Whether You Know It Or Not, You Are In The Data Business

Our daily jaunt on the Internet has become second nature and our mobile devices have become our BFFs. We may not give it a second thought, but through this technology we are producing a steady stream of digital exhaust, resulting in a “Big Bang” on the data universe.

This very large data footprint we’re producing has created a new responsibility for every IT department; they are tasked with protecting any and all data for their company. Not only do they need to protect that data, they might also need to recover that data at a moments notice. IT professionals are challenged with increasingly stringent regulatory requirements and business initiatives that demand higher service levels, longer online retention times, and higher levels of data protection. No matter how savvy you are…it can be a daunting task to address these needs.

During my conversations with customers, I have found there are many companies that still struggle to optimize IT functions and arm employees with technology that drives productivity and innovation across the organization.

I recently read an IDC report titled ‘Worldwide CIO Agenda 2014 Top 10 Predictions’, this report paints a picture of the challenges CIOs will face in the next two to four years. It also discusses the opportunities that CIOs have to evolve in their primary role. One prediction caught my eye — “80% of the IT budget will be based on providing service integration for a broad portfolio of internally and externally sourced IT and business services”.

Organizations are looking outside the walls of their data center and embracing the cloud and external service providers.

Our next customer in the data protection podcast series, Cincinnati Bell Technology Solutions (CBTS) provides a complete suite of end-to-end IT solutions, offering a wide range of information technology systems and services.

Bill Ehrman from CBTS discusses how CBTS got into the business of offering Infrastructure as a Service, Backup as a Service, Storage as a Service and many other services and how they built-out their infrastructure.

Listen to the podcast.

About the Author: Lisa Matzdorff