The Internet of Things took center stage this week at South by Southwest (March 7 - 11 in Austin, Texas), the annual confab for all things music, film and tech. The slew of connected, "smart" devices remind us how far the Internet's come since its humble beginnings 25 years ago this week. But it begs the question: Where will all this wearable and mobile data get stored? Here's a look at what the experts have to say about that, and other IT challenges, in an increasingly data-driven world:

The substantial pressures affecting IT departments — think more cloud, more mobile and more data, to name a few — can be especially difficult for small and medium-sized businesses to handle. SMB IT departments often lack the scale and deep pockets of their enterprise IT counterparts, yet they still need to make strategic technology decisions that satisfy business needs and give employees the tools they need to get work done.

The fallout continues from last year's major data breaches at Target and Neiman Marcus. The U.S. Congress, state agencies, retailers and consumer advocacy groups are now locked in a larger debate about data security and consumers' right to know when their data may be at risk — and if a national notification standard makes sense, according to the Associated Press.

The rise of mobile technologies has undoubtedly complicated IT. But despite the benefits, including lower costs and increased employee productivity, there's lingering suspicion among IT pros about whether these technologies, and what trends like BYOD leave in their wake, put sensitive company data at risk. The anxiety is understandable — data protection, after all, is top of mind for IT managers — but that anxiety is often misplaced.