Data gravity is a real issue for cloud solution providers, as businesses do not want their sensitive data to leave their network. This means that the cloud based solutions have to meet the data where it resides, providing on-demand access to data as it is required. Ideally the data is never stored by the cloud providers but is aware of the data and its content in a secure way and is able to pass-on that data.
Today Salesforce.com announced Database.com at Dreamforce. I realized that many could be wondering why they decided to do this and more so, why now?
The answer is Data Gravity.
Consider Data as if it were a Planet or other object with sufficient mass. As Data accumulates (builds mass) there is a greater likelihood that additional Services and Applications will be attracted to this data. This is the same effect Gravity has on objects around a planet. As the mass or density increases, so does the strength of gravitational pull. As things get closer to the mass, they accelerate toward the mass at an increasingly faster velocity. Relating this analogy to Data is what is pictured below.
Services and Applications can have their own Gravity, but Data is the most massive and dense, therefore it has the most gravity. Data if large enough can be virtually impossible to move.
What…
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