Many businesses face serious data lifecycle management challenges that cause data loss, security risks, and high costs.
Without proper handling, important data can get lost or misused.
In this blog, you will learn the biggest data lifecycle management challenges, why they happen, and simple ways to overcome them—so your business keeps data safe, organized, and fully under control at every stage.
Understanding Data Lifecycle Management
Data lifecycle management governs all stages of your data, from creation to deletion. Let’s see what these stages are below:
- Data creation
- Storage
- Use
- Sharing
- Archiving
- Deletion
Each stage brings its own challenges, for example: poor data management can put the company’s security at risk or lead to non-compliance with regulations.
That’s why you need a solid DLM strategy at every stage of your data lifecycle to maximize the value of your time and minimize risk.
The Importance of Data Lifecycle Management
The main reason why you need a proper DLM is for security. When data is created it embarks on a journey that faces different threats, such as unauthorized access, for example.
The data can then be misappropriated or breached by external agents and this brings with it the consequences you can imagine. What if your new unannounced product information is exposed? Or the confidential information of your customers? Or who your most important suppliers are? Chaotic, isn’t it?
Secondly, DLM will enable you to maintain a regulatory standard by complying with strict data protection laws, the non-compliance of which can lead to serious consequences such as fines and reputational damage.
Third is operational efficiency. Proper data management will save you time and money. Well, first of all, you will reduce your storage costs, you will speed up your operations because of the easy access to information and you will be able to manage large volumes of data.
And speaking of data volume, we digress to mention the challenge posed by the evolution in the use of so many devices in enterprises that have led to inordinate amounts of information, ranging from structured data to textual information, images and videos. This further increases the importance of data management.
Challenges of Data Lifecycle Management
1. Data Volume and Variety
No kidding! The amounts of information being handled today are exorbitant and this is just on your smartphone and laptop, imagine an entire enterprise. Therefore, if you have a company it is MANDATORY to have scalable storage solutions so that they can grow as your data inflow does without damaging the performance of your operations.
Managing Large Volumes of Data
The volume of data is not the only problem, but that these data are different from each other and therefore need different ways to be stored. It’s making sense, isn’t it? Don’t worry, today we are here to solve these problems.
With a proper DLM you guarantee not only the correct storage of data according to its category, but also its proper management in terms of use, sharing and access provisioning.
Handling Diverse Data Types
As mentioned above, data comes in different forms and therefore cannot be treated (or managed, rather) equally. For example: databases, which are structured data, are easier to manage. On the other hand, unstructured data, such as emails and social media posts, pose more challenges.
2. Data Security and Privacy
What we talk about first: SECURITY! Data protection is one of the main axes in any company and one of the reasons why DLM exists.
During the lifecycle of your data, it can be susceptible to external threats, such as breaches, unauthorized access or cyber-attacks, compromising the privacy of your company, your partners, your customers and suppliers if you don’t take action.
Enabling Robust Security Measures
Therefore (following on the security theme) if we want to protect this data, we must add stringent security measures in its management so that it is secure throughout all its phases, from the time it is created until it is discarded due to uselessness.
How can we do this? First of all, with constant audits, access control measures and data encryption. In this way, you are adopting a proactive approach to threat detection and rapid threat response.
Ensuring Compliance with Privacy Regulations
Where there is data there are rules and it is your responsibility to comply with them so you don’t run afoul of the law. Here we are talking about personal data, internal company data, data from your customers, partners, etc.
These types of regulations usually require strict compliance and this is where the data management strategy comes into play, as it ensures that the information is where it should be, that it is accessed only by those who have authorization to do so and that it is securely deleted when it is no longer needed.
3. Data Quality and Integrity
An effective DLM is also responsible for managing quality data and corroborating its integrity, as failure to do so can occur:
- Incorrect analysis
- Bad business decisions
- Wasted resources
Enforcing Data Quality Controls
And speaking of data quality, good data quality management includes the inclusion of quality controls to verify data at each stage of the data lifecycle, such as real-time validation of data entry, regular data review, error search and correction, among others.
