Using DataMapper is easy

DataMapper is a file scanner that helps organisations identify, classify, and manage sensitive data across their internal systems. Technically, DataMapper is a Data Discovery tool.

Companies often handle sensitive data such as personal information or business-critical documents. These data must be protected in accordance with international regulations such as GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Failure to secure these data properly can result in privacy fines and serious consequences in the event of a data breach.

DataMapper scans and identifies sensitive information across your systems, providing a clear overview of where files containing sensitive content are stored. This makes it easier to comply with privacy requirements such as the right to access, deletion, and secure data processing.

DataMapper is cloud-based.

DataMapper supports integrations with various systems, including cloud storage, ERP systems, CRM platforms, and file servers. DataMapper offers three types of connectors for automation:

• Native Connectors, which integrate with the platforms Microsoft OneDrive, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft SharePoint, Google Drive, Google Mail, Azure Blob Storage, local drives, and network drives (Windows Fileshare).
• Logic Apps integration, providing access to over 1,000 apps via Logic Apps.
• Custom Connector, allowing integration with any RESTful API, offering flexibility for specific integration requirements.

DataMapper is ideal for businesses looking to gain control over their sensitive data and ensure compliance. It is particularly relevant for companies that handle large volumes of sensitive information.

DataMapper uses a combination of advanced AI and Machine Learning algorithms to detect terms classified as sensitive. Read more here.

DataMapper detects words and numbers classified as sensitive under privacy regulations like the GDPR.

• Personally identifiable data/PII (ID, driver’s license, passport and credit cart)
• Sensitive personal data (e.g. trade union, health info or sexual orientation)
• Business-critical terms (e.g. contract, budget or IP document)

You can also customise your scans by adding or excluding specific words and numbers, ensuring that DataMapper identifies exactly what you consider sensitive.

DataMapper is designed for both administrators and employees – but with different roles. Administrators have full visibility into scans and risks across the organisation, but they do not have access to clean up individual employees’ files.

As a result, the clean-up process in DataMapper is intentionally decentralised: the administrator sets the framework, defines the clean-up method, initiates scans, and monitors progress. However, it is the individual employee who is responsible for reviewing and managing their own files.

This division of responsibility was chosen because proper clean-up often requires the employee’s own understanding of a file’s content and context. It also aligns with GDPR principles and helps prevent an overwhelming burden from falling on the administrator.

DataMapper supports files smaller than 30MB and with following formats:

Documents:
txt, rtf, pdf, doc, docx, gdoc, odt

Email types:
msg, txt (email bodies)

Presentations:
pptx, ppt

Spreadsheets:
xls, xlsx, gsheet

Hypertext:
html, htm

Images:
jpg, jpeg, png, heic

It is difficult to predict exactly what DataMapper will detect in your data. However, our scans show that up to 7% of all documents, emails, and images contain sensitive information.

If DataMapper identifies sensitive data, they should be reviewed and either deleted, secured, or moved to a protected data location, depending on your company’s data privacy policies.

Not necessarily. Privacy regulations makes you responsible for protecting the data with sensitive information shared with you. Your company probably needs to store certain information – information about employees and customers, for example – in order to function normally.

However, it is normal for companies to have sensitive data that they should no longer have. How long you store data depends on the data rules that apply to your companies.

If you store sensitive data for too long, even if it is stored securely and not misused, you may still be in breach of the requirements. By reducing the amount of sensitive data you collect and store, you can minimize the damage from a data breach.

Sensitive data in itself is not always considered personally identifiable information. It only becomes personal when linked to an individual. Adding employee and customer names allows DataMapper to refine its detection. If no names are entered, DataMapper can still identify high-risk files in your system, as some terms are inherently classified as sensitive.

Administrators can invite any employees who have a Microsoft account.

No, with DataMapper you can get started on your own in just a few minutes. If you have any questions during or after implementation, our customer support team is always ready to help.

DataMapper processes all of personal information as confidential, including basic details such as names and email addresses. The system is crafted to adhere to the highest standards of data security. Read more about the security in DataMapper here.

There are three reasons why DataMapper is more appropriate to use for cleaning up sensitive files than Microsoft Purview:

1. Difficult implementation and setup – Purview requires a complex setup with Azure integration, access rights and data classification policies, which can take weeks or months and often requires external consultants. DataMapper works out-of-the-box without extensive IT involvement.
2. Not suitable for users or to clean up – Purview identifies data, but does not give users a concrete overview or the opportunity to clean up themselves. Everything is handled centrally by IT and compliance, which makes cleanup difficult and inefficient. DataMapper shows exactly what needs to be removed and makes it easy for users to take action themselves.
3. No OCR scanning – Purview can only read text, while DataMapper also scans images, scanned documents and non-editable PDFs for sensitive information.

While it may seem straightforward to delete everything older than five years, this is rarely a sustainable approach. Different types of data are subject to varying retention requirements depending on legal obligations and processing purposes. Some data must be kept for longer – for example, in connection with accounting, employment, or contractual obligations – while other data should not be retained that long at all. Many files also contain a mix of information, some of which must be deleted and some of which must be preserved, meaning careful assessment is required rather than automatic deletion. A blanket five-year rule can therefore lead to either unlawful retention or unintended data loss.

Manual searching for sensitive files might initially seem like a good solution, but this method comes with significant limitations that make it time-consuming and inefficient:

1. The volume of data: It can be overwhelming to review all files manually.

2. Human factor: Employees can make mistakes and overlook important files.

3. Limited search knowledge: Employees often don’t know what to look for, as many sensitive terms are unfamiliar.

4. Evolving sensitive expressions: GDPR and other regulations change continuously—new risk terms emerge all the time.

5. Sensitivity hides in images: Data may be stored in scanned documents, images, or notes—difficult to review without automation.

6. Context is everything: Words like “COVID” are only considered sensitive when linked to a person.

7. Language and formats vary: Sensitive information appears differently depending on language and country.

Read more here.

To get started with DataMapper, you can contact us here. You can also purchase DataMapper through your Microsoft subscription on the Azure Marketplace.

DataMapper is the cheapest Sensitive Data Discovery tool on the market because of its simplicity. The price of DataMapper depends on which integrations, number of users etc. you need. Contact us to get a price tailored to your company.