Data Age 2025: The Evolution of Data to Life-Critical Don’t Focus on Big Data; Focus on the Data That’s Big Sponsored by Seagate robotics, 3D printing, or some other yet-to-come technological innovation – will be the order of the day. The opportunities already seem limitless, as does the sheer volume of data these connected devices and services will create. From power grids and water systems to hospitals, public transportation, and road networks, the growth of real-time data is remarkable for its volume and criticality. Where once data primarily drove successful business operations, today it is a vital element in the smooth operation of all aspects of daily life for consumers, governments, and businesses alike. In this white paper, sponsored by Seagate, IDC looks at the trends driving growth in the global datasphere from now to 2025. We look at their implications for people and businesses as they manage, store, and secure their most critical data. IDC forecasts that by 2025 the global datasphere will grow to 163 zettabytes (that is a trillion gigabytes). That’s ten times the 16.1ZB of data generated in 2016. All this data will unlock unique user experiences and a new world of business opportunities. Data Age 2025 describes five key trends that will intensify the role of data in changing our world: • The evolution of data from business background to life-critical. Once siloed, remote, inaccessible, and mostly underutilized, data has become essential to our society and our individual lives. In fact, IDC estimates that by 2025, nearly 20% of the data in the global datasphere will be critical to our daily lives and nearly 10% of that will be hypercritical. • Embedded systems and the Internet of Things (IoT). As standalone analog devices give way to connected digital devices, the latter will generate vast amounts of data that will, in turn, allow us the chance to refine and improve our systems and processes in previously unimagined ways. Big Data and metadata (data about data) will eventually touch nearly every aspect of our lives — with profound consequences. By 2025, an average connected person anywhere in the world will interact with connected devices nearly 4,800 times per day — basically one interaction every 18 seconds. IDC White Paper © 2017 IDC. www.idc.com | Page 3