Let’s look at why data discovery is the foundation of your data privacy compliance posture. Of course, there are some prerequisites, such as gap analysis and assessments, but once you are ready to take the first step, data discovery is truly that first step. Most people ignore this and jump straight to consent management, which we believe is a mistake.
Data Discovery Solution
Before you can protect personal data, you need to know what you have, where it lives, and what is in it. For instance, let’s say you are insuring your house. You cannot adequately protect your valuables if you do not know what you have and where it is. Likewise, personal data is your most important asset and it is scattered everywhere, from employee laptops and shared servers to cloud databases and email inboxes. Lets explore why a modern, automated Data Discovery solution is not just a helpful tool, but the essential foundation for your DPDPA compliance journey.
The DPDPA Mandate
The DPDPA law places clear obligations on Data Fiduciaries regarding the personal data they process, such as:
1) Ensure the accuracy and security of personal data.
2) Fulfill data principal rights, such as the right to access, correction, and erasure.
3) Maintain logs of personal data processed across the organisation.
4) Report data breaches in a timely manner.
You cannot do any of this effectively without a complete and accurate discovery and classification of personal data. Manual methods, like asking employees to search their own files, are not only slow and error-prone but are also completely unscalable. A single server can contain millions of files. This is where a dedicated Data Discovery platform becomes your most valuable ally.
Data Discovery Challenges
Personal data doesn’t exist in one neat, tidy folder. It proliferates across an organization in a stunning variety of formats and locations. A powerful Data Discovery tool must be able to scan and classify data across this entire digital estate. Based on the capabilities of modern solutions, here’s what comprehensive discovery looks like:
1. Uncovering Data in Every File Format
Your company’s data is stored in dozens of different file types. A true discovery solution must support a wide array of them, including:
Text Files: Common formats like
.txt,.log,.csv, and structured data in.jsonor.xml.MS Office & Open Office: Everyday documents like Word files (
.doc,.docx), Excel spreadsheets (.xls,.xlsx), and presentations.PDF Files: A major source of stored information, from contracts to application forms.
Emails and Archives: Critical personal data resides in email files (
.eml,.pst) and within compressed archives (like.zipand.rar), which the tool must be able to peek inside.
2. Identifying Sensitive Information in Images
A unique and critical challenge in the Indian context is the prevalence of sensitive data within images. Think about the documents you’ve submitted for KYC or employment:
ID Proofs: Scanned copies of Aadhaar, PAN, Passport, Voter ID, and Driving License.
Address Proofs: Images of utility bills, rental agreements, or ration cards.
Financial & Employment Records: Photos of bank statements, salary slips, Form 16, and appointment letters.
Education Records: Scanned mark sheets and degree certificates.
An advanced discovery solution uses OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to read the text within these images, allowing it to identify and classify a scanned Aadhaar card, for instance, just as easily as it would a text file containing an Aadhaar number.
3. Mapping Data Across Complex Databases
For most enterprises, the bulk of structured personal data resides in databases. Discovery must extend seamlessly into these environments, supporting:
Relational Databases: Like MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, and Microsoft SQL Server.
Cloud Data Warehouses: Including Snowflake, Amazon Redshift, and Google BigQuery.
NoSQL Databases: Such as MongoDB and Cassandra.
API Integrations: To pull data from external (third party) platforms and services.
What to Look for in a Data Discovery Solution
Not all discovery tools are created equal. When evaluating a platform to meet DPDPA requirements, look for these essential features:
High-Speed, Comprehensive Scanning: The solution should be able to scan hundreds of files per second, ensuring that even the largest data repositories can be mapped in a reasonable time. Look for support for full scans, delta scans (only looking at what’s new or changed), and scheduled scans to keep your inventory current.
Agentless and Passive Scanning: The best solutions are agentless, meaning they don’t require you to install software on every server or endpoint. This simplifies deployment and allows for parallel scanning without impacting your network performance and keeping your overall cost much lower.
Flexible Scanning Modes: For databases, the tool should offer metadata scanning (to quickly see table structures), random sample scanning (for a rapid risk assessment), and full scanning (for a deep, comprehensive analysis).
Broad Infrastructure Support: It must work with both Linux and Windows servers and support on-premise and cloud storage to provide a comprehensive coverage of your entire IT landscape.
Building Your DPDPA Compliance on a Solid Foundation
Implementing a robust Data Discovery process is the critical first step in your DPDPA compliance framework. It will allow you to:
Create a Accurate Data Inventory: Know exactly what personal data you hold, its location, and its context.
Assess Risk and Sensitivity: Identify where your most sensitive data (like Aadhaar or financial information) is stored and apply stronger controls.
Respond to Data Subject Requests: Quickly and accurately locate an individual’s data across all systems to fulfill their rights to access, correction, or erasure.
Contain Data Breaches: In the event of a security incident, instantly know what data was affected and who it pertains to, enabling swift and compliant reporting.
Automated Data Discovery
Navigating the DPDPA law without knowing your data is is not a great strategy. You will need, at a minimum, a bird’s eye view of your entire data landscape to proceed with full compliance. The risks of non-compliance, including fines and reputational damage, are too high.
An Automated Data Discovery solution gives you that view, showing exactly what personal data you collect, process, store, and share. If you are interested in how FRS Labs can help you start your data discovery journey, please do request a demo and trial access.
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FRSLABS is an award-winning research and development company specialising in customer onboarding, identity verification and fraud prevention solutions for businesses. Whether you are a big bank, insurance, telco or a small investment broker, we help you onboard and verify your customers with greater flexibility, compliance and reliability.
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