If there’s one certainty of digital transformation, it’s that data will take center stage in the new normal. For many businesses, the proliferation of data and its sources has become unwieldy—especially for those not equipped to handle it. Many businesses are already citing data challenges like growth and manageability as key challenges on digital transformation journeys.
Here’s a look at the top six data-related challenges to be ready for in an increasingly digital world:
Silos
Silos happen when data sets and streams are isolated and can’t talk to one another. The result: chaos, duplication, and missed opportunities. They also lead to reduced visibility, lack of collaboration, and low productivity that negatively impact both customer and employee experiences.
As organizations go completely digital, agility and innovation will come from the cross-pollination of data and unified efforts. This makes silos and the availability of data a critical concern. And it’s a concern that is impacting a growing number of organizations. In fact, 57% of executives say their current storage system makes it difficult to share data across the enterprise, according to Harvard Business Review research. As reliance on data continues to grow, this percentage is likely to increase with even more executives facing the costly challenge of siloed data.
Legacy Growth Models
New types and greater volumes of data are being generated, stored, and consumed, such as voice, video, and sensor data. The rapid accumulation of all this data presents architecture challenges that are difficult to overcome with legacy data storage. This reality was highlighted in Bredin’s 2020 survey of IT decision makers. More than 60% of respondents reported challenges as they implemented digital experiences, and 41% said that their infrastructure wasn’t prepared to scale with their data growth.
Simply put, outdated data storage solutions were not built to handle today’s tremendous volumes of both structured and unstructured data, making it difficult to scale and upgrade to meet ever-increasing demands.
Performance Issues
Today’s customers expect real-time engagement, necessitating employees to have instant access to information across the organization. If data is slow or unavailable at the moment of need, digital services don’t work, efficiencies aren’t raised, and money isn’t saved. With users pulling data from widely dispersed locations, data latency has become a greater challenge.
Delivering 24×7 Operations
Service disruptions and delays don’t just frustrate customers, they propel them to move on. Customers have become accustomed to 24/7 access to service and expect nothing less than 100% uptime. Even non-retail businesses are offering virtual-first transactions that require consistent uptime to be successful. If data resources or access to critical systems aren’t available, the impact can be widespread, slowing productivity and time to market and ultimately hurting the bottom line.
Security and Compliance Concerns
While data must be ‘fingertip’ available, it also needs to be secure. Tracking who is accessing data and how they’re using it is key to maintaining not only security, but compliant use of data. With increasing online touchpoints, data streams, and cloud-native applications implemented, there is a need for a more comprehensive data strategy that includes security policies and an advanced data protection architecture that can stay one step ahead of bad actors.
Purchasing Uncertainties
The motto for 2021 and beyond: expect the unexpected. But, then, how can businesses watching the bottom line be ready for anything without waste or overspend? Even with all the data-driven decision-making you can muster, forecasting is one of the trickier aspects of IT management. CAPEX investments can be a gamble, and they’re not conducive to flexibility—especially in already unpredictable times.
Learn How to Rethink Your Digital Business
To help guide you down the path to digital business success, Pure Storage has a new white paper designed to address these challenges. Download Rethink your Digital Business today and learn:
- How businesses have pivoted business in the last year
- Why new customer experiences rely so much on data
- What will define the new normal—including innovations to the customer experience and how subscription economies can revolutionize business
- What digital business means for security strategies
- Clear-cut solutions for successful digital business strategies
Pure Storage Can Enable Your Digital Business Breakthroughs
Pushing forward with digital transformation requires a modern data storage footprint that can overcome data challenges. Pure Storage offers a portfolio of solutions that can support any application and any workflow, in any location.
Rethink your approach to digital business and partner with a vendor that delivers always-on, high-speed digital engagement, no-touch IT operations, and elastic acquisition.
