Unstructured data — imagery, video, audio files and more — has continued to grow exponentially across industries. Artificial intelligence, in particular, is driving the need for more data to be retained, and as government agencies increasingly look to implement this technology, they will have to revisit how they collect, manage and store their data. AI has introduced a new level of data-driven insights which could potentially revolutionize the way government agencies function; however, those insights are only possible if organizations have data accessible and readily available to train AI models and to analyze. These insights can help solve a variety of problems, from traffic flow issues to criminal activity. Data-driven insights can also improve internal efficiencies, which is crucial for agencies that are frequently understaffed.

With this level of unprecedented data growth in the era of AI, the question has quickly become: Can government agencies securely scale, store and simultaneously manage it all with the data management solutions they currently have? Moreover, can those solutions deliver insight into this data so agencies can make smarter, more informed decisions that positively impact not only internal operations but also the wider public?

Where we’ve been

Historically, many government agencies have opted for public cloud options for data storage. This allowed them to reduce their data center footprint, and, at the time, was cheaper and faster to deploy and scale than an on-premises storage solution. With the rise of AI, however, those same agencies are suddenly having to contend with much more data than they could have ever anticipated, with experts estimating an annual growth rate of 37.3% through 2030. It’s not just the data growth that can pose a challenge for government agencies, it’s also the need to retain more data to fuel and train AI while making data accessible yet secure.

Ultimately, there are pressing data management factors to consider, particularly when it comes to the accessibility, data control and cost-saving requirements that are unique to government data. This is leading more agencies to transition from a public cloud-only model to private or hybrid cloud options for data storage and management.

Locking it down

Government agencies hold a gold mine of personally identifiable information (PII) for constituents, making them a core target for bad actors, and therefore making security a top consideration for any storage solution. The government has been a leader in technology adoption in the security space already, especially when it comes to cybersecurity, as it’s something they have had to contend with for years.

By deploying a private or hybrid cloud, government agencies can retain complete control of their security options and the data they’re protecting. When data is in a public cloud, agencies have less control over where their data is, what the security surrounding it may be, and what happens to it in the case of an attack. Conversely, with a private cloud, agencies have a greater ability to control where their data goes and when.

Accessibility and cost control

By deploying a private or hybrid cloud in their own or co-located data centers, government agencies gain more control over their data and the ability to scale affordably. To train AI models and use data for model inferencing, this massive amount of data must be easily accessible. With a private cloud solution, agencies can create massive data lakes where data is close by and ready to be recalled and used for AI and analysis at any time, without unpredictable and costly egress fees to move data back and forth from the public cloud. And having an on-prem solution that offers multiple tiers of storage, from high-performance all-flash to ultra low-cost tape, data can be automatically moved to the right tier to deliver the best price/performance ratio.

Further, many government agencies that have migrated apps or data to the cloud have, at some point, been surprised by cloud bills that are higher than anticipated. It can be very difficult to precisely determine cloud costs in advance, especially since application and data usage can fluctuate over time due to expensive access and egress charges that can easily double monthly cloud storage bills. Public cloud costs can also vary due to changing market trends or usage requirements, and government agencies simply can’t afford to be at the mercy of market whims.

Retaining data in a private cloud, particularly for AI and analytics applications where data needs to be accessed frequently, can help agencies scale as needed and more easily predict and control ongoing spending, which is a critical priority when adhering to tight budgets.

The smart choice for data management

When it comes to taking advantage of AI and the benefits it can bring to government agencies, storing data in a cost-effective, massively scalable private or hybrid cloud solution is often the best choice. By doing this, organizations can more readily access their data (which is key for AI applications), control where that data lives, and benefit from cost efficiencies.

Tom Hawkes is vice president of the Americas at Quantum.

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