IT executives will need to ensure that access to data is controlled at all times. Also, as the amount of data to be stored increases, the IT organization will need to adapt to ensure that response times remain consistent. In order to achieve this, IT executives will need to have in place a proper storage framework. IT executives will need to consider a number of factors in their formulation of a storage strategy. Concerns to be addressed by such a framework include the following.

• Capacity - What is the current volume of data being produced by the enterprise; how rapidly is it growing?
• Cost – What will enterprise expenditure be for storage hardware, software, support, and maintenance?
• Manageability – Will IT staff will be able to support the storage infrastructure cost effectively and with ease?
• Performance – How rapidly will the storage infrastructure deliver information to the user?
• Reliability – Will the storage infrastructure in place be functional at all times?
• Scalability – How well will the current storage infrastructure adapt to chances in capacity?

IT executives also need to consider the disaster recovery implications of any existing or future storage policies. Data backup needs to occur in a secure location. If the storage facility resides on-site, IT executives will want to evaluate how close proximity to other business operations will affect the enterprise in the case of natural disasters or other catastrophic events. IT executive should strongly consider moving off-site any such facilities, in order to reduce risk that such an event would completely dehabilitate business operations.