The Data Deluge: Why Archiving Is More Relevant Than Ever

In today’s data-driven world, businesses are generating information at an unprecedented rate. One firm estimates the global datasphere will reach 175 zettabytes by 2025. This data tsunami encompasses the traditional structured kind (think enterprise application databases) and a vast ocean of semi-structured and unstructured data. Emails, social media posts, sensor readings, and video files all contribute to this ever-growing information pool.

While the potential for insights hidden within this data is undeniable, simply collecting it isn’t enough. Organizations need a robust data archiving strategy to unlock its true value. Here’s why data archiving, encompassing all data types, remains a critical business function in the digital age.

Beyond Backups: Archiving for Long-term Value

Data backups are essential for disaster recovery, but they’re not the same as data archives. Backups are typically short-term copies used to restore lost or corrupted data. Archives, on the other hand, are designed for long-term, secure storage of inactive or less frequently accessed data.

Here’s where the business value kicks in:

• Compliance and eDiscovery: Businesses across industries face a growing web of regulations mandating data retention for specific periods. Archiving ensures compliance with these regulations, reducing the risk of hefty fines and legal repercussions. Additionally, archived data can be readily retrieved for eDiscovery purposes, streamlining legal investigations.
• Improved Decision-Making: Business decisions are increasingly data-driven. Archived data, even seemingly outdated information, can provide valuable historical context for current trends and support the development of more informed future strategies. For instance, analyzing customer purchase patterns across several years, including archived data, can help predict future demand and optimize inventory management.
• Unlocking Hidden Insights: Advanced analytics tools can uncover valuable insights from vast datasets, including archived unstructured data. Sentiment analysis of archived social media posts, for example, can reveal long-term customer trends and brand perception shifts over time.
• Cost Optimization: Storing all your active data on expensive primary storage is a surefire way to strain your IT budget. Archiving less-frequently accessed data on more cost-effective secondary storage frees up space on your primary systems, boosting performance and reducing storage costs.

Please click the link below to read the full blog.

Source: https://www.solix.com/blog/why-archiving-is-more-relevant-than-ever/

Blog by Stephen Tallant

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