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A list of what data you have and where it is stored.

Definition

A data inventory is a list of the data a company collects and where it lives.

In plain English A list of what data you have and where it is stored.

Why this matters

Why it matters: You can’t protect or delete data you don’t know you have.

Example

Example: A spreadsheet listing “emails,” “IP logs,” and “payment records” and their storage systems.