StartArticlesMetadados: a chave para vencer o caos informacional

Metadados: a chave para vencer o caos informacional

We are living in an exponential era of data growth: the forecast that by the end of this year, the volume of digital data worldwide will reach 175 zettabytes. This dizzying increase in the volume of information has created a true informational chaos in companies, where critical data is scattered across various systems and disconnected silos. In Brazil, the situation is concerning: employees can spend up to 50% of their work time searching for information, losing up to two hours daily looking for documents that are often never found.

It is estimated that every 12 seconds at least one document is lost in Brazilian companies, totaling more than 7,000 misplaced documents daily. Consequently, professionals waste valuable time trying to locate documents amidst this disorder. Each misplaced document is not just one less piece of data; it is also a potential financial and legal liability.

A company buried in disorganized papers or digital files risks failing to locate an important receipt or a vital contract, and the loss of these records can result in hefty fines from regulatory authorities or labor compensations. The data tsunami, if not properly governed, imposes a double cost: it reduces daily efficiency and increases exposure to compliance risks.

Metadata classification: how to bring order to chaos

To overcome informational chaos, it is not enough to store data in the cloud or buy more physical storage – it is necessary to organize the information intelligently. This is where the metadata come in. Metadata is often defined as "data about data," that is, descriptive information we assign to a document or record to identify and categorize it.

Metadata functions as the "label" of a file, describing its content without the need to read it in its entirety. Common examples include: title, author, creation date, keywords, document category (contract, invoice, email, etc.), confidentiality level, among other attributes.

Implementing a document classification and cataloging plan based on metadata is essential to restore order amidst the explosion of information. Instead of relying solely on chaotic shared folders or each employee's memory of "where they saved that file," a metadata-driven organization creates a structured catalog of the company's informational assets. Each document now has a kind of digital "identity card." This provides visibility and context: the team knows exactly what type of information each file contains and where it is located, drastically reducing the time spent on manual searches.

In addition to speed, accuracy in information retrieval increases. Metadata eliminates the ambiguity of systems based solely on file or folder names. Even if a document has been saved in the wrong place or with an unintuitive name, its metadata allows the information to be found through the recorded characteristics. This breaks down data silos within the company: content previously isolated in separate departments or applications can be virtually unified through common metadata.

Productivity and compliance: benefits of metadata policies

The adoption of robust metadata policies brings tangible benefits in both operational efficiency and compliance. From the perspective of internal productivity, the improvement is tangible: with documents properly classified and indexed, employees no longer have to "look for a needle in a haystack" and can access what they need almost immediately.

With good metadata management, this time is saved, allowing teams to focus on analysis and decision-making instead of searching for lost data. Not by chance, companies that invest in information management report significant gains: there are cases of a 95% reduction in the time spent responding to internal or external audit inquiries after implementing intelligent search and document organization systems.

Regarding audits and legal requirements, the difference between having well-structured metadata or not is enormous. Companies that do not know exactly where their critical data is stored are at a disadvantage – and unfortunately, many find themselves in this situation. Another study conducted by Gartner in 2023 – "Metadata Management in the Digital Age" – indicated that at least 60% of the organizations that participated in the survey admitted they do not know where essential business information is located.

This poses a serious risk when it comes to audits, inspections, or legal proceedings. Imagine a company facing an auditor requesting all emails and reports related to a specific contract or transaction from the past five years. Without a metadata taxonomy, this search can be a logistical nightmare, taking weeks and mobilizing entire departments to sift through files.

With well-applied metadata, on the other hand, the company can respond quickly – within hours – by compiling all relevant documents. The traceability provided by the metadata allows for quick location of any record needed for compliance. This not only prevents fines for late submission of information but also reduces bottlenecks during audits, as auditors can verify compliance much more smoothly.

Another important benefit of metadata policies is information security and data privacy. In an era of frequent leaks and strict regulations, knowing what and where the company's sensitive data is is half the battle in protecting it. Metadata can indicate the level of confidentiality of a document, classifying it, for example, as "Public," "Internal," or "Restricted/Confidential."

They can also identify if a file contains sensitive personal data – essential information to comply with the General Data Protection Law (LGPD). The LGPD requires control over all personal data processed by the organization, including the ability to locate, classify, and, if necessary, delete this data upon request. Without this, fulfilling LGPD obligations becomes unfeasible. For example, if a customer requests to be forgotten (right to erasure), the company needs to identify all systems and documents where their data is stored. With proper metadata, this scan is efficient; without them, the request may go unnoticed in some forgotten file, posing legal risks.

Technologies for metadata management: ECM, automation, and AI

To reap all these benefits, it is necessary to rely on the right technologies that enable effective metadata management. One of the pillars of this infrastructure is ECM (Enterprise Content Management). ECM solutions offer centralized repositories where documents are stored along with their metadata. Unlike a simple folder of files, an ECM allows you to define metadata templates, categorization policies, and retention rules, integrating all of these into the company's workflows.

Thus, when a document is entered into the system, the ECM already requests the classification information—or even fills it in automatically—ensuring that nothing remains unlabeled. This continuous integration prevents the taxonomy from becoming outdated or inconsistent as the data evolves.

Another way to apply metadata is through the use of RPA (Robotic Process Automation) and artificial intelligence. Repetitive classification and indexing processes that previously fell on users can be automated. For example, RPA robots can capture received documents and, following predefined rules, assign basic metadata such as document type, date, sender, etc. Even more advanced, AI systems with Machine Learning and NLP (Natural Language Processing) algorithms can automatically classify documents by content. Self-classification solutions scan texts and identify patterns – they mention that a file contains CPF or RG, indicating personal data; or recognize from the context that a certain document is a resume, a medical report, or an invoice, labeling it appropriately.

Optical character recognition (OCR) tools combined with AI extract key information from scanned documents and fill in metadata fields without human intervention. The result is an automatic enrichment of the data, making the documentary collection intelligent from the source. Case studies show that this type of automation in classification speeds up the availability of new data for business teams by up to 70%, in addition to improving the quality and consistency of the information.

In the current landscape, it is clear that metadata has ceased to be a technical detail and has become a strategic enabler in business information management. If the volume of data is inevitable and tends to grow by more than 20% annually worldwide, the difference between riding this wave or being submerged by it will be the ability to organize this data in an agile, reliable, and secure manner. In a world where data is compared to the new oil, knowing how to classify and find this informational "oil" within the company is a significant competitive advantage. Thus, investing in robust metadata and overcoming informational chaos is not just a technical issue, but a matter of ensuring the efficiency and compliance that support business success in the digital age.

Inon Neves
Inon Neves
Inon Neves is vice president of Access.
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