Digital transformation requires companies to be nimbler, more proactive, and more responsive to customers. Our always-on culture has begotten the need for always-available data. Meanwhile, the tolerance for downtime continues to plummet. Whether it's a bank customer conducting a financial transaction or a salesperson submitting an order, a processing delay is no longer acceptable. An interruption like this sets off an IT scramble to determine how to fix that "app-data gap" -- i.e., what's causing delays in data delivery to applications.

Machine learning software is set to transform the way IT professionals manage their infrastructures in large Australian organisations, by seeking out potential problems before they affect any single user, Bede Hackney, ANZ managing director at Nimble Storage, says. Machine learning replaces traditional IT systems that require constant monitoring of each component, which means technicians don't have to waste time working out where the fault is and forming a solution. According to Hackney, the'app-data gap' is the challenge IT management faces when gaps between application and data stores become a problem because of the many differing IT infrastructure components. "A major app-data gap can often disrupt data delivery, degrade worker productivity, create customer dissatisfaction and damage a company's overall speed of business. However, it can be difficult to quickly find a solution because the factors leading to application slowdowns can come from a range of issues across the infrastructure stack", Hackney says.