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By Leonardo Araujo, Director of Services at EMC Brasil
2015 celebrates the 50th anniversary of the publication of the “National Datacenter Proposal” launched in 1965 in the United States. That proposal outlined a plan in which the U.S. government would create and store detailed files with data on its citizens, recording everything from fingerprints and tax records to your school history and criminal record information - in a single federal data center.
The proposal suggested that these records be stored on computer magnetic tapes so that they could be easily retrieved for viewing and research by the authorities. This was an extremely ambitious vision that created what we would now recognize as an electronic database.
If we analyze the proposal today, we will see that there are many details in this story that we immediately recognize - even if the underlying technologies have changed completely. The basic premise of electronic storage is the same, but the advent of digital technologies, such as flash, makes it possible for both governments and companies to store much more data and in a much more economical way, compared to the case of 1965. Currently, they are more data is analyzed and obtained than ever before - through big data analytics - often providing real-time insights that have the power to benefit everyone.
However, it is interesting to observe how the ethics in relation to obtaining data has changed over the last half of the century. The National Datacenter Proposal was finally abandoned in 1968 due to privacy concerns. It was considered an invasion of privacy that the US government kept so much personal data about its citizens.
However, today, we are more willing than ever to share data and use a series of platforms that facilitate this sharing. We do it every day: posting personal details on social media; providing bank details for online access; sharing information about our fitness with friends, insurance companies and consumer products companies, etc.
We do this because we see a positive side - either because we are communicating more freely, making purchases more conveniently or withdrawing premiums from our insurance. Allowing other people to store our data can make a significant difference in our lives, so when we realize it, we adopt this behavior. In fact, a recent study by VansonBourne found how today's connected consumers, "Information Generation", prioritize faster access to services and more personalized experiences from the companies they interact with.
Many things have changed over the 50 years since the modern notion of a datacenter was first introduced, but many things have also remained the same. The original proposal inspired many debates about "Big Brother" and accelerated our collective awareness regarding matters of privacy and control. These concerns remain priorities in 2015 - but it is clear that today's consumers have discovered and used the advantages and disadvantages of data collection and, increasingly, expect the companies with which they interact to use the data to understand it better and provide more efficient and accurate user experiences.
The proposal suggested that these records be stored on computer magnetic tapes so that they could be easily retrieved for viewing and research by the authorities. This was an extremely ambitious vision that created what we would now recognize as an electronic database.
If we analyze the proposal today, we will see that there are many details in this story that we immediately recognize - even if the underlying technologies have changed completely. The basic premise of electronic storage is the same, but the advent of digital technologies, such as flash, makes it possible for both governments and companies to store much more data and in a much more economical way, compared to the case of 1965. Currently, they are more data is analyzed and obtained than ever before - through big data analytics - often providing real-time insights that have the power to benefit everyone.
However, it is interesting to observe how the ethics in relation to obtaining data has changed over the last half of the century. The National Datacenter Proposal was finally abandoned in 1968 due to privacy concerns. It was considered an invasion of privacy that the US government kept so much personal data about its citizens.
However, today, we are more willing than ever to share data and use a series of platforms that facilitate this sharing. We do it every day: posting personal details on social media; providing bank details for online access; sharing information about our fitness with friends, insurance companies and consumer products companies, etc.
We do this because we see a positive side - either because we are communicating more freely, making purchases more conveniently or withdrawing premiums from our insurance. Allowing other people to store our data can make a significant difference in our lives, so when we realize it, we adopt this behavior. In fact, a recent study by VansonBourne found how today's connected consumers, "Information Generation", prioritize faster access to services and more personalized experiences from the companies they interact with.
Many things have changed over the 50 years since the modern notion of a datacenter was first introduced, but many things have also remained the same. The original proposal inspired many debates about "Big Brother" and accelerated our collective awareness regarding matters of privacy and control. These concerns remain priorities in 2015 - but it is clear that today's consumers have discovered and used the advantages and disadvantages of data collection and, increasingly, expect the companies with which they interact to use the data to understand it better and provide more efficient and accurate user experiences.
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