In today’s data-driven world, you need a robust data scanning strategy to effectively manage and secure your assets. But here’s the thing: there’s no one-size-fits-all approach that works for every organization. BigID, the leader in Data Security Posture Management (DSPM), empowers you to scan your environment your way.

Whether you need lightning-fast hyper scans, detailed full scans, or anything in between, BigID’s flexible scanning options support your organizational data management strategy at scale.

Why is data scanning so important for security, privacy, compliance, and AI data management?

At its core, scanning helps you discover, classify, and secure sensitive information across your data environments. Having a strategic (and tailored) data scanning approach allows you to detect potential data risks and vulnerabilities unique to your organization – whether that is personal data that violates a compliance mandate, or sensitive information that may be exposed to a bad actor. BigID’s platform enables you to discover your data with the granularity, control, and scale that your organization needs.

Manual vs. Automatic Scanning

BigID provides both manual and automatic scanning options:

  • Manual scans: You initiate and control these scans, allowing for targeted examination of specific data sets or areas of concern.
  • Automatic scans: These system-initiated scans run on schedules you define, ensuring continuous monitoring and up-to-date data insights.

Each method has its strengths—manual scans offer greater control, while automatic scans ensure consistency and coverage. BigID empowers you to choose the method that best suits your needs.

10 ways BigID can scan your structured and unstructured data, your way:

1. Full Scan: Comprehensive data discovery for complete visibility.

BigID’s targeted full scan is the heavy hitter in data discovery. Whether you’re setting up a new data governance strategy, needing a full scan for PII, or preparing for a compliance review, BigID’s full scan gives you a comprehensive picture of your data. It methodically combs through your entire data environment, using advanced pattern recognition and machine learning algorithms to identify and classify every piece of structured and unstructured data. This comprehensive approach leaves no stone unturned, and no files skipped, making it ideal for initial assessments or when you need a complete data inventory.

2. Differential Scan: Focuses on new or modified data for efficient monitoring.

Rather than scanning your entire data set again, which is costly and resource-intensive, a differential scan hones in on the most recent changes. Whether it’s new records, updated transactions, or modified policies from structured and unstructured data, this scan gives you the confidence that your data remains secure without the burden of a full system scan. With BigID’s differential scanning, you’re able to stay agile, proactive, and efficient in maintaining up-to-date data security and compliance insights.

3. Assessment Scan: Evaluates data against specific criteria for risk and compliance.

This is where BigID’s fast assessment scan steps in. BigID’s assessment scan provides deep insights into your data landscape, allowing you to flag high-risk areas before regulatory bodies raise concerns. When you need to ensure adherence to international data privacy laws, assessment scans quickly identify potential risks, privacy violations, or non-compliance issues lurking within your data.

Download Our Data Risk Assessment Solution Brief.

4. Labelling Scan: Classifies and tags sensitive data for compliance purposes.

By using BigID’s labeling scan, you’re not just scanning your data; you’re giving your DLP tools the granular insight they need to prevent data breaches, enforce data governance, and ensure compliance across your global data landscape. This scan applies contextual labels to both structured data fields and unstructured content, enhancing data classification and policy enforcement across all data types.

5. Side/Snapshot Scan: Captures point-in-time views for backups and analysis.

BigID’s side/snapshot scan captures data at a specific moment, providing you with a precise view of your data environment at a given point in time. Whether you’re archiving records for regulatory compliance or creating backups to safeguard important information, side/snapshot scans ensure that you can manage your data without slowing down operations or affecting system performance. This scan method works equally well for capturing snapshots of structured databases and unstructured file repositories.

6. Metadata Scan: Rapid data mapping without full content analysis.

This is where BigID’s metadata scan shines. Instead of analyzing the full content, it scans the metadata—the “data about your data”—such as file types, access permissions, creation dates, and size. With this high-level overview of structured and unstructured data, you can quickly identify patterns, detect potential risks, and surface files that may need further attention. By focusing on the metadata, you’re able to stay on top of potential risks and trends without performing resource-intensive, full-content scans. This scan is particularly useful for quickly mapping both structured database schemas and unstructured file attributes.

7. Data in Motion Scans: Protects data as it moves through networks.

With BigID’s data in motion scans, you can secure your data as it moves, ensuring compliance and protection for sensitive information at every touchpoint. By examining data as it moves through your infrastructure, BigID provides instant insights into vulnerabilities or compliance risks that could arise in real time, helping you maintain robust security practices without impacting operational efficiency.

8. OCR Scan: Analyzes scanned documents and extracts data from images.

BigID’s OCR scans enable you to pull out relevant information quickly and accurately, ensuring nothing gets missed and helping you maintain compliance and operational efficiency. Instead of manually sifting through thousands of files, OCR scans categorize and index text from images, making it easy to search, classify, and manage your unstructured data.

9. HyperScan: Quick, large-scale data discovery without compromising depth.

BigID’s HyperScan quickly locates and classifies sensitive data with rapid discovery. You can handle large-scale, time-sensitive scanning tasks efficiently, ensuring both speed and depth in your data management efforts. HyperScan is optimized to process both structured databases and unstructured file systems at high speed, making it ideal for large-scale data environments.

10. Dual Hybrid Scanning: Combines direct and side scanning for comprehensive insights.

BigID pioneers the industry’s first and only dual hybrid scanning solution, combining direct and side-scanning methods for an unparalleled understanding of your data environment. It thoroughly examines the content of your cloud-native workloads, ensuring no sensitive data goes unnoticed. It quickly analyzes metadata and file attributes across your entire cloud ecosystem, providing rapid insights into your data landscape. This innovative approach is particularly effective for complex environments with a mix of structured and unstructured data across various cloud and on-premises systems.

Scan your data, your way. With BigID as your foundation, you gain the freedom and flexibility to scan your data in-depth and at scale, ensuring pinpoint accuracy for your unique data security, compliance, and privacy needs.

Want to stay ahead of the curve in data security and compliance? Schedule a 1:1 Demo with one of our data experts today!