Veritas Technologies announced its '2018 Data Management Outlook'.

With the volume of data skyrocketing, IT environments becoming increasingly complex such as multi-cloud and on-premises systems, and compliance requirements like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) becoming stricter, the systematic protection and management of corporate data is becoming increasingly important.

Veritas predicted for 2018 that: ▲ IT departments will face increased pressure regarding cloud data management and cost reduction; ▲ data storage growth will slow despite a surge in data; ▲ the first GDPR-violating company will emerge; ▲ data management will evolve to the next level due to the influence of analytics; and ▲ data breaches will become more serious.

Outlook 1. IT departments will face increasing burden regarding cloud data management and cost reduction.
According to the 'Truth in Cloud 2017' report by Veritas, which surveyed the status and perceptions of cloud adoption by companies worldwide in 2017, 69% of companies responded that cloud service providers are responsible for data protection, privacy, and compliance. Due to this misconception among companies regarding their responsibility for cloud data management, the likelihood of future data breaches is expected to increase. Furthermore, as many companies indiscriminately adopt multiple cloud services without considering costs, corporate IT departments are projected to face serious cost issues in 2018. IT departments are becoming aware of their responsibilities regarding cloud management through incidents such as data breaches, and corporate Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) are expected to demand infrastructure cost reductions from the IT department.

Outlook 2. Data Storage Growth to Stag Despite Data Surge
Last year, the annual data growth rate surged to 48.7%, leading to rapid accumulation of data in corporate storage. However, it was found that more than half of the files actually stored in corporate systems were "unknown" files. In 2018, it is projected that companies will shift away from the so-called "data storage-first" approach—which involves storing data unconditionally—to a storage strategy that identifies and stores only the data providing valuable insights or mission-critical information. (Source: Veritas Data Genomics Index 2017 report)

Outlook 3. The first GDPR-violating company will emerge
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will come into effect on May 25, 2018. Despite the imminent implementation of the GDPR, the 'Veritas 2017 GDPR Report: Chapter 2' indicates that only 31% of the companies surveyed by Veritas are complying with the GDPR. As penalties, such as fines, become inevitable for companies violating GDPR regulations, this is expected to have a significant impact on businesses that monitor the behavior of data subjects residing in the EU, such as by providing goods or services or tracking purchasing habits.

Outlook 4. Data management will evolve to the next level due to the influence of analytics.
Moving forward, advancements in analytics technology are expected to enable archiving, backup, and storage management to go beyond simple "capacity expansion." Companies can automate policy enforcement using new data evaluation techniques powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and transform their internal data lifecycle management through more intelligent data management. Furthermore, by leveraging existing repositories, companies are expected to uncover new data discoveries, sales initiatives, and insights for customer experience across various fields.

Forecast 5. Data leaks will become more serious
According to the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), a total of 1,093 data breaches occurred in 2016, marking a 40% increase compared to 2015. As of July this year, the number of breaches has already surpassed that of 2016, indicating a further upward trend in corporate data breaches. Therefore, companies appear to need to establish simple yet integrated solutions capable of regularly protecting and backing up corporate workloads in complex environments, such as cloud and on-premises systems, while simultaneously safeguarding their entire infrastructure. Furthermore, as ransomware targeting both existing and new workloads becomes more sophisticated, it is projected that it will be crucial for companies to build and protect agile, intelligent, and scalable infrastructure.