Is Data Collection a Waste of Time and Resources?

Is Data Collection a Waste of Time and Resources?

Is Data Collection a Waste of Time and Resources?Is Data Collection a Waste of Time and Resources?

More than one-third of collected data is considered useless, and if the trend of indiscriminately storing data continues, it will cost businesses $3.3 trillion.

Dark DataDark Data

52% of all information that organizations worldwide store and process is considered “dark.”

Redundant, Obsolete or Trivial (ROT) DataRedundant, Obsolete or Trivial (ROT) Data

33% of data is known to be useless. If collection continues unabated, it will cost organizations $3.3 trillion to manage by 2020.

Cost of Data StorageCost of Data Storage

For the average midsized organization holding 1,000TB of data, the cost to store non-critical information is $650,000 annually.

Untouched Stale DataUntouched Stale Data

Veritas’ previous study, the Data Genomics Index, found that more than 40% of stored data has not been touched in three years and is stale. This year’s report confirms that IT leaders know this.

Worst Data Hoarders by GeographyWorst Data Hoarders by Geography

The worst data offenders are Germany, Canada and Australia, having respectively 66%, 64% and 62% of stored dark data. In the U.S., 54% of data is unknown.

Cleanest and Identified Business-Critical DataCleanest and Identified Business-Critical Data

China has the highest proportion of “clean” data at 25%. Israel follows at 24%, Brazil at 22%. But 75% of all data they store is dark.

Why Dark Data and ROT?Why Dark Data and ROT?

The race to the cloud is feeding data hoarding. These behaviors include:
IT strategies and budgets based solely on data volumes, not business value.
Rapid adoption of cloud applications and storage under a false “storage is free” premise.
Employees believe corporate IT resources are free both for business and personal use.

Blurred Lines: Employees Store Personal Data at WorkBlurred Lines: Employees Store Personal Data at Work

On average, 26.5% of employees store personal data on their work devices. IT cannot tell which has business value and which does not.

Karen A. Frenkel
Karen A. Frenkel
Karen A. Frenkel is a contributor to CIO Insight. She covers cybersecurity topics such as digital transformation, vulnerabilities, phishing, malware, and information governance.

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