Breaking down walls is an evocative image, rich in emotional content, as it calls up the idea of a free world without barriers. Like many rhetorical devices, this metaphor can be easily transported to other domains, like data, for example.
In the world of data, however, breaking down walls can be dangerous, as it exposes data to the outside. On the one hand, walls can be seen as limiting access, but on the other, walls protect the contents, as the walls of a silo protect the grain; if grain silos get knocked down, they dispose of their contents right on the ground, exposed to animals, men, and inclement weather.
Data in data silos is also protected. It is in its natural environment and the walls that protect it must not be seen as only a limitation to its access, but as a logical response to safety and protection requirements. If we focused only on the limitation, we would risk confusing a data democracy with a data anarchy: “Let’s break down the silos and give everyone access to data; let them do with it what they want!”
Originally published at https://www.datavirtualizationblog.com on December 9, 2020.
