Dave McCrory first introduced the concept of Data Gravity in 2010. He used the very intuitive and convincing analogy: data is similar to a planet, gaining mass when it grows and drawing applications, services, and additional data into its orbit.
Over the years, this metaphor has become much more than a technical observation. It has turned into a strategic principle that shapes how organizations think about technology. As data accumulates, it begins to determine where applications are built, how systems interact, and which ecosystems companies inevitably become tied to.
The implications for IT strategy are significant. The physical and regulatory location of data influences decisions about cloud adoption, on-premise investments, and hybrid or multi-cloud approaches. The cost and complexity of moving large datasets often lead to platform and vendor lock-in. Latency requirements drive applications to reside closer to the data they consume. And increasingly, laws around privacy and data residency add another dimension to this gravitational pull.
In practice, data is no longer just a resource to be managed, it acts as the anchor point around which the rest of the technology landscape must orbit. Forward-looking organizations recognize this and design architectures that balance agility with the realities of immovable data, whether through distributed models, edge strategies, or careful governance frameworks.
Understanding and planning for data gravity not only helps avoid technical bottlenecks, but also positions companies to turn data into a competitive advantage.
