Data, Data Everywhere But How On Earth Do We Keep Up?
Explosive growth of data is creating a demand for more data centres than the Earth has space and energy to support. Technology companies like HP, must transform the way they - and everyone else - does business
Original article on www.theguardian.com
Over the past 40 years, every element of humanity has been altered by the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry. It has revolutionised not just business processes and personal productivity, but the very ways people communicate and collaborate as well. From online banking and securing seats on a train, to life-saving medical procedures and monitoring vital resources, technology opens new opportunities, provides essential insights, and enables transformative innovation that improves the way we live, work and play.
Technology is also helping drive a more sustainable economy, enabling companies to capitalise on important trends, such as smart utility grids and the Internet of Things (machine-to-machine communications), that offer both compelling market opportunities and the potential for dramatic improvements in environmental performance. GeSI’s SMARTer 2020 report projects 2020 global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions could be cut by 16.5% through the increased use of ICT. The Carbon War Room further estimates the incorporation of machine-to-machine communication in the agriculture, buildings, energy and transportation sectors alone could reduce annual global GHG emissions by more than 9bn tonnes CO2e by 2020, which is equivalent to about 20% of global CO2e emissions, as of 2010.
Technology has given us the ability to connect virtually anytime, anywhere with anyone and access any type of information. In recent years, communication has swelled with the rapid rise of mobile technology, social media and cloud computing. The result is an explosive amount of data being created and captured in digital form—what the industry calls big data.
