According to ILMI, "ILM is a new set of management practices based on aligning the business value of information to the most appropriate and cost-effective infrastructure."

The definition suggested ILM is not a software solution that plugs into the existing infrastructure, but rather a combination of processes, practices, policy and technologies.

Hype over reality

However, clearing up this vague definition is not the only way to bring more users' endorsement for ILM. Gartner's report said that another reason for this low adoption was because of ILM's hype over reality.

"ILM can appear to be a daunting amount of work and an 'impossible dream,'" said the Gartner report. "It's also easier not to think about information management and to simply continue to throw hardware and money into storage."