[1] This is a process in which users, applications, and devices gain access to a repository of captured metadata that allows them to access, query and manipulate relevant data, transforming it into information while also establishing a flexible and scalable platform for storing the underlying data.
The technology is said to abstract the data entirely from the storage, trying to provide fully transparent access for users.
Data-centric management enables organizations to adopt a single, unified approach to managing data across large, distributed locations, which includes the use of content and metadata indexing.
The first marketing campaign to use the term data defined storage was from the company Tarmin, for its product GridBank.
[2] The term was used for object storage with open protocol access for file system virtualization, such as CIFS, NFS, FTP as well as REST APIs and other cloud protocols such as Amazon S3, CDMI and OpenStack.