The data silo.
The nemesis of effective data management. A place where information goes off to live in isolation, unlikely to be seen or acknowledged again. What started with the intention to help organise certain types of data into similar groups has made data challenging to locate and manage. With silos still scattered throughout many businesses, it is difficult to take an inventory of all data held, let alone leverage it to help drive the business forward.
Effective data management relies on visibility, collaboration and organisation, whereas a data silo is the polar opposite, segregating and dispersing information. Silos hinder potential opportunities whilst allowing risks to fester and grow.
Mail Manager looks at the sins of siloed information and why data silos have no place within any forward-thinking organisation.
1. Data duplication: Having multiple data silos opens up the opportunity for duplicate copies of the same data to be saved by various staff members in multiple locations. The problem is exacerbated when data goes through revisions and updates, and employees unknowingly work from outdated information rather than the most recent document version. Before we know it, there are multiple versions of a document in circulation, and team members refer to entirely different revision stages. This creates confusion and delays for staff and collaborators.
2. Lack of visibility: Information that cannot be seen cannot be managed, and businesses that store information within silos will struggle to understand the data they truly hold. What’s worse is that employees will waste valuable time seeking information that the business already has.
3. Lost or trapped information: It is almost too easy for critical information to be syphoned off in inaccessible personal storage spaces or inboxes. The real problem comes when a staff member is absent or leaves the business, and essential data is lost for good. Therefore, companies must have an effective digital data management strategy to protect this vital information.
4. Low-quality data: Through good data management and the utilisation of intelligent digital tools available today, it is possible to harness the power of your data to supercharge your business efforts and claim a significant presence within your market. The key to success is keeping your data up to date and in the best shape possible. Unfortunately, the opposite tends to occur when data silos exist. Information is often discarded and left to go out of date or only ever partially updated, rendering its value worthless but still costing the business money in storage.
5. A silo of risk: Regulations and legal requirements around how businesses handle data are increasing. Those forgotten silos of information are a ticking time bomb for your business. Legacy information that has been forgotten or ignored is unlikely to meet the data management requirements today, resulting in the company incurring fines or legal repercussions.
How Mail Manager helps eliminate data silos
With an abundance of important project information and attachments being received via email, managing your data from the source makes sense.
Mail Manager is an email management solution that uses AI and machine learning to ensure that employees file important communications within a central location that anyone with relevant permissions can access. The solution makes collaboration easy and provides visibility over projects, meaning that there is no risk of important data being siloed off by a team member.
Don't let data silos take you out of the game, turn your data into your superpower with our helpful guide.
Discover how Mail Manager can transform your email and document management processes with a 15-day free trial of the solution.
