It’s currently estimated that about eighty percent of all data stored by businesses is categorized as unstructured data. It can be a little misleading, as structured or unstructured data typically leads people to believe that it’s a state of order or disorder, but it’s a little trickier than that.
For example, you’ll find that most common file types (videos, etc.) are considered unstructured data because it’s not something that can be put on rational tables. It’s not the kind of data that integrates well with patterns used in order to make it more easily identifiable, this is the main reason why it’s considered to be unstructured data to begin with. With data collection being absolutely essential for just about any business today, it’s important to understand just how unstructured data works.
Why does unstructured data management matter?
Unstructured data, in a nutshell, is a collection of various types of information. This includes information such as dates, facts, as well as numbers. It can be very difficult to process completely using the preset models that are being used today, which is why proper management of said data is incredibly important. It isn’t enough that the data is being stored, because that doesn’t address that it’s still very difficult to manage. It’s important that it can be stored but also retrieved with little to no issue.
Without the ability to properly manage unstructured data, the entire social media platform as we know it would likely not exist, as most of its data is considered the unstructured variety. Fortunately, technology continues to make strides in making unstructured data easier to manage. This comes in the form of Cloud based storage, among others.
What are the most general types of unstructured data?
You probably already have an idea of the kind of data that would be categorized as unstructured, but it’s still important to be specific so that you know exactly what you’re working with. Some of the most common types of data considered as unstructured, include:
- Social media platforms
- Video files
- Audio files
- Machine-generated content
- Email, and attached documents
With so many file types falling into the unstructured category, it comes as no surprise that about eighty percent of all data being stored by businesses counts as such. There’s no denying the fact that it can be difficult to create fool-proof systems, capable of handling this type of data intelligently, but it is definitely possible – all a business needs to do is make use of the proper service.
What a company needs to successfully manage unstructured data
It most definitely isn’t enough to simply focus on the amount of storage you would need for this data. There is still the process of managing, as well as protecting it from outside threats and just doing this, still isn’t enough.
You might experience success protecting this data from outside threats and have enough storage space so it doesn’t cause a problem, but there is also the issue of successfully governing and retrieving unstructured data from the cloud effectively. As stated above, unstructured data is tricky, which is why it needs the right data solution to fit the job. You need a service you can trust if your business is truly serious about data management.
A market of growing demand
Data collection isn’t something to remain static. As time goes by, every business out there has to manage more and more data, with no real end in sight. This is why Cloud storage services continue to work toward improving systems to make them scalable, depending on how much storage is needed; remaining reliable to both longtime clients and startup companies. After all, managing unstructured data can be very complicated when compared to the structured variant, which is why you need a service that you can trust.
To conclude, unstructured data can be incredibly difficult to manage. It’s not something to be underestimated, or to be taken lightly. This is especially important for newer businesses that aren’t used to managing a large data network. Compared to structured data, this won’t cut you some slack, which is why you need the best services available to keep things in order.
