Welcome to Infotropolis. A virtual city built on bits, bytes, and the power of information. Where data is both the currency and the lifeblood. A sprawling city divided between bustling data centers and often disorganized, chaotic archival vaults. A city, like every large enterprise, facing a myriad of governance challenges.
Amidst the neon glow and humming servers, a clash unfolds. For behind the gleaming facade of Infotropolis lies a data dilemma, a vortex of conflicting forces vying for control. At the root – Defensible Data Deletion. Could minimizing data through this approach be the key to simplifying the management of information, ensuring both security and compliance with ever-evolving regulations?
In minimizing redundant, outdated or obsolete, and trivial data (ROT), companies can reduce legal and compliance risks, as well as alleviate the financial (and environmental) burden associated with unnecessary data storage. The idea being less data stored is less data to manage. You must, however, have a method for this deletion that is based on your organization’s data governance policies.
Striking the right balance between data deletion and retention is crucial for optimizing legal and financial considerations. In the ever-present tug of war for “How much data do we keep?”, the rope of information governance pulls taut.
Clash of the Data Titans: The Eraser Crusaders vs. The Data Dragons
On one side, the Eraser Crusaders, champions of “you just think you need it” data-management policy. This faction wields the Deletion Scythe, understanding the average internet user generates 17 MB of data every second, realizing nearly 70% of the world’s population uses the internet. [1]
On the other, the Data Dragons, representing businesses and institutions, protect the Archive Chambers, clinging to information as their sun, water, and soul, wary of losing valuable insights and operational necessities. Are they simply data hoarders, clinging to every byte? In many cases, the reality is more complex. Busy schedules, limited resources, and the complexities of legal requirements can all contribute to the challenges of data management, leading to unintentional data duplication and retention. Search “PDF” on your PC and sort by name, and you’ll get a sense of the magnitude of the duplicate files you create every day.
However, this isn’t a zero-sum game. A complete victory for either side would spell disaster for Infotropolis. The Crusaders’ complete erasure of data would cripple businesses and institutions, like what you might experience in a ransomware attack. Conversely, the Dragons’ unfettered data hoarding would drown IT resources who are trying to manage budgets to service delivery requirements.
The key lies in finding harmony. Striking the perfect balance between the Eraser Crusaders’ call for deletion and the Data Dragons’ need for retention is the only way Infotropolis can truly flourish. This is where the whispers of hope begin to spread. A beacon of light in a data storm with zero visibility, guiding them to their destination of data volume balance. This balance is upheld by the ability to see the data to be governed with technology that helps manage it (e.g. audit trails for forensics and compliance).
Watching carefully over both sides – the referee of sorts – is the Order of the Byte, vigilant guardians of data law, who behold the Scales of Balance, ensuring both privacy and security compliance and business interests are equally enforced to the laws and standards that govern.
The citizens, caught in the crossfire, are trapped between these extremes, wearing expressions of worry and confusion. They long for a solution, a path through this data storm, where their right to privacy can be managed by the organizations that hold and manage their PII data.
For the citizens of Infotropolis, the right to request access to their info – all of it, through multiple request types – is now law (like in many U.S. states). Businesses, on the other hand, face a tightrope walk between legal requirements and fulfilling operational needs. For these legal requirements, there must be process, technology, and people who understand PII and the legal constraints surrounding it. Enter Infotel.
Arvitam™ and deepeo™, the Data Governance Dynamic Duo, Emerge to Save the Day(ta)
Amidst the chaos, whispers of hope begin to spread. Tales of a dynamic duo, one wielding the Shield of Secure Archiving and the other the Scalpel of Precise Deletion and Anonymization, pique the interest of citizens and businesses alike. Could these enigmatic figures, Arvitam and deepeo, hold the key to balancing progress with privacy law, all the while helping businesses run their operations more efficiently and cost-effectively?
With their combined powers of secure archiving and precise erasure, Arvitam and deepeo from Infotel offer a unique solution, promising a path through the data storm, where citizen privacy, business needs, and legal constraints can coexist in harmonious balance. Where data retention policies are automated to save businesses time and money. And where the GDPR and similar U.S. regulations can be easily adhered to.
Arvitam’s Superpowers Focused on Secure Archiving
- With a touch, Arvitam can imbue data with an invisible shield, protecting it from unauthorized alteration or deletion, even within the vault itself: tamper-proof for any legal or historical need.
- Arvitam can effortlessly navigate and decrypt any digitized data, regardless of its complexity or encryption, ensuring audited access while maintaining security.
- Arvitam can erase data with a precise touch, ensuring complete and unrecoverable deletion while leaving surrounding data intact.
- Compliance Compass: Arvitam is built with personal privacy law and data security governance in mind, guiding businesses toward ethical and legal archiving and deletion practices while maintaining evidentiary value.
- Arvitam crafts clear and understandable visualizations of data flows and deletion processes, fostering trust and transparency between all stakeholders.
Deepeo’s Superpowers Focused on Database Housekeeping, Anonymization, and Deletion
- Deepeo can split its consciousness, performing housekeeping tasks across hundreds of enterprise databases simultaneously to manage data deletion according to your company’s data retention policies.
- With a focused beam, deepeo can redact specific information from data sets, anonymizing individuals or protecting sensitive identifying details while preserving context.
- Deepeo can rewrite data narratives, replacing personal information with fictitious details, protecting privacy while preserving the essence of the information.
- Compatible with most database technologies, deepeo is a shapeshifter, seamlessly integrating with your current application stack without the need for a costly bespoke system.
- Featuring real-time data visualization and usage insights, deepeo’s dynamic portal empowers users to configure deletion and anonymization with ease and to compliance standards.
This is the new world dawning for large enterprises, where database management, data security compliance, and privacy policy law all find perfect harmony. This is the vision of Infotropolis, a glimpse into a future powered by tools like Arvitam and deepeo, the Dynamic Duo of Defensible Deletion. Arvitam, the master archivist, ensures secure and tamper-proof data storage, while deepeo, the data whisperer, wields the scalpel of precise anonymization and deletion.
However, for many organizations, this new world presents a significant hurdle. Traditionally, privacy has been the domain of Chief Operating Officers (COOs) or Chief Legal Officers (CLOs), while data security falls under the purview of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs). Bridging this gap and fostering collaboration between these often-siloed departments will be a crucial first step. While mature policy and compliance teams may be actively seeking solutions to navigate this evolving landscape, many, particularly in the US, find themselves unprepared for the challenges of stricter regulations and potential penalties.
The citizens of Infotropolis can rest knowing there is balance in their world. Best data management practice requires defensible deletion visibility across the enterprise to the data deemed sensitive enough to create laws for it. And your ability to manage it to legal requirements is critical to your compliance posture, staying out of trouble and within compliance.
[1] https://www.g2.com/articles/big-data-statistics