The relevance of dark data is undeniable and, therefore, planning your administration and audit is a very wise decision. Big business benefits are associated with dark data, within the reach of those who take the step of taking control of these large volumes of unstructured and unidentified information that occupy the company's systems.
How to reap the benefits of dark data for the company?
Dark data is a source of possibilities that, in the absence of identification and adequate information management, they are moving away from business, since access is complicated. Their value has to do with the information they contain, very valuable to boost the business in different ways, such as:
- Server log files can report on the behavior of the visitor of a web portal.
- Customer call detail records reveal customer sentiments and opinions.
- Mobile geolocation data can provide traffic patterns.
Companies are rejecting interesting possibilities by not taking advantage of dark data. Although, it is also true that, To do this, need better processes, more coordination and technologies that allow them to use dark data correctly.
How to avoid the problems that dark data can cause?
Dark data can cause legal problems, financial and fame if not managed properly. In reality, companies that accumulate obscure data already have problems, starting with those related to the cost of storage.
At the same time of these kinds of practical problems, Institutions may face following issues caused by dark data:
- Legal and regulatory matters. If the stored data falls within the scope of the legal regulations that require its protection (this is what happens with credit card details, as an example) their exposure would generate financial and legal responsibilities for the company.
- Risk of disclosure of trade secrets. Companies could, through deliberate or inadvertent leaks, losing confidential data or intellectual property about business operations, products, financial statement and business plans. This could have a negative impact on your future..
- Damage to fame. Companies are considered custodians of the data they collect and that includes obscure data. Therefore, any data loss, especially confidential data, may damage image and name.
- Possibility costs. If a company decides not to invest in obscure data processing and analytics, but your competitors do, likely to lose market position.
Audit information regularly, applying strong data encryption standards and having data retention and secure deletion policies in place is the way to minimize the risk and gain access to the benefits of dark data.
Although it takes an investment to harness the potential of dark data, the effort is important to highlight, especially when looking to the future and trying to avoid bigger problems.
You already know how manage the dark data of your business?
