ID Number: G00207367



Data Clouds: One Small Step for IT, One Giant Leap for Modern Enterprises
14 October 2010
 
Lyn Robison  

A data cloud is a new IT concept that puts the full power of an enterprise's computer-based information into the hands of the people who carry out its mission. Data clouds provide self-service access to integrated and mashable information from siloed information systems. Data clouds liberate information from application silos and make it appropriately accessible to the businesspeople who need it. Forward-thinking enterprises are already implementing data clouds, and the technologies to build them are readily available. Enterprises can implement data clouds in a step-by-step, cost-effective manner, using a small collection of innovative tools and techniques.





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Table of Contents

Contents
  • Summary of Findings
  • Analysis
    • The Pervasive Silo Problem in Enterprise IT
      • Connecting the Dots in the War on Terror
      • Hazards for Medical Patients
      • An Exceptional Victory in Medical Research
      • CFOs' Unfulfilled Requirement for Integrated Financial Information
      • Supply-Chain Woes
      • The Financial Crisis of 2007 to 2010
      • The Legacy and Permanence of Information Silos
    • Silos, Cloud Computing, and Data Clouds
      • Cloud Computing
      • Silos in Cloud Computing
      • Data Clouds
      • A Definition of Data Clouds
      • Data Warehouses and BI Applications
      • The Long Tail of Enterprise IT
      • Integrated Information Is Costly to Do Without
      • Enterprise Information Management and Data Clouds
    • Techniques and Technologies for Data Clouds
    • Data Cloud Pioneers
    • Strengths
    • Weaknesses
  • Gartner Definitions
  • Recommendations
    • Start Small
    • Start Right Away to Implement a Simple Data Cloud
    • Measure, Document, and Publish Your Progress and Results
    • Look for Opportunities to Move Beyond Simple Data Clouds
    • Build a Business Case and More-Capable Prototype
  • The Details
    • Implementing a Data Cloud
      • Stages of Data Cloud Implementations
      • Data Cloud Infrastructure
      • Impedance Mismatches
      • Characteristics of Data Clouds
      • Technical Requirements for DCI
    • Classifications of the Technologies for DCI
      • Classes of Data Clouds
      • Data Cloud Technology Vendors
  • Recommended Reading
  • Other Related Gartner Research
  • Notes
Figures
Figure 1.
The IT Solution Stack
Figure 2.
IT Solution Stack and Cloud Computing
Figure 3.
Cloud Computing and Silos
Figure 4.
Cloud Computing and Data Clouds
Figure 5.
Pipes to Connect Silos
Figure 6.
Inconsistent Identifiers for the Same Customer Within Data Silos
Figure 7.
A Patch Panel to Connect Individual Data Items in Silos
Figure 8.
Data Clouds Connect Individual Data Items in Silos
Figure 9.
The Long Tail of Enterprise IT
Figure 10.
Enterprise Information Management
Figure 11.
The Requirements for Successful Data Cloud Implementations
Figure 12.
The Requirements for Successful Data Cloud Implementations




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Resource Id: 1452139