Data waste: According to study, a significant portion of stored server data is never accessed

A significant portion of stored server data is never accessed, contributing to unnecessary carbon emissions from data centers.

: A study by NetApp reveals that 70-80% of data stored by companies goes unused, leading to excessive carbon emissions. Storage accounts for 15-20% of data center power consumption. NetApp's BlueXP tool highlights the scale of data wastage and its challenges.

A study by NetApp indicates that a substantial amount of data stored on servers, estimated to be between 70-80%, is seldom accessed. This unused data contributes significantly to carbon emissions due to the power consumption required for its storage and maintenance.

Matt Watts from NetApp reported that around 41% of stored data is never accessed and later revised this figure to possibly double in some scenarios. With data centers comprising 15-20% of power consumption, reducing unnecessary data storage can aid in lowering carbon emissions.

NetApp's BlueXP classification tool has been instrumental in revealing these inefficiencies by identifying file ownership and access history. Despite the risks of deleting potentially needed information, NetApp encourages tackling data wastage to meet sustainability goals, although many organizations struggle due to resource limitations and internal disagreements.

data wastagecarbon emissionsNetApp