With the increase in digital communication and the daily flow of new information, the amount of unstructured data in organisations is growing faster and faster. This increase makes it extra important for organisations to establish effective strategies to manage this data. This results in working more efficiently and minimising additional risks.
What is unstructured data?
Unstructured data is information that has no set format and is scattered across various systems and locations within an organisation. This makes it difficult to quickly access the right data. In addition, unstructured data is often difficult to search and trace, leading to delays and missed opportunities in decision-making and business processes. In addition, it is complex to manage this data, which increases the risks of inefficiency, errors and security problems.
The business risks of unstructured data
Data fragmentation
One risk of unstructured data is data fragmentation. This means that data is scattered across different systems and locations within an organisation. This disorganised spread makes it difficult to maintain an overview and find the right information quickly. As a result, employees waste a lot of time searching for data, which lowers efficiency and slows down decision-making.
Regulatory compliance
For companies in sectors with strict regulations, such as government and healthcare, careful data management is crucial. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires personal data to be properly secured and quickly accessible when requests for access are made. Think, for example, of a patient who would like to see their medical records or personal identification data at government institutions. There are also additional rules on transparency and accountability in the public sector. Poor management of this data can lead to major legal consequences, such as high fines and reputational damage.
Security risks
Unstructured data is often poorly secured. This leaves it vulnerable to digital threats such as data breaches and cyber attacks, as well as physical risks such as fire, flood, theft or unauthorised access. These incidents can lead to financial damage and loss of confidential information. In addition, the loss of this sensitive data can result in reputational damage and legal complications, especially if there is a violation of the GDPR or other regulations.
Storage and management costs
Managing unstructured data can cause high storage and management costs. When storage areas become full and it is difficult to organise the data properly, operational costs rise. In addition, keeping too much unordered data, especially if it should have already been deleted according to the GDPR, can lead to additional storage costs and legal issues.
Accessibility of information
The sheer volume of documents can make you lose track of them. Without proper structure and organisation, documents become difficult to find. This not only leads to chaos, but also costs a lot of time. Personal data can be lost due to poor storage, while multiple copies make the archive grow further. Without clear structure, it is almost impossible to find the right document, which can lead to an unreliable and incomplete archive.
The impact on decision-making and business processes
The risks of unstructured data have a direct impact on strategic decision-making and business processes. Companies base their decisions on available data, but when it is incomplete, outdated or untraceable, the risk of wrong decisions increases. In sectors such as healthcare, this can lead to misdiagnoses or treatment plans, with potentially life-threatening consequences.
Delays in business processes are another common problem. If employees do not have timely access to important information, work comes to a standstill and projects are delayed. In construction, for example, this can mean that deadlines are not met and costs rise.
Efficient management of structured data
To convert unstructured data into structured data, Archive-IT offers several effective solutions, both physical and digital. Digitising paper documents and systematically archiving them increases the accessibility of information and provides a clear overview. Our digital archiving systems add metadata and search functionalities, making data quickly findable. Establishing clear retention and destruction policies is also important here. This ensures that data is not kept longer than necessary. This allows companies to better determine which data should be kept or deleted. This lowers the aforementioned risks of unstructured information.
Security of your data
Security is a top priority at Archive-IT. We prove this through our ISO certifications and AVG compliancy, among other things. Employees receive regular training and various measures have been taken to protect data. The blog ‘The security of your data’ explains these measures in more detail.
Wondering how Archive-IT can help you manage your data? We will work with you to see how you can turn unstructured data into structured data. Get in touch with one of our specialists.