Other results from the global survey show that we broadcast around two zettabytes of data (a zettabyte is 1000 exabytes).

BBC: Global data storage calculated at 295 exabytes

In all, IDC estimates that by 2015 we will create or replicate around 8 zettabytes (8, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000 bytes) of new data each year.

FORBES: Damming the Digital River

Other interesting statistics from a recent Symantec study suggests that businesses are storing 2.2 Zettabytes of information and that data creation doubles every two years with one gigabyte of stored data creating a petabyte of transient data.

FORBES: Digital Storage Needs the Right Stuff

These findings expand on the Cisco Global Cloud Index, which predicts that more than 50% of computing workloads in data centers will be cloud-based by 2014, and that global cloud traffic will grow over 12 times by 2015, to 1.6 zettabytes per year.

FORBES: Some Pain, But Plenty to Gain, from Cloud Deployments: Survey