Increase Business Asset Visibility and Action With An Information Asset Inventory

This week, Everteam hosted a webinar called Conducting an Information Assets Inventory. In this session, we covered the what, how, and why of an information asset inventory process. Below are some key takeaways from the discussion.

Information assets hide everywhere, dispersed throughout the enterprise – undiscovered and untapped – and data production is growing exponentially. Cloud-based file shares, Office 365, Google Drive, Dropbox, email systems, groupware platforms, instant messaging environments, any place hiding attachments – these are all places where critical, sensitive information could be buried. Additionally, the volume of such information is often unknown, creating a “Dark Data” dilemma.

An evolving digital business landscape necessitates evolving information management enablers, and Artificial Intelligence is one such facilitator. Since the volume of data being produced goes beyond what can be handled manually, AI is an increasingly important technology empowering the information governance practitioner by making in-place, automated information management possible. Three sub-categories of AI – machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing – are all applications involved in the information asset inventory process.

Information assets are analogous to puzzle pieces.

Separately, they only inform a fragment of the overall picture; the value and meaning of each piece are lost. Once assembled, however, a comprehensive picture of the organization becomes clear. From this frame of reference, team members can identify and address gaps, inefficiencies, potential risk, and missed business valuation opportunities.

An Information Asset Inventory is Vital to the Information Governance Paradigm. Effectual leaders understand that achieving organizational missions and revenue objectives begin with good information governance. Effective information governance initiatives begin with inventorying the information that’s scattered and hidden across the enterprise. This is the fundamental starting point in a cyclical process aimed at improving competitive position, organizational efficiency, regulatory compliance, and cyber protection.

Everteam has almost 30 years of experience in helping organizations reach these goals. With extensive R&D and investments in cutting-edge technologies like blockchain and artificial intelligence, Everteam solutions empower practitioners to take the crucial first step of their information governance journey. Everteam utilizes AI in software like everteam.discover, which aides in the inventorying process. By connecting to places where information lives, indexing and classifying content and metadata, illuminating dark data, and targeting ROT for removal, organizations can reap the benefits of identifying their most valuable information assets.

For more information on how Everteam software can help realize your information governance vision, contact us today.