Understanding where the data entanglements lie,
their impact, and the requirements to replicate that
data to the right place at the right time are all
critical to the success of your data strategy.
In the technology world, buzzwords and analogies flood the landscape. Analogies help
us explain unfamiliar concepts in familiar terms, and when the analogy strikes a chord, it
often launches a buzzword. This can be helpful in bridging the communications gap
between technology and business. “Data gravity” is one of those buzzwords that now
permeate our discussions around digital innovation.
Data gravity was coined by David McRory, a software engineer, in a blog almost ten
years ago. It uses the basic concept of gravity to help explain the behaviors and patterns
resulting from the ever growing disruptions caused by the cloud and big data. The law
of gravity states that the attraction between objects is directly proportional to their
mass. McRory posited that in the ever growing cloud and big data environments, the
mass of the data being accumulated increased the number of applications, services and
consumers that are drawn to that data. Basically, the more data that is accumulated, the
more applications and services that come into the orbit of that data to consume it.
This phenomenon becomes key when architecting, designing and building out your
cloud and big data environments. Where the data resides in relation to the applications
and services being drawn to it impacts system performance, cost and reliability. Con-
sumers of the data may reside in the same cloud as the data. They may also still be in
on-premises systems, or in another cloud platform. It is a hybrid cloud world, and that
must be considered when implementing solutions. The explosive growth and prolifera-
tion of applications and services caused by the increase in data gravity can quickly over-
whelm a system, degrading performance, increasing costs and even impacting the qual-
ity of the results, due to reliability issues with the content.
Data Entanglement to the Rescue
Enter a new analogy and buzzword to save the day. “Data entanglement” which plays off
the concept of quantum entanglement, drawing on the world of physics. In simplified
terms, quantum entanglement posits that two objects separated by great distances
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