Data discovery

What is data discovery?

Data discovery is the process of locating specific subsets of data from unstructured and structured data sources. It is essential to pinpoint what data lies in business repositories and where. Data discovery goes hand-in-hand with data classification, which is the process of sorting different types of data based on its sensitivity and vulnerability. Sensitive data discovery and classification are distinct processes in their own right, essential for locating and securing business-critical data.

Sensitive data discovery

Sensitive data such as personally identifiable information (PII), payment card information (PCI), and electronic protected health information (ePHI) is always vulnerable to security risks. When sensitive personal data is breached, the consequences can be destructive to businesses. This is why it's important to know where personal data is stored. A data discovery and classification tool helps in finding out instances of sensitive data, ownership of the data, and the various data regulations being violated by storing this data in unsecure locations.

Benefits of data discovery

Data discovery is an essential data security process that every business must implement. Some of the advantages of data discovery for organizations include:

  • Locating every instance of sensitive data present in an organization's data store.
  • Facilitating data classification, i.e., categorizing files based on their vulnerability such as, private, confidential, or restricted files.
  • Assisting in complying to data regulations like the GDPR, HIPAA, SOX and more.
  • Tracking sensitive data that may be exposed or on the verge of a breach due to inadequate security.
  • Assisting in fulfilling data access requests made.
  • Establishing the basis to develop comprehensive data governance policies.

Data discovery capabilities offered by DataSecurity Plus

ManageEngine DataSecurity Plus is a unified data visibility and security platform that provides timely actionable insights to help locate, monitor, analyze, and respond to data security events. DataSecurity Plus' comprehensive data risk assessment solution with granular reporting to address data discovery needs. The built-in PII discovery tool scans for sensitive data occurrences across data sources to help businesses secure them promptly.

Other features include:
  • Classifying files by creating profiles for different file types based on the number of occurrences and risk scores based on data laws.
  • Anticipating potential data risks by analyzing files with highly sensitive data.
  • Configuring alerts to track files that violate data protection laws like the GDPR, PCI DSS, and more.
  • Prioritizing the security of payment card information with the card data discovery tool.
  • Identifying users with high risk scores or the highest number of data violations and notifying them to immediately address the risk.

Try DataSecurity Plus' data discovery functions with a free, fully functional, 30-day trial.

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