Information lifecycle management (ILM) is not a new concept. In fact, it`s about as old a concept as data itself. Like many other concepts, however, it has undergone a facelift or two over time. ILM is a policy or a procedure for handling data from the time it is created, through its useful life, and into storage, archiving and its eventual destruction.

ILM specifies precisely what the value of any given piece of data is and determines how it should be stored based on its value. Highly valuable data, which needs to be accessed regularly, will be stored on high-end storage for the duration of its usefulness. Once it is deemed less valuable, or needs to be accessed less often, it will be moved onto less available storage. Ultimately, it will be archived, usually on tape drives.