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.
Structured Data | Unstructured Data |
Phone numbers | Presentation files |
Customer names | Text files |
Personal identification numbers | Audio and video files |
Addresses | Images |
Product names and numbers | E-mails |
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.
Are you ready to learn more about unstructured data? Check out this informative infographic.
To learn more about the research that is involved, read this detailed report.