Dell adds identity to the classification of unstructured data

Dell Software released Dell Quest One Identity Manager – Data Governance Edition Classification Module, the latest solution that adds identity to the classification of unstructured data.

While other solutions simply classify data, Dell discovers and classifies all new and old unstructured data, and goes beyond the data to show who has access and how it was obtained, to improve regulatory compliance and business agility.

As unstructured data continues to grow at record rates, related risks within the organization also are increasing. The need to identify and secure this data, likewise, is growing in volume and complexity. A new enterprise survey conducted by Dell Software shows that:

• 52 percent of respondents have experienced at least 25 percent year-over-year growth in unstructured data across their organizations
• 63 percent stated that less than 25 percent of their organization’s data is currently classified as confidential and protected with additional security policies
• 45 percent are not confident in the security of their organization’s classified unstructured data.

The survey results show that data in many organizations is growing, yet remains unprotected, presenting a significant security risk. To limit an organization’s exposure and risk, all data – both structured and unstructured – must be protected, and that protection starts with user access.

Quest One Identity Manager and the Data Governance Edition solution set provide context around users, showing what they have access to in terms of entitlements to applications, roles within the company, and even geographical location. The integrated Classification Module adds the ability to discover and classify unstructured data contained in files and add context to that data.

Quest One Identity Manager – Data Governance Edition Classification Module also boosts compliance, helping the organization ensure that only the right person has access to the data. In the event of a security breach, or following an audit, the most accurate forensic information can quickly be obtained, showing exactly what the user had access to, whether any of that data was classified, who approved the access, and the last time access entitlement was reviewed.

Ash Motiwala, CTO, Identropy comments: “With the explosion of unstructured data, it’s critical to be able to analyze all of it to prevent costly, damaging data breaches from occurring. With Dell’s integrated solution, we can offer our customers a complete data governance solution that enables them to see all sides of their unstructured data – what’s in it, where it’s located, how much risk it carries – and they can see it in the context of users who access the data. Quest One Identity Manager – Data Governance Edition Classification Module is a smart, new data identity solution that gives our customers the ability to look further into their organizations and help gain more return on their investment.”