Hello! My name is Joe Gregory and I am the VP of Customer Success and Solutions Engineering at Normalyze.
I wanted to share some key takeaways from an engaging discussion I had recently with Vamsi Koduru, our Director of Product Management, in our webinar, “Unknown data, hidden threats, wasted spend: Tackling abandoned and shadow data “.
We explored a growing issue many organizations face: abandoned data. This topic is vital for data security practitioners, CIOs, and CISOs.
The Challenge of Abandoned Data
Abandoned data is a significant, often overlooked challenge in modern organizations. This data, which becomes unmanaged and unowned, often results from employee turnover, cloud migrations, and API integrations. It’s hidden from security and compliance teams, increasing the risk of breaches and compliance issues, while also driving up storage costs. Understanding and managing abandoned data is crucial for maintaining a secure, efficient, and cost-effective data environment.
What is Abandoned Data?
Abandoned data refers to information that remains in your systems without active ownership or usage. This can happen due to:
- Employee Turnover: Data left behind by departing employees.
- Cloud Migrations: Residual data from moving systems to the cloud.
- API Integrations: Data duplication from integrating various platforms.
The Changing Landscape of Data Management
In the last decade, the way businesses use data has transformed dramatically. As Vamsi pointed out, “Today, businesses want to innovate quickly. They want the data to be leveraged across the organization.” This shift brings new challenges, including increased access to sensitive information and the risk of forgotten data due to employee movement.
Risk and Cost
Abandoned data poses several risks and costs:
- Visibility: It can be challenging to identify and manage abandoned data, leading to unknown security and compliance risks.
- Security Risks: Unmanaged data can become a target for breaches.
- Compliance Risks: Retaining unnecessary data can lead to compliance violations and fines.
- Cost: Storing unused data is expensive, with abandoned backups accounting for a significant portion of unnecessary costs.
Proactive Data Management
To address these issues, organizations need a proactive approach to data management. Start by identifying and cataloging all data to gain complete visibility. Implement policies for data lifecycle management to prevent data from becoming abandoned. Automation tools are essential for monitoring and managing data at scale, ensuring a secure and efficient data environment.
As Vamsi mentioned, “If there’s sensitive information that people have stopped accessing or it’s shared to a lot of external users or organization-wide, you want to get indications of abandoned data early on so that you can ensure the right policies are in place and create automation to drive down risk, including revocation of access and other actions.”
The Normalyze Solution
At Normalyze, we offer a comprehensive solution to manage abandoned data:
- Visibility and Classification: Our platform provides a detailed inventory of data across cloud and SaaS applications, identifying backups and remnants.
- Automated Risk Assessment: We classify and assess data for risks, integrating with existing security solutions for efficient remediation.
- Seamless Integration: Our solution integrates smoothly with your tech stack, making it easy to manage without extra workload.
Real-World Impact
Our customers see immediate benefits. Identifying and removing abandoned backups leads to significant cost savings and reduces security and compliance risks. Vamsi shared, “In some cases, we’re seeing six figures plus savings on just getting rid of these abandoned backups. And part of this problem is even some of the cloud providers aren’t making it easy for you to identify that these backups are abandoned or no longer have the resource attached to them.”
Tackling the Challenge Together
Abandoned data is a growing challenge, but with the right tools and strategies, we can tackle it together. By identifying, cataloging, and proactively managing your data, you can reduce risks, cut costs, and improve operational efficiency. At Normalyze, we’re here to provide the visibility, automation, and integration you need to manage this issue effectively.
For more insights and to see how Normalyze can help your organization manage abandoned data, watch the full webinar or contact our team for a live demonstration.
