Data Management Glossary
Data Storage Tags
What are data storage tags?
Data storage tags are custom labels or metadata attributes applied to files or objects to describe their content, context, or intended usage. Tags can represent anything from a project name, department, data sensitivity level (e.g., PII, confidential), to business relevance or AI-readiness. In modern data environments, tags are essential for organizing, classifying, and managing vast amounts of unstructured data across hybrid storage systems.
Why Tags Matter for Unstructured Data Management
Unstructured data (e.g., documents, images, logs, videos) lacks inherent structure or schema, making it difficult to classify, organize, and govern using traditional tools. Tags provide a flexible, scalable way to:
- Classify data for compliance, security, and lifecycle management
- Group files across disparate storage (on-prem NAS, cloud object stores) without physically moving them
- Enable intelligent automation, like tiering cold data, identifying AI-relevant files, or enforcing retention policies
- Enhance searchability and discovery, especially when metadata is incomplete or missing
Tags turn dark, disorganized file systems into actionable, policy-driven datasets.
Komprise and Storage Tagging
Komprise plays a key role in enabling tagging at scale for enterprises managing unstructured data across diverse environments:
1. Global Smart Tagging
Komprise allows users to create and apply custom metadata tags across billions of files and objects, regardless of where they’re stored. This includes:
- Department, project, cost center
- Sensitivity level (e.g., PII, HIPAA)
- Business purpose (e.g., archive, analytics, AI training)
Tags are applied based on criteria such as file location, age, usage, owner, or even content (via integration with data classification tools).
2. Cross-Platform Tag Consistency
Komprise maintains a unified tagging strategy across all your storage—on-prem and in the cloud—eliminating data silos and enabling centralized policy enforcement. This is especially important when dealing with:
- Heterogeneous NAS systems (NetApp, Dell, etc.)
- Cloud object storage (Amazon S3, Azure Blob, Google Cloud)
- Multi-cloud data lakes and AI platforms
3. Tag-Driven Workflows and Automation
Tags in Komprise aren’t just labels—they power automation:
- Automatically archive files tagged as inactive or non-critical
- Route files tagged as “AI-Ready” to analytics platforms
- Protect or lock files tagged as “Legal Hold” or “Confidential”
This enables metadata-driven data orchestration, not just storage visibility.
With Komprise, tags become a powerful way to take control of your unstructured data—turning chaos into clarity, and cost centers into value drivers.
