In this Internet Computing era, the very nature of data has changed. No longer primarily concerned with blockbased, transactional data, new IT initiatives must deal with a new breed of data--one that is almost exclusively file-based. Furthermore, the files themselves are changing--becoming larger as the richness of their content increases. With the ability to create files becoming ever easier, it is no wonder that the amount of file data we must contend with is growing exponentially. Unfortunately, massive growth in the volume of file data and the already enormous complexity of enterprise infrastructures often lead to inefficient management and lost opportunities.

Basic data management has been a perplexing problem within IT organizations for many years. New business processes--coupled with the unrelenting growth of new, large file-based digital content--will undoubtedly necessitate a new approach. There is a clear need to re-evaluate processes predicated upon transaction-based computing of the past and focus on new ways to deal with the criteria of this new era. The way we handle file storage, backup, archive, search/retrieval, content delivery and collaboration will inevitably have to change--in terms of both infrastructure and management. In addition, infrastructure files in the form of virtual machine images, reusable web services, file systems and management databases are all proliferating as well. IT managers charged with protecting and managing the dynamic range of files face an almost untenable situation.