Have you ever been annoyed by the countless icons on your desktop? Not to mention the continuous reminders of software renewals or updating licenses. If you have been in that boat, you have been data-hoarded.
Let me explain how,
What is Data Hoarding?
Data hoarding is a common practice of pilling and collecting large amounts of digital data. The probability of it being useful or not heavily depends on what kind of software, files, downloads,documentation, and digital content you store. Most of us have gone through this at some point in our lives, usually out of the fear of missing out on important information that can be used for future reference. But does that future come forward?
Just like physical hoarding, data hoarding can be an anxious response. Companies operating through multiple facets of organization tend to data hoard as a response to fast-paced operations. According to TechRepublic, 1 in 3 SaaS companies fell victims to data breach base dont heir business documentation.
What types of data are open to manipulation if not organized properly?
All digital content types and formats are to be categorized under data. Hence, data hoarding can be done in various forms. Here are some of the most common examples of data hoarding;
- Personal data—Accumulating large amounts of personal data, including pictures, videos, emails, downloads, attachments, and documents without deleting unnecessary files, comes under data hoarding. For example, one common thing most employees do is save the same file multiple times on their system out of the fear of missing any important document. To manage such data more efficiently, organizations can consider transitioning from Redis to Postgres for improved data persistence and querying capabilities, helping reduce redundancy and streamline storage.
- Software programs, downloadable files, and related supporting documentation—the documentation for upgrades and software updates—are another overlooked example of data hoarding. Devices without proper software management can be vulnerable to various cyber threats and system compromise.
- Business documentation—Companies without a software management system can put their data at serious risk of breach. The data can include business records, customer records, financial transactions, and legal documentation. This is particularly important in relevant fields such as in ai legal research in Philippines, where secure and organized data handling is crucial for safeguarding sensitive information against potential cyber threats.
- Research data—If you are or have been an academic, saving multiple sheets and relevant files can be a burden. Research data hoarding can include publications, datasets, experimental results, and any downloads related to research, including white papers and supporting documents.
The Downgrade of Data Hoarding
A large amount of data can pose serious challenges and risks for organizations. The greater the volume, the more susceptible your data is to risk. The higher the volume of hoarded data, the higher the chances of cyberattacks. In fact, many overlooked personal profiles, documentation, and information can pose serious legal and financial repercussions.
Organizations with extensive data can put their operational working, human resources, and assets at serious risk. As innocent as it may seem, data accumulation can pose a serious threat to the IT infrastructure if not managed through a proper, dedicated means such as IT asset management plaform.
Managing these data sets can be genuinely challenging if you are a mid-sized working company; however, investing in good software management solutions can decrease the likelihood of errors and perspectives, and compromise the quality of insights obtained through data.
How to Avoid Any Digital Hoarding
If you are in the middle of a data hoarding crisis, it’s important to stop what you are doing and get straight into sorting out your data mess. If you do not know where to start, the following pointers are going to get you right in from where to begin;
1. Start a Data Audit
In order to understand what’s going on with your data, you must have a clear visibility of what data you have. Set absolutely clear reasons for what data your system has. Once you have identified it, it’s best to go through your digital seems to know which ones you can keep in your system and which ones you cannot.
2. Get Rid of Everything That You Haven’t Opened in a Long Time
Just like how much people thrift their physical assets, it’s the same for digital assets. Unless you have an immediate need or crystal clear goal to keep the data, you must remove the files that do not serve your immediate goals.
3. Organize Your Files
Make sure you have a good software management tool or solution to help you keep your data organized and in line. This means categorizing dedicatedly and decluttering everything that does not serve the purpose.
4. Get Rid of the Duplicates
You don’t need multiple duplicates. Two can efficiently serve the purpose. However, if you have digital documents, then you might want to back them up instead of creating duplicates. Having duplicate copies in the same file is not considered as a backup.
5. Make Sure to Encrypt and Backup!
Once you have gone through a thorough backup, you must have only elevant data left that must be encrypted and backed up. A backup can help you free more space for the relevant data and can secure from creating occasional duplicates.
6. Have Organized Files
Remember when creating desktop files was an amazing attempt to see who got their systems in the best shape? Well guess you need to bring that back. Make sure you do not have unnecessary files or data on your desktop. There should be shortcuts to the programs you use.
How to Effectively Prevent Data Hoarding
Once you are through the realization of getting rid of data hoarding, its time to build you new habits to prevent any data hoarding in the near future.
Create New Digital Habits
Accidental data hoarding is more likely to happen if you do not have categorized spaces or files for keeping your most important data. For example having a dedicated folder with download and a set of files to prevent further data hoarding.
Unsubscribe Unsubscribe!
The emails you took over just because you did not want to miss out on any new season freebies, well that is not exactly a healthy cyber habit. Having heaps of newsletter flooding your inbox with an ample number of marketing email subscriptions isn’t exactly an ideal scenario. You might want to unsubscribe from emails that no longer serve you or bring you any productivity. That also includes, letting the run out of software subscriptions.
Automate Digital Tasks
Investing in a good software asset management solution can be an easy way of keeping your space decluttered. This also means keeping your files organized, having duplicates and maintaining them without manual effort. Organizations with mid-sized to larger headcounts should invest in necessary tools and softwares to ensure there are less chances of data hoarding and manipulation in the long run.
The One in and One out Rule
If you absolutely must have to do everything manually, you might want to delete one old thing when saving a new one. This might not work all the time for all the people, but if you operate on alreger scale you might want to do this with your digital storage capacities.
Wrapping it Up!
Data hoarding is a common problem and certainly shouldn’t stress you out a lot. As trivial as it may seem, a lot of organizations unfortunately undergo serious cyber compromises based on the unkept digital data. So while data hoarding may not sound so problematic, you still might want to apply the above preventive measure to avoid a cyber crisis in the future.
