Businesses struggle with high levels of 'dark data'

In a new survey 42 percent of respondents say at least half of their data is 'dark data' -- retained by the organization, but never used.

The study from Quest Software, in collaboration with the Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), highlights the top challenges and innovations in data governance, data management and DataOps.

It finds data quality has overtaken data security as the top driver of data governance initiatives, with 41 percent of those surveyed agreeing that their business decision-making relies fundamentally on trustworthy, quality data. At the same time, however, 45 percent of IT leaders say that data quality is the biggest detractor from ROI in their data governance efforts. While they recognize its importance, they're struggling to improve the quality of their data, and thus the ability to leverage that data in practice.

"Business users at all technical levels have an edge when they have full visibility into, control over and confidence in their data," says Patrick Nichols, CEO of Quest Software. "Trustworthy data and efficient data operations have never been more influential in determining the success or failure of business goals. When people lack access to high-quality data and the confidence and guidance to use it properly, it’s virtually impossible for them to reach their desired outcomes."

While the challenges of data visibility and observability differ between industries, DataOps is overwhelmingly recognized as the primary solution to drive forward data empowerment. Nine out of 10 people surveyed agree that strengthening DataOps capabilities improves data quality, visibility and access issues across their businesses. The biggest opportunities to improve DataOps accuracy and efficiency lie in investing in automated technologies and deployment of time-saving tools, such as metadata management. Currently, only 37 percent of respondents describe their DataOps processes as automated, and a similarly small proportion report having automated data cataloging and mapping today (36 percent and 35 percent respectively).

"Businesses can't utilize data, much less optimize it for the benefit of their organization, if they can't actually see it," adds Nichols. "IT leaders must make data empowerment their first priority, enabling their organizations to leverage business intelligence, creating a single source of the truth to succeed in today’s data-driven world."

The full report is available from the Quest site and there will be a webinar to discuss the findings on July 21st at 10:30 ET.

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