As enterprises generate, accumulate, and store an ever-increasing amount of data in numerous different systems, it’s becoming clear that they need a new approach to data management that reins in costs and ensures data is available when and where it’s needed.

The need for improved enterprise data management coincides with the trend toward the digitization of businesses. On a global level, a recent report by the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) found the amount of bandwidth crossing regional borders has grown 45 times since 2005 and is expected to increase another nine times in the next five years. “Flows of information, searches, communication, video, transactions, and intracompany traffic continue to surge,” the report says.