In today’s landscape, organizations accumulate vast amounts of information daily. While data is a cornerstone of modern business, not all of it serves a purpose. In fact, a significant portion could be working against you. Enter RIOT data: Redundant, Inaccessible, Obsolete, and Trivial data that clogs systems, inflates costs, and exposes organizations to compliance risks.
For information governance professionals, understanding and managing RIOT data is crucial. It’s not just about data cleanup—it’s about safeguarding your organization’s efficiency, compliance, and bottom line.
The Hidden Threats of RIOT Data
1. Compliance Risks
Inaccessible files—those that can’t be opened due to obsolete formats or missing applications—pose significant compliance challenges. These files might contain vital records necessary for regulatory adherence. If you can’t access them, you can’t ensure they’re managed according to legal requirements, potentially leading to hefty fines and legal repercussions.
2. Escalating Costs
Storing useless data isn’t cheap. According to Gartner, organizations waste an average of $12.9 million per year storing unnecessary data. This includes costs for storage infrastructure, maintenance, and the manpower spent managing and backing up irrelevant information.
3. Operational Inefficiencies
The sheer volume of RIOT data hampers efficiency. The IDC reports that knowledge workers spend up to 2.5 hours daily searching for reliable data. Sifting through redundant and trivial information wastes time and hinders productivity.
4. Data Governance Challenges
You can’t protect or govern what you can’t access or read. RIOT data creates blind spots in your information landscape, making it difficult to enforce policies, ensure data integrity, and maintain a robust governance framework.
RIOT Data: Beyond a Cleanup Issue
As Mike Quinn, CEO at Preservica, emphasizes, RIOT data isn’t merely a cleanup problem—it’s mission-critical. Inaccessible data files disrupt the information governance lifecycle, posing unknown risks, especially if they include vital records required for long-term compliance and preservation.
Introducing the RIOT Data Assessment
To tackle this growing challenge, Gimmal has partnered with Preservica to offer a comprehensive RIOT Data Assessment. This solution helps enterprises and government agencies uncover and remediate RIOT data effectively.
Key Features of the RIOT Data Assessment
1. Strategic Identification of RIOT Data
- In-Place Analysis: Assess your Windows File Shares without moving or copying files, ensuring zero disruption to operations.
- Duplicate Detection: Locate and eliminate unnecessary copies that waste storage space.
- Aging Information: Understand the lifecycle of your data to make informed retention decisions.
- Inaccessible File Identification: Find files that can’t be opened due to obsolete formats or missing applications.
2. Advanced Metadata Insights
- Detailed Metadata Collection: Analyze metadata for every file, including unique file hashes, to precisely identify content.
- Scalable Analysis: Designed for datasets up to 500 GB or approximately 500,000 files.
- Powerful Tools: Utilize Gimmal Discover for robust analysis and insights.
3. Seamless Accessibility with Preserve365
- Convert Obsolete Formats: Use Preserve365 to access and convert inaccessible files into universally viewable formats within your Microsoft 365 environment.
- Future-Proof Your Data: Ensure long-term accessibility regardless of evolving technologies.
4. Automated Governance and Compliance
- Defensible Disposition: Safely dispose of unnecessary data while preserving essential records.
- Enhanced Compliance: Maintain the fidelity and authenticity of records to meet regulatory requirements.
5. Minimal Time Investment
- Quick Turnaround: The entire process takes less than five hours of your team’s time.
- Fast Completion: Assessment completed within two weeks.
- Clean Exit: Post-assessment, Gimmal Discover is uninstalled, and all cloud data is deleted.
Privacy Assured
- No Personal Identifiable Information Collected: Reports exclude sensitive details like file names or owner information.
- Secure Reporting: Receive comprehensive insights without exposing confidential data.
Why This Matters for Information Governance
Greg Buckles from eDiscovery Journal notes that poor information governance leads to data bloat, inflating legal and compliance budgets. Introducing inaccessible data into this mix elevates risks significantly.
By proactively addressing RIOT data, organizations can:
- Reduce Storage Costs: Eliminate expenses associated with storing unnecessary data.
- Improve Operational Efficiency: Make it easier for employees to find and use reliable information.
- Strengthen Compliance Posture: Ensure all data is accessible and managed according to regulatory standards.
- Enhance Data Governance: Gain better control and understanding of your information landscape.
Partnering for Success: Gimmal and Preservica
Our collaboration brings together industry-leading expertise to offer a unique, integrated approach to data management:
- Comprehensive Data Management: Combine data cleansing with active digital preservation for a holistic solution.
- Automated Workflows: Utilize advanced tools to automate identification, collection, and archiving, reducing manual effort and errors.
- Future-Proof Accessibility: Convert inaccessible files into formats that stand the test of time, ensuring you can always read and trust your data.
- Proven Expertise: Leverage extensive experience in digital preservation and records management to enhance your information governance strategies.
Take Action: Secure Your Data Landscape
The RIOT Data Assessment is a critical step for organizations aiming to modernize records and information governance initiatives. By identifying and addressing RIOT data, you can unlock value, eliminate hidden risks, and strengthen your governance framework.
Don’t let RIOT data undermine your organization’s potential. Reach out to Gimmal to schedule your RIOT Data Assessment today.
About Gimmal
Gimmal is the market’s only end-to-end information governance platform, helping enterprises and government agencies tackle complex, mission-critical governance challenges at scale. From data classification to migration, and discovery to remediation, Gimmal simplifies information governance across the full lifecycle.
About Preservica
Preservica leads in Active Digital Preservation archiving, ensuring that organizations worldwide can protect and reuse long-term digital information. Preservica’s solutions automatically keep every file alive in future-friendly formats, ensuring critical, high-value information remains accessible and trustworthy over decades.
For more information on the RIOT Data Assessment or to schedule a discovery call, contact Gimmal.