Dealing with digital hoarding

WE are all familiar with cluttered desktops, full inboxes and countless personal files saved on work devices.

- ANNA COLLARD

This is digital hoarding - the compulsive accumulation and retention of digital assets beyond their useful life or business need. It includes storing multiple versions of documents, keeping outdated software, maintaining unused accounts and preserving obsolete databases.

Cyber risks

Digital hoarding poses a significant and often underestimated cybersecurity risk that extends far beyond a simple productivity issue.

Employees may not even know what data they're storing or where, and they could be storing personal files mixed with business data across multiple platforms and devices. This might mean that abandoned projects with sensitive client information are still accessible; while legacy systems could be running alongside modern infrastructure, creating security gaps.

Furthermore, email accounts containing years of correspondence, including confidential information, also pose a considerable security risk.

Why we hoard