Unstructured data: Get the facts!

Data breaches are not a new topic these days. However, there is a sneaky side of data that poses a major risk to data security yet many organizations are not aware of the insidious culprit. That culprit is unstructured data.

Unstructured data: What is it?

In order to combat the risks associated with unstructured data, it’s important to understand what exactly is unstructured data. Structured data is usually stored in a database and is organized by pre-defined data models while unstructured data is typically text-heavy but may contain dates, numbers and facts. This table below can help differentiate the two.

Where is it stored?

Unstructured data is a sneaky threat because many people may not even know that they are sending unsecure sensitive data through everyday communication channels. The more informed employees are of the risks associated with unstructured data, the less likely data security breaches are to occur. READ MORE: Enterprise Edition: A file sync and sharing solution built for the enterprise.

Below is a breakdown of where the majority of is stored:

E-mail file sharing solution: 23%

Shared network drives: 20%

File sync and share solutions: 20%

Cloud services such as Dropbox or Box: 20%

Office 365 and OneDrive: 17%

READ MORE: SyncDrive size, the perfect complement to your data.

These three tips can ensure a useful and secure file sharing environment:

• Establish and enforce user policies
• Assign central accountability
• Teach users how to safely share sensitive information

When you know the risks and how to manage them, you are off to a great first step in establishing a secure organization.