Unisphere Research, a division of Information Today, Inc., US, recently conducted a survey to look into the issues companies are having with unstructured data. The survey, sponsored by US-based information infrastructure software provider Mark Logic Corporation, is seen to confirm that unstructured information is growing at a faster clip than relational data and is driving the Big Data explosion.
Thirty-five percent of respondents say unstructured information has already or will surpass relational data in the next 36 months. Including those who think it will happen in the next decade, the number rises to 52 percent. A majority of survey respondents also acknowledge that unstructured information is growing out of control and is driving the Big Data explosion - 91 percent of respondents say unstructured information already lives in their organisations.
The survey found that 40 percent of managers are unaware of the extent unstructured data exists in their organisation. Only 45 percent of organisations are moderately or strongly committed to leveraging this resource, creating a competitive advantage for those companies that do. Eighty-six percent of respondents admit that unstructured data is important to their organisation, yet only 11 percent have clear procedures and policies for managing unstructured data in place. Further, the survey reveals that while 80 percent of respondents know the amount of unstructured data will rise in the next three years, only 24 percent of respondents believe their current infrastructure will be able to adequately manage it.
The survey gathered input from 446 data managers and professionals who are readers of Database Trends and Applications magazine. Among the interesting trends uncovered is that even organisations with higher concentrations of unstructured information face issues with corporate awareness regarding the existence of this data. They devote most of their resources to managing the smaller portion of their data, while moving unstructured information into special-purpose databases or content management systems.
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