Published on November 7th, 2017 | by Sunit Nandi

New Trends in Data and IT of 2017

Over the last couple of years, the term big data has been quite the buzzword in tech and business circles around the world. Big data refers to large sets of both structured and unstructured data that businesses — large and small — can generate insight and value from. There’s a lot that businesses, institutions, and hospitals stand to gain from big data.

One of the biggest challenges when it comes to big data is storage. To be able to exploit these large volumes of data, you need to be able to store it. Since big data keeps growing — the data never stops increasing, that becomes a problem. The storage solution must have the capacity to handle large data volumes and keep up with the growth. Here are the breakthrough data storage trends to watch for this year.

FPGA For Improved Solid-State Disk Performance

Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) are being used to improve data storage and processing. Technically, FPGA chips are part of the processing world. However, vendors are finding new ways to use these chips to accommodate the storage needs that accompany big data.

FPGA can store and process large amounts of data quickly by using an array of solid-state drives, striping, and the old hard drive technique. The technique allows for faster processing of high demand data. FPGA is one of the most promising data storage trends to watch for this year.

Re-Invented Hard Drive

Hard drives have been around since computers were invented. Though computing technology has improved a great deal since the 70s, the technology used in the making of hard drives hasn’t changed much. Optane drives, created with the new hard drive technology employs a new way of storing data that’s 1000 times faster than the tech on our current mobile devices, USB memory stick drives, and hard drives.

Optane drives are designed to store digital data and will be used in enterprise data centres. These drives can hold data even when the drive itself is powered on. The new hard drive technology from Intel will be powered by a 3D X-Point chip. This is another promising storage trend to watch for this year.

The Decreasing Price of Flash Storage

The price of flat or solid-state storage has been on a downward trajectory for quite some time now. In the last two to three years, the price of flash storage has gone down 75 percent. This is an interesting trend, and it’s one that has pushed data centre managers to open their e-wallets and increase the flash storage capacity.

Hybrid and Public Clouds

We are in the era of cloud computing. Terms such as private, public, and hybrid clouds are being used when referring to data storage. There are still challenges in execution — so far, no hybrid cloud storage solution capable of encompassing data centre data, private cloud data, and public cloud data — a decade after the advent of cloud technology. However, all hope is not lost as experts are still looking for workarounds for these issues. Advances GPU database is now the new buzzword in the world of database management and storage and many tech-savvy companies are already shifting to the new database management technology.

Machine Learning

Machine learning is expected to continue growing in the coming years. This technology allows computers to learn from experiences over time. Machine learning is an essential tool in data storage, predictive analytics, and data preparation. When it comes machine learning, we just have to watch and wait to be wowed.

Today, real-life technology rivals — it’s actually about to surpass — what we have seen in science fiction in the past. As we approach a future that is powered by emotionally aware robots, driverless cars, and big data, we need to address our storage shortcomings. The hope is that the above trends can be advanced to cater for our future storage needs.

Tags: 2017, data, IT, new, trends

About the Author

Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.