While data virtualisation is not new, this technology needs to be used in a way that gives businesses quick access to information.
This is according to Bill Hoggarth, director at Dataways, who points out that less than 10% of knowledge workers have the tools necessary to access the information they need.
Quoting a paper written by computer scientist EF Codd in 1970, Hoggarth told delegates at ITWeb's Virtualisation and Cloud Computing Summit yesterday that one of the key insights into the history of computer science is that applications need to run independently of the structure of data.
He adds that in order to realise the value from the rapidly growing stock of data, organisations need universal access to data - whether it is internal or external, structured or unstructured.
Hoggarth explained that when businesses have access to this data, they are able to solve problems and report back faster. He further stressed that this speed is crucial in the current market, where speed and agility are keys to business success.
Pointedly, Hoggarth argued that if a social network, like Twitter, can track what its users are talking about, businesses should be able to use this technology to track what their employees are talking about.
According to Hoggarth, virtualisation can also be tailored to suite a company's unique needs, providing flexible integration options, where data can be accessible in real-time or in scheduled batches. Moreover, said Hoggarth, access to virtualised data can be managed and controlled according to different service levels.
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