Dark data is an organization’s backlog of digital material that are not easily accessible: saved in obsolete formats or old programs. The folders of email in a now-unused email client, old backup tapes and old hard drives: dark data is material sitting in the dark, and at many companies, it’s unclear who is responsible for it, if anyone.
Such data is a potential liability: if the company still has the data—no matter the format—they may be ordered to sort through it for litigation. In such a case, the simple act of recovering the data—never mind the discovery itself—can require a tremendous amount of time and money, from bringing in recovery specialists to purchasing old hardware on eBay.
