Organisations today are not only inundated with data they are also dealing with many years of not being able to fully address the legacy information held in legacy locations such as share drives while we march forward with other strategies.
ROT (Redundant, Obsolete and Trivial) information is often what we find in these locations and also increasingly in our modern workplace environments as the velocity and frequency of information continues to increase.
What does ROT stand for?
- Redundant information occurs when data is duplicated in multiple locations, causing confusion about the correct version.
- Obsolete can refer to something that is "no longer in general use," "discarded," "replaced," or "outdated." Information can become obsolete for several reasons: it may be outdated, replaced by other information, or incorrect or incomplete. Obsolete encompasses a broader category than outdated.
- Trivial means "of little importance or value". Trivial information includes data we create daily that doesn't qualify as a record, corporate knowledge, business insight, or any valuable category. It doesn't matter and should be deleted when no longer needed.
What's the problem with ROT?
Sustainability is becoming a more significant topic, and just as we aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from travel, it is important to consider the carbon footprint generated by our digital systems.
The presence of ROT in our environment is comparable to an unattended idling vehicle, generating unnecessary emissions. Similarly, all this unused information contributes to a larger carbon footprint by idling without purpose.
There are also compliance and risk management considerations associated with holding information longer than necessary. This issue is compounded by the decreasing availability of tacit knowledge within organisations needed to understand historic business processes and locate information to identify where risks exist.
Decision support within organizations is affected by the presence of ROT (in the environment. In certain organisations, this compromised decision support can result in harm to individuals, property or the environment.
ROT also has a financial impact, let's take a minute to think again about that idling car. It is burning petrol at a cost to the car owner. The same applies in our information management environments, the petrol in this instance is the cost for storage and supporting legacy systems.
What's the solution to ROT?
Identify the ROT
Identify redundant, obsolete, and trivial data by conducting regular audits and using ROT detection tools.
Appraise and classify the data
Upon identifying data that is redundant, obsolete, or trivial (ROT), classify the data according to its value, risk and relevance. This classification aids in determining which data to retain, archive, or dispose of appropriately.
Implement data retention policies
Develop explicit data retention policies that specify the duration for which various categories of data should be maintained and the timelines for their proper disposal. Implement tools to automate this where possible.
Educate and empower
Train employees on the importance of managing ROT and how they can contribute to maintaining a clean and efficient data environment. Also ensure you your information architecture and use of information management tools such as Microsoft Purview lead to your employees doing the right thing by default.
Monitor
Monitoring your environment through the lens of both sustainability as well as adoption, use and information practice leads to an approach to ROT which is good for the environment as well as our users of information and records.
Learn more
We’ve got an upcoming webinar on 6 March 2025 that will talk about data decarbonisation. It’s going to be a really good one, so we advise that you register now.
Register Here for those in the UK or Ireland.
Register Here for those in the US or Canada.
Register Here for those in Australia or New Zealand.
Title:
Your Data Carbon Footprint: What It Is & Why It Matters
Date/Time:
Live on 6 March 2025 | 11:00-12:00 EST / 16:00-17:00 GMT
Cant make the live webinar? Register anyway and we'll send you a link to watch one week later.
Speakers
- Prof Thomas Jackson, Information & Knowledge Management, Loughborough University Business School
- Prof Ian Hodgkinson, Strategy Research, Loughborough University Business School
- Rachel Mitchell, Principal Consultant, Leadership Through Data
- Jacqueline Stockwell, Director, Leadership Through Data
Overview
This webinar explores the often-overlooked environmental impact of digital data, delving into the concept of the data carbon footprint and its implications for sustainability.
As data storage and processing account for 2.5%-3.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions – surpassing even the aviation industry – understanding and mitigating digital carbon is crucial.
Tom will introduce key problem areas, such as "dark data" and storage inefficiencies, and discuss actionable strategies, including the Data Carbon Scorecard, to help you and your organisations manage your data's environmental footprint.
Rachel will then:
- Discuss how this eye-opening information impacts records management professionals.
- Explain how you can use 'data sustainability' as a message to enhance your voice when it comes to promoting the importance of data and information lifecycle management to your companies and organisations.
- Explore the records management tools available and look at the skills framework needed to deploy them.
By fostering a responsible data approach, we can support a global shift toward digital decarbonisation, aligning with net-zero goals.
Who is this webinar for?
- Information governance junior and senior managers
- Records management junior and senior managers
- Sustainability champions from all industry sectors
- Project managers tackling records and information lifecycle issues.
Register Now
Register Here for those in the UK or Ireland.
Register Here for those in the US or Canada.
Register Here for those in Australia or New Zealand.
