Deduplication

/diːˌdjuːplɪˈkeɪʃən/ noun

Definition

The process of removing duplicate copies or redundant information, especially in computer files or databases, so that only one version remains.

Etymology

Formed from 'de-' (remove/reverse) plus 'duplication' (the act of making copies). This is a modern term that emerged in computing during the 1980s-1990s as data storage became a critical concern.

Kelly Says

Deduplication technology saves enormous amounts of storage space—imagine a company's backup system realizing that 10,000 employees all forwarded the same email, so it stores it just once instead of 10,000 times.

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