In an era in which the technology world is focused on the use of Big Data to accelerate business success, it’s ironic that one of the most complex IT challenges today is the underutilization of data.
This underutilized data, also known as Dark Data, is poised to spiral in volume as IoT proliferates, bringing zettabytes of new information into the workplace. What can organizations do to turn the tide and start capitalizing on their massive amounts of information?
It all begins with better information management. The majority of data collected by IoT devices is structured and therefore easy to analyze. However, data is converted into meaningful information only if it is analyzed in the right context.
Consider this example: healthcare professionals are intrigued by the idea of being able to streamline overhead costs of their practices by reducing inefficient on-site meetings between doctors and patients. One way this can be achieved is by measuring heart rate and blood pressure remotely. But in order to leverage this data in treatment, doctors must access data from other systems to see if changes may be caused because of adjustments in patient's medication, for example. It might be also necessary to access dictations of previous visits, notes, professional publications, and other unstructured information to draw any conclusions on the data reported by a smart sensor.
While analyzing structured data is relatively easy, management of unstructured content is not and therefore it often remains "dark." In the example above, there are two major challenges: linking unstructured and structured information assets from different data silos together, and managing sensitive personally identifiable information in compliance with regulations, such as HIPAA.
Metadata Is the Key Piece in the Dark Data Puzzle
Metadata can unlock the potential of underutilized information by serving as the foundation for a more effective way for organizations to identify, link, curate and cross-reference documents across a wide range of repositories and business systems.
Metadata attributes can be applied to files in order to classify data intelligently – by customer, process, case, disease, therapy area, and other categories. With this perspective, metadata provides a window into the value and lifecycle of each information asset, while also illuminating associations and relationships between items and users along the way.
Metadata can also automate enforcement of highly complex access control policies by leveraging information from other data sources like Electronic Health Records System (EHR).
Deep Insight Means IT Is No Longer in the Dark
How can businesses get started with a metadata-based approach to information management? A select few Enterprise Information Management (EIM) platforms are built with a metadata foundation in mind. These systems are capable of managing both structured data objects as well as unstructured content like documents and emails from multiple traditionally siloed data repositories. They bring information assets together -- offering a panoramic view into the lifecycle of each information asset, and also furnishing a comprehensive audit trail of changes and associated activities.
In addition to granular details, metadata-driven EIM systems allow IT executives and business managers to streamline operations and ensure that documented business processes and workflows are being followed in compliance with regulations. And, they offer valuable and holistic insight into what’s important to the organization as business planning unfolds.
Dark Data represents a challenge that IT teams must overcome, especially as IoT applications are poised to unleash a data surge that the business world has never experienced before. A key challenge is to identify business-critical data and understand that not all data assets can or should be managed in the same way: casual data requires less holistic management processes and can be left in dark. A metadata-based approach to information management will enable organizations to take on that surge and move underutilized business critical data assets out of darkness and into the light once and for all.
About the author: Mika Javanainen is Senior Director of Product Management at M-Files Corporation. Javanainen is in charge of managing and developing M-Files product portfolio, roadmaps and pricing globally. Prior to his executive roles, Javanainen worked as a systems specialist, where he integrated document management systems with ERP and CRM applications. A published author, Javanainen has an executive MBA in International Business and Marketing. Follow Mika on Twitter at @mikajava.
Edited by
Ken Briodagh
