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Data Classification: Key for Improving Search, Discovery and Compliance
Data classification categorizes and labels data based on content, importance, and sensitivity. Doing so makes data search, sort and retrieval easier to do. Data that is organized by classification can be better managed for risk, discovery and compliance. Based on data classification, security, storage, and life-cycle settings can be assigned.
For example, data can be classified as High, Medium or Low sensitivity. Low sensitivity may be data which is already known publicly, like data appearing on websites and and press releases. Medium sensitivity might corresponds to emails and documents that don’t contain confidential information. And finally, High sensitivity might be financial and corporate records and intellectual property.
Data Classification is particularly useful when specifying data and document lifecycles. Rich Mason, president and CSO of Critical Infrastructure LLC, said that “companies have been sold this idea that all their data is sacred, and if they don’t yet know why, then they should hold on to it, or hoard it until they figure out its use This approach works for some time—that is, until a business gets a huge bill for cloud storage services or finds that they’ve done such a poor job categorizing their data that they can’t figure out how to get value from it.”
Proper data classification can also be a great help in lining up with compliance regulations. Karen Lopez, Senior Project Manager and Architect at InfoAdvisor, said that “we tried to do all this data cataloging and data classification stuff in the ’80s, the ’90s, the aughts, and it always got cut from funding. Right now, you should be going to executives and saying, ‘I need six million dollars to keep your butt out of jail.’ This is our time to be asking for assets to do cataloging and categorization of data.”
Thanks for quoting me. The full article can be found at https://www.dataversity.net/data-architects-its-time-to-improve-your-data-classification/