In a recently published white paper, world renowned cloud computing and service oriented architecture (SOA) industry expert, David S. Linthicum (http://davidlinthicum.ulitzer.com), concludes enterprise and government IT organizations seeking to save money and gain agility using cloud computing and XML standards can achieve these objectives through strategic implementation of data virtualization.

The white paper, “The Importance of Data Abstraction, Virtualization and Data Services,” defines data abstraction, data virtualization (or federation) and data services, and then the paper summarizes today’s core uses of these synergistic technological approaches as business intelligence (BI), business applications and mash-ups. Common to BI, applications and mash-ups is the need to leverage data in specific formats that transcend physical information systems’ structure. The report is sponsored by Composite Software, Inc., the data virtualization leader.

“Contrary to what one might think, few enterprises and government agencies have a comprehensive strategy for the use of their data assets, and as a result, are wasting money and opportunities that could easily be prevented with sound data management practices,” notes Linthicum, chief scientist of Reston, Va.-based Blue Mountain Labs, www.bluemountainlabs.com. “Today’s trends of cloud computing and virtualization are further increasing the importance of comprehensive data management strategies.”

Linthicum’s paper recommends that enterprise and federal agency IT teams seeking to implement data virtualization strategies need to demonstrate the potential benefits of these strategies. He calls out several areas of benefit including the value of eliminating costs to change the existing physical databases to support the existing data consumers; the value of agility associated with better data access; and the value of easier data sharing through the use of industry and other standards.

Recognizing there are unique scenarios pertaining to government IT and to commercial enterprise IT teams, the paper discusses how to leverage data abstraction and virtualization for each of these segments.

The white paper is available, compliments of Composite Software, at http://www.compositesw.com/devzone/.