Data Growing at Unfathomable Speeds

In 2020, the world generated 64.2Zettabytes (1 zettabyte is 1 trillion gigabytes) of data, and that number is expected to grow to 180.8Z bytes in 2025, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23%, according to International Data Corp. Cloud and edge computing are driving the growth and forcing utilities to craft sound policies in order to manage the massive data influx.

Cloud computing simplifies the deployment and maintenance of utility Information Technology (IT) systems. These solutions offer high levels of automation, so creating and managing computer infrastructure becomes simpler. Popular public cloud services from vendors, like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, and Google, enable utilities to offload maintenance work to technology experts.

Movement to the Edge

Edge computing is growing faster than cloud, according to IDC. Here intelligence is placed in small Internet of Things (IoT) devices, like sensors. Utilities are deploying this technology to better monitor their physical infrastructure, such as their generation plants, transmission lines, and smart grid, which represents complex, enormous investments.

Managing the rapidly swelling volumes of data is becoming quite challenging. New tools, such as data warehouses, data analytics, and artificial intelligence and machine learning, are emerging to aid in the work.

As technology advances, energy companies generate more information. The data can help to improve their operations, but they need to put checks in place in order to proactively manage it.