Big data management needs impacting all businesses

The rapid influx of big data has been a major concern for enterprises in recent years, but this development has also made its way into the systems of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Business Review Europe contributor Ian Kilpatrick recently emphasized this trend and the route some firms may take to address storage issues regarding these large information pools.

The writer explained that large data sets can be a major headache for a variety of reasons, especially because this information has to be backed up and stored for easy access.

“[Data] needs to be archived in case it is needed in the future, and also for compliance reasons; and it needs to be replicated, so it’s available for use in the case of a disaster,” Kilpatrick wrote. “All this needs to be done cost-effectively and securely.”

Kilpatrick also noted that organizations can experience performance roadblocks if they are overwhelmed by the influx of data and how this information impacts compliance and recovery efforts.

Big data storage will be key
The proliferation of big data makes it even more necessary for firms to manage their storage. According to Kilpatrick, cloud computing may be such an answer, but this technology may not be ideal for all businesses, especially those that have been using tape regularly. Hybrid clouds, in particular, are effective because they allow organizations to have both local backups and data located in hosted environments so files are secure and accessible.

Some businesses have already made the leap to cloud computing to help make big data more manageable. CloudPassage surveyed more than 200 IT professionals and found that 41 percent said their organizations have adopted public clouds to host external applications. Seventy percent of participants said their companies are planning to implement public clouds to support big data workloads in 2013.

Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData Corporation, highlighted the advantages of cloud computing in terms of big data.

“Big data might very well be the catalyst that will push adoption of public cloud into overdrive,” Stanek said. “Real-time scalability will be key and a secure cloud will be the enabler.”

Companies that can manage big data can make more sound decisions based on information that would otherwise go unnoticed. The use of big data analytics will likely be key in helping businesses study their files.