Data. Today, it is practically a living organism. Corporate-created data is emerging, growing and evolving at a rate of unparalleled proportions. As the volume of data multiplies, organizations are striving to glean actionable insights and value from it. But to do this effectively, a company must properly manage data to keep a record of information they can use now – or in the future.

Many companies are not increasing their data management capabilities at the same pace that data is growing. In fact, 30 percent of IT staffers surveyed by Kroll Ontrack said they do not have clear insight into what specific information is stored within their tape archives — and that's just one type of storage system. IT departments must address how they back up and store information to be able to garner value from data.

In this slideshow, Todd Johnson, vice president of data and storage technologies, Kroll Ontrack, has identified tips that will help enterprise IT departments narrow down an approach to more effective data management. In short, companies must update corporate data management protocols to accommodate the explosion of data in the enterprise, implement technologies and services that support a healthy data storage process, and understand and apply data backup and recovery best practices.