Calculating the Hidden Costs of Unsharing Your Company Data

In the digital age, where data is the lifeblood of businesses, ensuring its security and integrity is paramount. However, amidst the constant flow of information within organizations, the extent of data sharing can sometimes be overlooked. What may seem like innocuous sharing activities can accumulate significant risks when multiplied across a large user base. In this blog post, we’ll delve into the depth of data sharing within a hypothetical company and explore the often underestimated costs of unsharing.

Understanding the Data-Sharing Landscape

Consider a hypothetical scenario of a company with 1.000 users or employees. On average, each user shares two files daily, which can create numerous entry points for security breaches or compliance violations when multiplied across the entire workforce. Additionally, we have instances where one user shares files with an extensive audience of 6,239 people, and another user shares 111 files externally, expanding the threat landscape beyond the organization’s perimeter.

Moreover, a significant portion, 75% of users have editor access, enabling them to make modifications, deletions, or tampering with data. While this facilitates collaboration, it also heightens the risk of unauthorized actions that could compromise data integrity and confidentiality.

You can?calculate your company’s digital footprint here.

Calculating the Costs of Unsharing

To understand the true cost of unsharing, we need to consider various factors, including IT hours, employee time, and associated expenses. Let’s break down the calculation using the provided formula:

Cost of unsharing = (1 x 40 IT hours to set up a script) + (frequency x 3 IT hours for re-running script) + (frequency x employee count x 30 minutes x white-collar hours) + (frequency x 5 IT hours for cleanup script).

Now, let’s apply this formula to a hypothetical scenario with 1.000 employees:

Yearly cost of unsharing = (40 x $31.41) + (11 x 3 x $31.41) + (12 x (1.000 x 0.5) x $25,70) + (12 x 5 x $31.41).?Sysadmin salary:?$31.41 per hour.?White collar worker:? $25,70 per hour.

= $1,256.4 + $1,036.53 + $154.200 + $1,884.6 = $158.377,53 (Manual cost)

Automating Unsharing: A Cost-Effective Solution

While manual unsharing processes incur significant costs in terms of both time and resources, there are more efficient alternatives. Leveraging automation tools, such as Tricent, can streamline the unsharing process, significantly reducing the associated expenses.

For example, using Tricent, the cost of unsharing for the same scenario would be only $18,000 annually, providing substantial savings compared to manual methods.

Conclusion

In conclusion, understanding the extent of data sharing within your company and the associated costs of unsharing is essential for effective data management and security. By quantifying these costs and exploring automation options, organizations can optimize resource allocation, minimize risks, and ensure the confidentiality and integrity of their valuable data assets. In today’s data-driven world, investing in robust data governance practices is not just a necessity but a strategic imperative for long-term success.

You can?calculate your company’s digital footprint here.

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