Data defined storage (also referred to as a data centric approach) is a marketing term for managing, protecting, and realizing the value from data by combining application, information and storage tiers.
This is a process in which users, applications, and devices gain access to a repository of captured metadata that allows them to access, query and manipulate relevant data, transforming it into information while also establishing a flexible and scalable platform for storing the underlying data. The technology is said to abstract the data entirely from the storage, trying to provide fully transparent access for users.