‘Digital Universe’ Keeps on Expanding and Expanding

By Greg McNevin

March 13, 2008: The results of a new IDC study are forecasting explosive growth of digital information, calling attention to what it is calling a worldwide ‘digital shadow’ phenomenon.

Sponsored by EMC, the study aimed to measure and forecast the vast amounts and diverse types of digital information created and copied around the world. Calling the focus of the study the “digital universe”, IDC found that at 281 billion gigabytes (281 exabytes), the digital universe in 2007 was 10% bigger than originally estimated.

Not only this, with a compound annual growth rate of almost 60%, it is growing exponentially and is expected to be almost 1.8 zettabytes (1,800 exabytes) by 2011 - a 10-fold increase in five years.

A “digital shadow” is all the digital information generated about the average person on a daily basis, and somewhat disturbingly this now surpasses the amount of digital information individuals actively create themselves.

IDC says that growth has accelerated as a result of increased shipments of digital cameras, digital surveillance cameras and digital televisions, as well as a better understanding of information replication trends.

“[W]e discovered that only about half of your digital footprint is related to your individual actions – taking pictures, sending emails, or making digital voice calls,” said John Gantz, Chief Research Officer and Senior Vice President, IDC.

“The other half is what we call the ‘digital shadow’ – information about you – names in financial records, names on mailing lists, web surfing histories or images taken of you by security cameras in airports or urban centres. For the first time your digital shadow is larger than the digital information you actively create about yourself.”

No wonder the data storage market is booming year after year.

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