by: Dayren Santamaria January 15, 2022
Information life cycle is the organization and maintenance of procedures to store computerized and non-computerized data. Understanding how to apply ILM on businesses and personal projects can be crucial for the protection and conservation of the data. The process includes phases and important components that are necessary to monitor the effectivity and security of this management method. This process allows businesses to improve while maintaining their data safe. Minimizing the cost of an enormous quantity of data is one of the benefits of information life cycle management.
As technology is progressively improving, IT professionals, users, and clients have had to improve their security methods in the same progressive manner. One of the forms ILM uses to secure the data is by destroying the crucial information as soon as it serves its purpose. This method allows the social security number of a user to be discarded as soon as it satisfies its needs. Once the social security number is discarded, it does not become a risk or a liability anymore. “Information must also be managed with the proper security and protection in place, especially when it comes to personal and confidential information” (Iron Mountain, n.d).
The security and organization of ILM depends on six phases that are crucial for the process. The first phase is the Planning, which is the phase in which objectives are identified. Obtaining, purchasing, and/or creating the data is the second phase. The third one is the physical and digital storage of the data. Maintaining, changing, and updating the data comes next. In the fifth phase, the information is retrieved and used. Writing reports and managerial resolutions are also included in this phase. Lastly, the disposal of the information that is not needed. This phase is key for the security and liability of the data. Security and organization are the main priority of this data producer. “A data producer is a user interface, automation, service or device that collects data that is relevant to a business” (Spacey, 2016). ILM collects, organizes, and manages the data. Therefore, it is a data producer. Two challenges in ILM are the decision to retain or dispose of data and moving to cloud or local storage or digitizing physical data from archives, which can be a long and costly task.
Data, processes, organizations, and technology are the four salient components of ILM. Data is the information that is recorded in the graphics, which can be the supplier master. The process is detailed in swim lanes, which is a type of flowchart that allows the process to be represented in diagrams. The process component is where the usage of the records from the supplier master occurs. Organization is the next component, which are the employees and their roles within the organizations, or the teams. Technology is the last one of these four components. It is the procedure that encompasses these four important steps and the technology used, which can develop and evolve. An example of a technology used is enterprise resource planning (ERP).
This characteristic of evolving and adapting is what makes cloud computing scalable. Cloud computing is an essential element in ILM because it is where the data is mainly stored, combining other storage methods like local and physical storage. Cloud storage and cloud computing in general are “transformational, and this is one of the major areas that need to be considered by the provider when adopting the cloud” (Cisco Press, 2011). Although cloud computing has its drawbacks like data leakage and the dependency on an active internet connection, the benefits, and the helpful addition that it provides to ILM are significantly higher.
Businesses or clients can choose the type of service they desire, based on their budget and preferences. The provider’s purpose is to orchestrate and provide the expected security and backup capabilities for the protection of the data. Even though there are advantages to reducing the cost of storing large volumes of data while implementing ILM, there are risks that need to be mitigated promptly. Security breaches, data leakage, and social engineering is a concern that hunts technology professionals, businesses, clients, and end users. ILM along with cloud services, the latest security protection technologies, and the constant monitoring and prevention of disasters and attacks, creates a strong defense to minimize the issue or threat.
Information life cycle management can be sustainable for companies when used wisely. Reducing paper consumption and deforestation is a wonderful way of contributing to our planet. While creating sustainable alternatives, businesses can take advantage of the benefits that ILM provides. It greatly reduces the cost of storage while increasing the security and organization of the data. Nowadays, that network security strives to keep up while getting ahead of malicious actors and hackers, ILM becomes a great choice to improve the finances and data security of businesses.
References
Cisco Press. (2011, November 28). Service Life Cycle Management > Cloud Computing: Orchestrating and Automating Technical Building Blocks | ciscopress.com Retrieved January 16, 2022, from https://www.ciscopress.com/articles/article.asp?p=1758805&seqNum=4
Iron Mountain. (n.d.). Information Lifecycle Management: What organizations should know. Ironmountain.com Retrieved January 16, 2022, from https://www.ironmountain.com/resources/general-articles/i/information-lifecycle-management-what-organizations-should-know
ScienceDirect Topics. (n.d.). Information life cycle. Information Life Cycle – an overview | Retrieved January 16, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/computer-science/information-life-cycle
SOLIX. (2021, June 23). Information Lifecycle Management (ILM): Solix Technologies, inc.. SOLIX. Retrieved January 30, 2022, from https://www.solix.com/data-management-solutions/information-lifecycle-management/
Spacey, J. (2016, November 8). What is a data producer? Simplicable.com Retrieved January 16, 2022, from https://simplicable.com/new/data-producer-definition
Techopedia. (2011, October 23). What is Information Life Cycle Management (ILM)? – definition from Techopedia. Techopedia.com. Retrieved January 16, 2022, from https://www.techopedia.com/definition/12852/information-life-cycle-management-ilm
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