electronic data discovery round

    ActiveNav electronic data discovery

    ActiveNav specialises in unstructured data discovery, offering scalable SaaS services for data discovery and classification, inventory and data mapping and privacy and compliance monitoring. In addition it provides its on-premise DC Project Suite software as the most-flexible and powerful toolkit for unstructured data transformation. 

    What is dark data?

    Dark data refers to the vast amounts of information collected by organisations that remain unused or underutilised, often because it's difficult to access, analyse, or simply forgotten about. It is a byproduct of business processes and digital interactions but doesn't contribute to decision-making or analytics. Depending on the source, it is estimated that 60-80% of a businesses data is dark and unstructured.

    Operational data

    Operational data

    This includes data generated during daily operations that isn't analysed or used. Examples include server logs, surveillance footage, and communications like emails or chat transcripts. Though this data holds potential insights, it's often not processed due to its complexity or lack of immediate business relevance.

    Legacy data

    Legacy data

    Older, outdated data stored in archives, legacy systems, or backups that is no longer actively used but may still hold value for regulatory compliance, historical reference, or business insights. Legacy dark data often resides in formats that are incompatible with modern systems and can therefore be difficult to access.

    Unstructured data

    Unstructured data

    Data that lacks a predefined format, making it difficult to analyse with traditional tools. Examples include documents, images, audio, videos, and social media posts. This data is typically harder to search and analyse compared to structured data, making it a common type of dark data in organisations.

    How ActiveNav manages unstructured data

    Data discovery and classification

    Content AccessActiveNav automates the discovery and classification of unstructured data, identifying sensitive and aging data across various repositories. This process helps organisations uncover data risks and value to manage their data more effectively.

    Privacy and compliance

    iManage SecurityThe platform ensures compliance with privacy regulations by maintaining an up-to-date data map, facilitating data subject access requests (DSARs), and providing tools for defensible data disposal. This helps organisations stay compliant with evolving regulations and mitigate compliance risks.

    Data inventory and mapping

    iManage CollaborationActiveNav creates a comprehensive and continuously updated data inventory, allowing businesses to have a clear and current view of all their unstructured data. This helps in understanding data distribution and ensuring proper data governance.

    Proactive information governance 

    Time productivityThe solution supports ongoing monitoring, measurement, and management of data, enabling organisations to align data ownership with accountability. This approach aids in sustainable data governance and risk mitigation by identifying data hotspots and assigning responsibility.

    Dark data discovery benefits

    How to successfully manage your dark data

    Document Searching

    Intuitive data mapping

    Specialist role-based dashboards and heat maps to visualise the entire unstructured data estate in a single interface across all connected repositories.

    Collaboration

    Scans multiple repositories

    High performance connectivity and discovery across on-premise and cloud-bases repositories from file shares to email through Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace to more specialist environments like iManage, NetDocuments and ShareFile.

    Version Control

    Data risk analysis

    Extensible proprietary scoring models to identify sensitive or regulated data hotspots across a diverse range of regulations, industry and customer-specific needs.

    data security

    Consolidated access

    Best-in-class, high performance, target search for fulfilment of subject access requests across all connected repositories through a single interface.

    Get started today
    DMS Cloud round

    Legal practice and legal department

    Alongside broad capabilities applicable to all industries, ActiveNav Cloud provides unique capabilities for legal firms, connecting to specialist repositories (like iManage Cloud) and providing ever-growing capabilities of the identification and governance of client matter data as part of any firm's core legal operations. Further, its support for configurable global data centres and business units allows for the monitoring of practice group-specific data challenges as well as problems like data spillages across jurisdictional or ethical walls.
    Data discovery for legal

    ActiveNav products

    ActiveNav Cloud

    ActiveNav Cloud is a high-performance, low-cost SaaS solution for discovering and managing unstructured data. It helps identify sensitive data, ensures privacy compliance, and maintains an up-to-date data inventory. The platform offers a single view of all data repositories, uses proprietary scoring for risk assessment, and supports ongoing governance and data hotspot identification. It's designed to be scalable and easy to deploy, providing insights quickly and maintaining data governance over time.

    DC Project Suite

    The DC Project Suite by ActiveNav is an on-premise data transformation toolkit designed for data cleanup, migration, and record classification. It helps identify and manage unstructured data, including ROT (redundant, obsolete, trivial), sensitive data, and intellectual property. The suite supports data labeling, migration preparation, and records classification, providing a comprehensive workbench for simplifying complex file plans and retention schedules, ensuring efficient and compliant data management.

    Security Platform

    ActiveNav’s security platform ensures robust protection for unstructured data through ISO 27001 compliance, Azure-based infrastructure, and comprehensive security measures. Features include automated source code analysis, penetration testing, encryption, access controls, and incident response planning. Regular audits and stringent policies for data management and employee conduct are in place to maintain high security standards. The platform emphasises low-cost, high-performance solutions tailored to business needs, ensuring continuous data governance and compliance.

