The present invention provides a federation of clusters for uniform and consistent enterprise-wide data management. The federation is an affiliation of clusters, dispersed over different locations that provide a comprehensive solution to the management of all types of data stored in different devices. Each cluster owns data sources connected to the same network it is attached to. Devices connected to the network, and the cluster for managing data accessible through the network constitute an autonomous area. Results from different locations are consolidated to produce unified results and reports. The enterprise-wide data management allows enterprises to validate compliance with federal regulations and insures that data management objectives are being met in all departments within an organization. In addition to enterprise-wide data management, a member cluster of a federation can perform data management local to its autonomous area and execute policies formulated for that area.