{"id":757,"date":"2023-04-14T07:39:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-14T07:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dataprot.net\/?p=757"},"modified":"2023-07-14T07:44:44","modified_gmt":"2023-07-14T07:44:44","slug":"data-decay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dataprot.net\/articles\/data-decay\/","title":{"rendered":"Data Decay: Causes and Solutions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
In today\u2019s day and age, information and data are everything, which shouldn\u2019t surprise anyone. After all, we all live in the so-called information age. What most people fail to realize, however, is just how much modern businesses depend on data collection<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Internet<\/strong><\/a> allowed companies to reach and collect data on a scale never seen before<\/strong>. Businesses rely on it to generate revenue and continue growing their customer pool. Therefore, they need to keep their data pools fresh and limit data decay to a minimum.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Data decay happens when once-relevant data becomes unusable by the company due to aging, a hardware failure, or simply getting lost.<\/strong> But what do we mean by this term, and how does data decay?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Businesses collect vast information on their current and potential customers. This data is then processed by the business\u2019s sales and marketing teams to generate additional leads or revenue for the company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The data businesses collect includes emails, addresses, phone numbers, business locations, and other relevant contact information. <\/strong>This data can decay by becoming irrelevant and, in turn, impact sales performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n No, bytes didn\u2019t get an expiration date overnight. Data decay refers to each email address that ends up being closed or unused but still exists in the business database. If the company works with outdated information, it can lose valuable time and resources without any tangible gain<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While most decay happens because customers change their contact or other relevant details without bothering to notify the companies, it\u2019s not the only reason. We can observe two types of data decay depending on the root cause.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Mechanical data decay refers to any data loss caused by a mechanical failure or a malicious attack.<\/strong> This can happen easily if the company\u2019s hardware isn\u2019t properly maintained. In the end, neglect always leads to a <\/strong>catastrophic hardware failure<\/strong><\/a> that will cost the company a lot of money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Investing in prevention is always cheaper in the long run than dealing with the aftermath of a preventable disaster. This is especially true with data since, in most cases, you won\u2019t be able to recover anything useful.Luckily, mechanical data decay can be easily avoided by using cloud storage or backup. A backup can help even against various cyber attacks, including ransomware.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat Is Data Decay?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Types of Data Decay<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Mechanical Data Decay<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n