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What is data discovery?

Behind the term data discovery is a process where you find and examine data that is available in an organization. It is an important part of data analysis and the use of data, as it allows the identification and analysis of data in a way that can be used to make informed decisions on behalf of the business.

Data discovery typically involves finding and examining data from various sources, including databases, file systems, applications, and other data sources. It can also involve finding relationships and patterns in data to discover new insights and opportunities. The data discovery process can involve various techniques and tools, such as data mining, data analysis, data visualization and other methods to manipulate and analyze data.

 

Why is data discovery a thing?

Today, data is generated at an unprecedented rate. Enormous amounts of information flow across the Internet every single day. Data discovery has become important to many businesses as it helps organizations quickly find the data they need and make sense of it. This, in turn, helps organizations save time, resources and money, as well as make better business decisions based on the insights they gain from their data.

 

Why you need a data discovery tool

Most companies do not take advantage of the data they have available. Often this is because the company simply does not know what data they have or where it is. This is where data discovery software becomes essential.

A data discovery tool can streamline the process of finding and working with data, which can be a time-consuming and complex task. Data discovery software can typically provide a variety of capabilities, including data profiling, data visualization, and data sampling, that help organizations understand and make sense of their data. Data that can provide insights to accelerate decision-making processes, strengthen growth strategies, improve customer experience and drive innovation.

 

Data discovery and GDPR

Data privacy and security are becoming increasingly important, and organizations need to ensure that they are adhering to regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Data discovery tools can help organizations to ensure that they are compliant with GDPR by providing features such as data masking, data anonymization, and data deletion. This helps organizations to protect sensitive information and avoid costly penalties for non-compliance.

 

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What can a data discovery tool do for you?

Choosing the right data discovery tool for your organization will depend on your specific needs and requirements. It’s important to carefully evaluate each tool and consider factors such as pricing, features, and ease of use before making a decision. The right data discovery tools can give you a complete overview of files and documents for all users on a single dashboard. They can organize your documents intuitively based on content and context, making it easy to navigate all documents across an organization. Whole teams can use them to work together so that all company information can be gathered and mapped. 

Here is a list of what a data discovery tool can do for you:

Locate your data
Understand your flow of information
Analyze patterns and trends within data sets
Track your business performance
Predict patterns and connections
Troubleshoot across departments
Give the right people access to all the data they need to work effectively
Ensure you handle the data itself in the most cohesive way possible
Understand your own processes and continue to innovate
Improve privacy management
Build trust by communicating your processes more effectively to others
Free up more time for problem-solving and strategic decision-making 

When you revisit data that was buried in an old file or floating aimlessly in cloud storage, you will quickly discover any incomplete contracts, overlooked sales leads, unused subscriptions, superfluous systems and suppliers, and other information that would otherwise slip through the cracks. Much of what you find will continue to be an asset for your company. However, you will also identify data that is redundant, obsolete, or trivial.   

The right data discovery tool for you

A data discovery is a vital tool for organizations that are struggling to keep up with the sheer volume of data being generated today. Data discovery tools automate this process and help organizations to quickly and easily find the data they need to make informed business decisions. When choosing a data discovery tool, it’s important to consider factors such as pricing, features, and ease of use, as well as compliance with data privacy regulations such as GDPR.

At Safe Online we have developed a data discovery software with AI-capabilities, that is specifically designed for small to medium-sized businesses.

Learn more about DataMapper 

 

Sebastian Allerelli

Governance, Risk & Compliance Specialist
Follow me on LinkedIn to get tips on GDPR →