Information management
The information management process handles the actual manipulation and movement of data. Information management solutions, segmented by the actions they perform, receive data from information classification software and use the attributes to determine what actions to perform.
The various information management segments include data filtering, encryption, archiving, de-duplication, data movement/migration, copy, quarantine and inspection, and limiting access to data. Using our confidential financial information example, a file-system archiving app uses the retention period and storage requirement attributes and retains the data for three years on optical media.
Data filters--like e-mail spam blockers--help keep non-business-related data out of the system. For security and privacy, the data might be encrypted before it's stored or sent to external recipients. Organizations may also choose to further secure the data using products that add attributes to restrict access to certain employees or departments. De-duplication eliminates multiple copies of the same data, leaving stubs so applications can find it when needed. Data migration can free up primary storage capacity and consolidate resources. To protect the data, it may be copied, or moved to a second or third system. For regulatory compliance or legal review, data may be set aside or quarantined for inspection by appropriate departments. Lastly, digital archiving is the long-term retention and management of historical data that's retained to satisfy regulatory compliance, corporate governance, litigation support, records management or data management requirements.
As data is classified and managed, the attributes and the contents of the data--along with the actions performed--create an inventory of intelligence about the data. This inventory is a rich information index that can be searched by attributes or keywords within the data's contents. Building a comprehensive index is a crucial element that occurs during information preparation and management processes.
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