Know where personal data lives across endpoints, databases, SaaS apps and file shares, and how risky each finding is, without exposing the values on screen. DiscoverIQ runs the scans, on-premises and air-gapped included, and ClassifyIQ labels the files the scans find, following your classification policy. The findings also let you check your record of processing (RoPA) against what your systems hold.
Data Discovery and Classification Challenges
Every privacy obligation starts with knowing what personal data you hold and where it sits. In most organizations that answer lives with a few engineers, and it is out of date the day it is written down.
Pattern-only scanners add noise. They flag anything that looks like a number and miss personal data with no fixed format, so teams stop trusting the results.
Unknown data stores
Personal data sits on laptops, shared folders and SaaS apps that no inventory lists.
False positives
Pattern-only scanners flag order numbers as phone numbers and bury the real findings.
Sensitive values on screen
Discovery tools that display raw values create another copy of the data they were meant to protect.
Undeclared apps
Software installed on endpoints collects personal data that never reaches the RoPA.
Data Discovery and Classification with IQWorks
Your team today
Personal data in unmapped systems
With IQWorks
An inventory across your systems
DiscoverIQ scans endpoints, databases, SaaS apps and file shares, and every scan is scoped to the sources, departments or countries you choose.
Your team today
Scanners flag everything that looks like a number
With IQWorks
Detection you can tune
Findings come from AIQ, IQWorks' detection AI, alongside dictionaries and patterns, and each carries a confidence score you can tune with your own rules.
Your team today
Scan results expose the data they find
With IQWorks
Values masked by default
Each finding shows where it sits, what kind of personal data it is and how risky it is, with the value masked from anyone not authorized to see it.
Your team today
Files carry no sensitivity label
With IQWorks
Classification by policy
ClassifyIQ writes labels onto the files DiscoverIQ has found, following your policies for sensitive, health or company-defined classes.
Your team today
The RoPA says one thing, the systems another
With IQWorks
A RoPA checked against what scans find
Findings let you compare the processing recorded in your ComplyIQ RoPA with what the systems actually hold, and they drive the searches behind rights requests.
See it working on your own data
A live walkthrough against your regulations and your systems.
Request DemoProducts for Data Discovery and Classification
Know Your Data
- Scans endpoints, databases, SaaS apps and file shares, on-premises or air-gapped
- A confidence score and a 1 to 10 risk score on every finding, tagged to standards such as the DPDP Act, GDPR, PCI DSS and HIPAA
- An inventory of the software installed on each endpoint, so undeclared apps come to light
Intelligent Data Classification
- Labels written onto discovered files by policy
- Policies for sensitive, health or company-defined classes
Data Discovery and Classification Workflow
Connect your sources
Add connectors for databases, SaaS apps and file shares, and deploy endpoint agents to laptops and servers.
Connect your sources
Add connectors for databases, SaaS apps and file shares, and deploy endpoint agents to laptops and servers.
Scope and scan
Choose the sources, departments or countries to scan, and sample large stores by record count or percentage.
Scope and scan
Choose the sources, departments or countries to scan, and sample large stores by record count or percentage.
Review findings
Each finding shows its location, type, confidence and risk, with values kept masked.
Review findings
Each finding shows its location, type, confidence and risk, with values kept masked.
Label by policy
ClassifyIQ applies your classification policies to the files discovery has found.
Label by policy
ClassifyIQ applies your classification policies to the files discovery has found.
Keep records accurate
Compare your RoPA with what the scans found, and use the findings to answer rights requests.
Keep records accurate
Compare your RoPA with what the scans found, and use the findings to answer rights requests.
Key Takeaways
- A current map of where personal data sits
- Findings reviewed without exposing the values
- Fewer false positives to work through
Data Discovery and Classification FAQ
First inventory results arrive within 24 hours, and an on-premises deployment takes under two weeks.
AIQ reaches 95%+ accuracy on PII and produces 73% fewer false positives than regex. Every finding carries a confidence score you can tune for your data.
Yes. It runs on-premises or air-gapped, and its endpoint agents run their AI models locally and offline.
No. Endpoint scans pause automatically when a laptop is busy and resume afterward.
Data Discovery and Classification Resources
Regulations
Guides
Comprehensive Data Discovery Guide
Discover personal data across your entire technology environment using automated scanning and AI-powered identification.
Data Classification Best Practices
Implement an effective data classification program that supports privacy compliance, security, and data governance.
PII Detection and Automation Guide
Automate the detection of personally identifiable information across your data estate using AI-powered scanning.
Comparisons
Best Data Discovery Tools: 2026 Comparison Guide
Compare the best data discovery tools for privacy and compliance. Evaluate IQWorks, BigID, Varonis, Spirion, and other leading solutions.
Best Data Classification Solutions: 2026 Comparison Guide
Compare leading data classification solutions. Evaluate IQWorks ClassifyIQ, Microsoft Purview, Titus, Boldon James, and other platforms.
IQWorks vs BigID: Data Intelligence Platform Comparison
Compare IQWorks and BigID for data discovery, classification, and privacy. Evaluate AI capabilities, data protection, and compliance features.
IQWorks vs Varonis: Data Protection Approach Comparison
Compare IQWorks and Varonis data protection platforms. Evaluate privacy compliance, data security, insider threat detection, and DSPM features.
Glossary
Data discovery is the automated process of identifying and cataloging personal data across an organization technology landscape, including databases, file systems, cloud storage, and SaaS applications.
Data classification is the process of categorizing data by sensitivity level, type, and regulatory applicability to determine appropriate protection measures and handling procedures.
Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
PII is any information that can be used to identify a specific individual, including names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, and biometric data.
Dark data is information collected and stored by an organization but never analyzed, used, or leveraged, often containing personal data that creates unmanaged privacy risk.
Shadow IT refers to technology systems, applications, and cloud services used within an organization without formal IT department approval or oversight.
Articles
Why Regex Alone Misses Sensitive Data
Pattern matching alone under- and over-fires on real data. A layered hybrid of validators, dictionaries, NER and an LLM finds what regex misses.
Classification That Acts on What Detection Finds
Detection finds sensitive attributes; ClassifyIQ applies a rule engine on top to assign classification levels and labels, with a dry-run and audit.
Other Solutions
Every rights request verified, tracked against its deadline and answered from one queue.
Notices, consent, children's data, rights requests and breaches for the DPDP Act, on one inventory.