Page 61 - Cyber Defense eMagazine for September 2020

Unstructured Data, Unsecured Data

The Data You Overlook Needs Protection Too

By Deborah Kish, EVP, Marketing & Research, Fasoo, Inc.

Sensitive unstructured data is everywhere, it means different things to different businesses and comes
in two forms. Unstructured data that:

1. Is used for analytical purposes.
2. Resides in file formats such as Microsoft Office, text files, images and CAD/CAE format.

The second form is often overlooked, can cost your business its competitive advantage, and subject you
to regulatory fines if stolen or leaked. In a world where a pandemic has wreaked havoc on employers
and employment, this sensitive unstructured data is at highest risk mainly because it covers more surface
area, continues to grow rapidly, and is quite often invisible to the enterprise. Therefore, it is important to
know what and how much of it you have in typical office file formats. More importantly, understand how
to and why it is important to protect it.

The Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) has published a
standard for unstructured information management. The standard indicates that “…unstructured
information represents the largest, most current and fastest growing source of knowledge available to

Cyber Defense eMagazine – September 2020 Edition 61
Copyright © 2020, Cyber Defense Magazine. All rights reserved worldwide.