    Works with

    Amazon S3
    Azure
    Exchange
    Google Drive
    iManage
    Microsoft Intelligent Security
    SharePoint
    One Drive

    Does ActiveNav Cloud store a copy of my data?

    No, ActiveNav Cloud gathers metadata about the data it discovers including shape, size and composition metrics and indicators for configured data types (such as personal or case data). In this way it builds up and maintains a comprehensive inventory of the entire data estate without increasing customer's data footprint or risk exposure.

    How is ActiveNav different from Microsoft Purview data discovery?

    ActiveNav Cloud is designed specifically to provide visibility across all unstructured data rather than just those in the Microsoft ecosystem; further, it visualises all of that data, at scale, through a single compelling interface which is designed for use by compliance and governance teams without having to rely upon IT for technical interpretation.

    Speak to an expert

    Why Ascertus?

    Ascertus is an award-winning DMS and contract management technology provider and implementation partner. As specialist consultants with nearly 25 years of experience across all financial services sectors, we ensure bespoke DMS and contract management solutions with guaranteed ROI, optimal performance, seamless adoption, and minimal disruption.

    We recommend and implement agnostic solutions that integrate with existing technology, tailored to your specific needs. Our skilled technical consultants, project managers, and support engineers focus on adoption to ensure your team embraces and effectively uses the new technology, maximizing performance, efficiency, and compliance

    The Ascertus solution

    At Ascertus we work collaboratively. This means we work in partnership with our clients to:

    • Establish the business needs and objectives
    • Review appropriate solutions
    • Build an implementation strategy
    • Develop a bespoke onboarding program
    • Train employees to ensure adoption
    • Provide ongoing support and advice

    Everything you need to for a successful implementation.

    Implementation process

    Dark data resources

    ActiveNav Purview

    Purview for data discovery. How's that working out?

    ActiveNav Governance and compliance

    Governance and compliance for unstructured data

    ActiveNav Dark Data

    Dark data discovery and compliance

    What is the difference between big data and dark data?

    Big data refers to vast, complex datasets characterised by volume, velocity, and variety, actively used for analytics to drive insights and value. In contrast, dark data is collected but unused data, often untagged and unanalysed, representing untapped potential and storage costs. Managing both effectively enhances decision-making and operational efficiency, leveraging big data for active analysis and dark data for uncovering hidden insights and reducing inefficiencies.

    What are examples of dark data?

    Examples of dark data include archived emails, documents, customer data and system log files that are collected but not analysed, inactive documents and files stored in digital or physical archives, and internal operational data related to business processes that remain unused. These data types represent untapped potential and storage costs, highlighting the need for effective data management to uncover hidden insights and improve operational efficiency.

    How do you prevent dark data?

    To prevent dark data, implement ActiveNav for comprehensive data governance, regular audits, and effective data management. ActiveNav’s tools help organise and analyse data, ensuring no information goes unused. Educate employees on proactive data analysis and utilise ActiveNav's automated processes for data tagging and categorisation, making data easily accessible and valuable. This approach maximises data utilisation, uncovering hidden insights and improving operational efficiency.

    What our clients have to say

    We don't expect you just to take our word for it. Our clients span a wide range of industries and sectors, in lots of different countries. See how Ascertus has helped them.

    CARDANO

    It’s clear to us that the Ascertus team has sound knowledge of iManage Cloud. They are working with us patiently and systematically to meet our system requirements. Their approach to working is very straightforward and professional – with a lot of emphasis on attention to detail.

    Miriam Lindsay, Senior Legal Counsel

    CARDANO
    LUNDGRENS

    Ascertus clearly stood out for its professional attitude towards customer communication. Also, unlike many other organisations, the company lays equal emphasis on providing support services and delivering technology implementations. This approach clinched the deal for us.

    Nikolaj Clausen, Chief Technology Officer

    LUNDGRENS
    NAUTADUTILH N.V

    Ascertus displayed great eagerness to understand our requirements and suggest approaches that would solve our problems. Executives from the CEO downwards were involved in discussions with us, which gave us a good insight into the company’s cultural attitude towards the delivery of support services.

    Jurian Hermeler, ICT Director

    NAUTADUTILH N.V
    SHEPHERD & WEDDERBURN

    Ascertus continue to impress us with their knowledge and professionalism. Their deep understanding of the iManage suite allows them to efficiently resolve the complex issues that we escalate to them allowing us to focus on delivering benefits to our firm.

    Steve Dalgleish, Applications Manager

    SHEPHERD & WEDDERBURN
    OCWM

    Implementation of iManage Cloud has been painless. Ascertus and our IT service provider worked collaboratively to deliver the solution to the firm. Our involvement was only in the initial design stages to decide things like policies for file naming and matter workspaces in the application. It could not have gone smoother.

    Aoife Cullen, Office Manager

    OCWM LAW
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