How growing storage pose a big challenge to India's data ecosystem

Over the next three years, the world is expected to generate more data than in the past three decades. In 2025, 41.6 billion connected IoT devices will generate 79.4 zettabytes (one zettabyte-ZB-equals a trillion gigabytes) of data according to IDC.

Since data is a valuable asset for an organisation, global data creation and consumption patterns are expected to change. One of the big drivers for change will be the global roll-out of 5G services.

"As 5G becomes more pervasive and reliable, we'll see storage at both endpoints, like cameras, phones or sensors for fast processing and at the edge or core cloud locations, where they can be processed and stored more cost-effectively," says Supria Dhanda, Vice-President and Country Manager, India Western Digital, one of the world's largest data storage companies.

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Yet, these applications can only exist if they have the hardware to support the performance levels they require. "At Western Digital, our goal is to make sure that the ever-growing storage need is never the limiting factor for the user experience," adds Dhanda.

That's because 5G is an enabler of digitisation and automation across processes such as Industry 4.0, entertainment, healthcare, public safety, transportation, etc., with more impact on the location of the storage and data processing.

It is expected to lead to increased use of video data with more high-resolution cameras and AI-enabled automated decision making based on sensors and images. "Our goal is to ensure that exploding storage needs should not be a limiting factor for user experience," says Dhanda.

WDC (Western Digital Corp.) has started Data Innovation Bazaar, a platform to spur innovation and help Indian start-ups.

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In the initiative's 2020 edition, over 65 per cent of the applications were from outside the top eight cities. The entries ranged from leveraging AI to identifying brain hemorrhage, epilepsy, autism, and TB treatment in healthcare; to skill-based personalised learning, immersive learning, assistive learning for visually impaired in education; full-stack agriculture solutions; smart traffic management; and water conservation among others.

The winner this year, AarogyaAI, leverages the power of data for quicker diagnosis of drug-resistant tuberculosis. The common factor all of these ideas had was the immediate need for solutions, which was targeted both at urban and rural populations.

With COVID-19, every enterprise - large and small - is trying to navigate and own its digital transformation journey. Every industry is setting new benchmarks on how to use technology to disrupt long-established, tried-and-tested businesses, and explore new, more sustainable (business) models of the future. As a data infrastructure company, WDC will cater to every need. "While many might see this as a challenge, we definitely see it as an opportunity," adds Dhanda.