Data availability means everything in endless need for information

If data isn't accessible, does it exist? In homage to a passionate advocate for the individual's right of access to information, we start off this week's Searchlight with a meditation on data availability.

Karen Goulart

Wherever you stand philosophically on digital information rights, it can't be denied that information is the new life force of the business world. Employees need it, customers expect it and CIOs must strive to provide it. Whatever business you're in these days, data availability is the enabler on which many of your CIO prerogatives depend. Without it, nothing is happening in data analytics, bring your own device, or BYOD, social collaboration, social media -- you name it. A company that fails to strategize around data availability is a company that will fail.

We wrap up this week's roundup with tips for getting the IT organization lean in 2013, and an enterprising if ultimately self-defeating take on outsourcing.

• Here, there and everywhere. Yes, that about covers where data availability is important.
• These "big data" predictions are aimed at marketing folks, but include some good information for IT folks -- you know, all you computing experts who will have to deal with the 8,000 zettabytes of digital information floating around in 2015. (A zettabyte, to make it easier for everyone else to imagine, equals a trillion gigabytes. You're welcome.)

• Check out SearchCIO.com's own coverage of these topics

  'Big data' poised to disrupt whole industries in 2013

  Mobile BI is now a must-have

  Six questions for building an effective outsourcing strategy

• We seem to remember last year being called the big year for mobile BI, but apparently it ended up lagging behind the mobile app curve. Not so for 2013 -- with a perfect storm of high-performance mobile devices, more mature solutions and information workers demanding 24/7 data availability, this could be the year.
• Can big data save lives? This infographic seems to think so, but the author of the (very brief) blog entry attached to it begs to differ.
• One of the most important tools you have as an IT leader might be garden shears. Figurative ones, of course.
• Outsourcing is a touchy, difficult subject. Hat tip to this cat-video-loving software developer for providing what may well be the first-ever chuckle-worthy tale on the topic.

Let us know what you think about the story; email Karen Goulart, Features Writer.