Help! I’m Getting Attached to My Data

Put your hand up if you and your smartphone/tablet are inseparable. OK, so that’s unanimous. Our connectivity has officially melded into our lifestyle – everywhere we go, our miniature mobile data hubs keep us connected while we work, play, live, and travel.

JanGoogleGlassOK, so it’s one thing to have an emotional attachment, but do we actually need to be physically attached to our devices? The wearable technology market is responding with a resounding yes, predicting that today’s wearables market of $3 to $5 billion will grow to $30 to $50 billion in the next 2-3 years. That’s a whole lot of getting up close and personal with our data.

The calculator wristwatch made a clunky debut in the 80’s but it wasn’t until after the millennium that form, function and scale finally united in the first Bluetooth headsets, digital medical devices, and the first activity tracker – the Nike+iPod. Sensor technology has now advanced into popular fitness trackers, such as the UP band and Fitbit, which, to my husband’s delight (but not mine) measure steps, distance, calories burned and sleep quality. Meanwhile, up-and-coming wearable computers, such as smart watches and Google Glass, are making a play for future dominance of the wearables market.

Deemed “The Year of Wearable Technology,” 2014 is setting the stage for a meteoric rise in the development of hardware and software to drive the next generation of wearable devices. So what does this mean for data protection in our new software defined world? How will this Cloud-driven wearable technology revolution impact CIOs and IT departments challenged with the integration, security and protection of mobile data of gargantuan proportions?

UPband

An annual report from Cisco predicts that mobile data traffic will top 190 exabytes worldwide by 2018. Coupled with explosive data growth, Cisco also predicts that the number of mobile devices will jump from seven billion in 2013 to 10 billion by 2018.

You can bet that at least one and maybe two of these devices are skulking in every pocket, backpack, wrist or purse in the office, so what are you doing to protect the critical data being created, uploaded and stored on them? What if you could provide secure access to files created on a Windows or Mac laptop at the office to those same employees no matter where they are, whether in a taxi, on a beach, or at the gym, via mobile applications for iOS and Android? Cloud solutions like Mozy from EMC unleash employee productivity with next generation data protection and access for these devices that have become as inseparable from our daily routine as shoes, socks, and a belt.

Cool. According to my tracker I’ve burned 127 calories writing this post.

About the Author: Lesley MacDonald