Demystifying Data Classification

To even the most technically advanced, data management can be somewhat of a daunting task.

To even the most technically advanced, data management can be somewhat of a daunting task.

A minefield of acronyms and integrated technologies which link across every business unit, often across different territories, can lead to incredibly complex strategies being implemented into organisations.

So how can this process be made simpler for both the person responsible for the back-end management and the employee trying to locate a five year-old email? Andrew Smith, Director, Data Management Solutions, Affiniti, discusses:.

There are typically four reasons that spur companies to revamp their data management strategies:.

1 Diminishing storage space - Freeing up existing storage capacity by optimising what is already in place is the number one reason for reinvigorating a data management strategy.

When budgets are tight, capital outlays are not always necessary.

2 Compliance - US Regulations such as Sarbanes Oxley and Basel II are frequently cited as the top reason for needing to streamline data management in the US and in the UK this had led to an increasing desire for best practice.

3 Disaster Recovery - The need to replicate data to another site quickly highlights the amount of data and the costs involved in storing it, especially as those costs will be doubled by storing the data twice - certainly not music to a CFO's ears! 4 Slow backup - Relieving strain placed on a corporate network by clearing unwanted data will instantly relieve IT helpdesks from floods of unnecessary calls.

The biggest issue currently facing customers is understanding what constitutes mission critical data and what doesn't.

Companies fall into the trap of storing too much data as class "a" storage.

This causes a huge increase in data management costs.

Affiniti has carried out data classification for a number of companies and invariably finds that most of the data (upwards of 90%) being stored in class "a" storage, is in fact NOT mission critical.

For example, The Carphone Warehouse, an Affiniti customer, desperately needed to address its data management strategy.

Through a simple data classification process The Carphone Warehouse was able to increase capacity on the existing network and delay a huge spend on extra storage, by at least one year, without actually having to invest in new technology.

Whilst the amount of data that organisations store on their systems is massive, many customers are also shocked to discover the number of duplicate documents on file.

On average, many companies are storing a minimum of 10 times the quantity of data that was stored 10 years ago, with some industries storing well in excess of 50 times.

Attachments within a typical Microsoft exchange environment are duplicated a minimum of three times, with 50% typically being in excess of 8 times.

Some of these files are critical and it's understandable that they may have been saved many times in different places.

On the other hand some documents are more frivolous and one organisation Affiniti consulted was less than thrilled to find out that its expensive storage system was carefully guarding over 130 copies of a Kylie video on its network! So how does one improve data management? The key is in data classification - the best way to spring clean a network.

Data can be classified according to its critical value or how often it needs to be accessed, with the most critical or frequently-used data stored on the fastest "a" class storage while other data can be stored on slower, less secure and therefore less expensive media.

This kind of classification optimises the use of data storage for multiple purposes - technical, administrative, legal and economic.

Data can be classified according to any criteria, not only relative importance or frequency of use.

For example, data can be broken down according to its topical content, file type, operating platform, average file size in megabytes or gigabytes, when it was created, when it was last accessed or modified, which person or department last accessed or modified it, and which personnel or departments use it the most.

Whilst this sounds time consuming, a well-planned data classification system makes essential data easy to find.

The initial time invested to organise this is well worth it in future-proofing an organisation's data management.

Data classification is of course a subjective business and best works as a collaborative task that considers business, technical and other points-of-view.

Organisations need to achieve a good balance between the amount of information that needs to be stored, its value with time, and the kind of data storage systems required.

This will result in significant savings and improvements in operational performance.

Billing can be taken as a prime example of how different types of data can vary in importance between industries.

In the telecoms business the past 28 days of billing information is critical but after six months it is rarely needed again.

However, other industries such as the gas industry need to keep bills for over a year.

The density of these bills is lower and bills are less frequent, meaning a dramatic variation in the way this information is stored.

Data Classification is a two level process and information owners need to understand both the relative importance of the data and it's direct value to the business.

The alignment between IT efficiency and business performance is strong and data classification enables those who are not IT-focused to understand the impact data management has on the entire business.

Data classification plays a major part in highlighting these issues and helps organisations understand at a business level the criticality of data management.

Whilst data classification may come across as an incredibly labour intensive process, it is typically 30 per cent consultancy and 70 per cent software automation.

In summary, data classification offers organisations a simpler way to manage data.

Whilst benefits are not instantaneous, once processes have been put into place to manage the importance of each individual piece of data, organisations will rapidly find that they are gleaning benefits and cost savings through preventing outlays on new storage.

Affiniti is exhibiting at Storage Expo 2006 the UK's largest and most important event dedicated to data storage.

Now in its 6th year, the show features a comprehensive FREE education programme and over 90 exhibitors at the National Hall, Olympia, London from 18 - 19 October 2006.

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