Data storage demand to multiply four-fold by 2025

The report further states that 60% of data generated globally would be due to business enterprises

Data storage technology will be required to supply over 19 Zeta bytes( ZB) of storage space by 2025 to meet growing data storage requirements, said a recent study by International Data Corporation (IDC). 

1ZB equals 1 trillion GB and only 5.5ZB of storage media was required globally in the last decade.

The study noted that the total data generated globally would reach 163 ZB, fuelled largely by the widespread use of embedded devices and artificial intelligence that constantly monitor data. The study observes that while the last decade was marked by data generation through smartphones and social media, the next decade will be led by embedded devices. The massive data boom will also result in a large requirement for data analysts. 

"The amount of data from cameras and sensors that are being generated and analysed right now is humongous. A lot of data processing will now take place in real time by the devices themselves before storage on cloud or other media," said BS Teh, Senior Vice President, Global Sales and Sales Operations at Seagate Technology, a storage solutions provider that sponsored the study.  

The report further states that 60 per cent of data generated globally would be due to business enterprises by 2025.

Consequently, there will be a proportionate increase in security needs as well. "It's a question of how much should be stored on cloud and how much would remain on premise for every CIO. A lot more budget is being allocated to storage but how that is divided will depend on application requirements of organisations, “he said. Major cloud service providers like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure are among Seagate’s clients. It also has clients in personal computing, gaming and IT industries.  

“Everybody has been predicting that optical drives and tapes will become obsolete. That is not likely to happen," said Teh. Rather, devices will evolve to meet the demand of increasing storage capacity. Moreover, an increase of average storage requirement will prompt cost reduction. Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) will be the next big thing in storage technology to increase data storage capacity. 

Data security isn’t limited to encrypting data after it is stored. It extends to ensuring that storage devices are not tampered with when they enter the supply chain. "About 40 per cent of all stored data globally is stored on a Seagate device and our goal is to increase our participation in the process," added Teh.