is agile, smarter and more scalable, especially as ransomware reaches deeper and farther than ever before into old and new workloads.