Preventing Data Corruption
This can be at any stage of the data lifecycle, but it can be avoided. To do so, you must have reliable storage solutions in place, in addition to routine backups. This way, you will always have a backup of your data in case it is compromised by an error.
4. Data Retention and Deletion
How long should you keep your data? When is the right time to delete it? Thanks to DLM you can handle these tasks efficiently.
It is important to keep in mind that if you keep data longer than necessary, this will result in additional storage costs and if you delete it too early you could be losing valuable information.
Establishing Data Retention Policies
Your DLM strategy will include a data retention policy, which will specify how long data should be retained according to its type, forming criteria based on its use, relevance, and legal and business needs.
Ensuring Secure Data Deletion
In addition, when data reaches the end of its life cycle, it is time to say goodbye to it. Why is it important to do this? We said it before: first, so that you don’t incur more storage costs and second, so that you prevent others from accessing that information without permission. DLM will allow you to get rid of data that is no longer useful to your company.
5. Data Accessibility and Availability
Another challenge is to gain access to information effectively and efficiently. Has it ever happened to you that you can’t find where you stored something very important that you need right now? With your DLM you won’t go through this anymore. All your information will be protected throughout its life cycle and will be available to everyone according to their level of accessibility.
Balancing Accessibility with Security
Companies must undertake proper measures between access and security. More intensive enforcement of access controls like RBAC and MFA helps maintain that balance.
Ensuring Data Availability During Disruptions
Have you ever had a breakdown of your data and now you have to wait for everything to be resolved before you can access it? If so, then you didn’t have DLM.
Now you can count on your data even during interruptions, such as hardware failures, cyber-attacks or natural disasters. In fact, if your data is ever lost, you’ll still have data recovery so you’ll always have your data back.
Overcoming Common Data Lifecycle Challenges
Proactivity is your ticket to success when it comes to managing the information your company handles and how you can access it in various scenarios.
As you integrate your operations with DLM, you will gain:
- Accessible data
- Consistent information protection
- Regulatory compliance
- Improved business performance
Addressing Data Silos
Data silos refer to situations where data is isolated, either by time or location, resulting in inefficiencies, inconsistencies and vulnerabilities. This requires organizations to establish centralized data management platforms and encourage cross-departmental collaboration.
Here, cloud-based solutions and data integration tools work together to break down silos between teams and promote better data sharing.
Managing Legacy Systems
Still using that old system left over from the old administration? It’s time to change and evolve. Legacy systems are a challenge because they generally can’t work well with new data management systems, which means you won’t have access to all the benefits we’ve told you about today.
To address these challenges, you should plan a gradual transition to cloud-based storage systems, develop IT infrastructure for real-time readiness, and implement scalable data management frameworks.
Navigating Regulatory Complexity
How much money are you willing to throw away for not complying with data regulations, such as GDPR and CCPA?
With a constantly changing regulatory landscape, organizations should regularly review their compliance strategies, automate data governance processes, and implement auditing tools. Or you can also call upon legal and IT experts to monitor regulatory changes.
Strengthening Data Security Measures
With technological integration comes an unwelcome little gift: cyber threats. Yes, it sounds terrible—and it actually is. When you’re working with data, it’s essential to strengthen your security measures as much as possible. This includes:
- Data encryption
- Multi-factor authentication
- Continuous monitoring
Everything that ensures your information stays safe from any cyber breach carried out by cybercriminals.
Data protection can be further improved by regular security assessments to reinforce employee training programs and utilizing zero-trust architecture. Creating effective backup and disaster recovery plans also mitigates risks associated with a data breach or a system failure.
Need Help with Data Lifecycle Management Solutions?
Data lifecycle management is a necessity of modern business operations but is highly complex. Commonsense solutions can help, and our team of experts can help you implement them to improve data security in your environment.
Contact us today to talk about DLM.
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This Article is being Republished with Permission from The Technology Press.