Everpure Report Finds One-Third of Enterprise Data Is Unknown
Widespread 'dark data' poses a significant risk to enterprise AI readiness
Singapore – September 8, 2026 – Everpure (NYSE: P), the company revolutionizing storage and data management, has unveiled a new infographic report titled ‘Exploring the enterprise data readiness gap’ in conjunction with analyst firm Omdia. The report outlines the growing gap in enterprise data readiness and the risks posed by ‘dark data’—information that is collected and stored, but rarely reused, and packed with Redundant, Obsolete, and Trivial (ROT) data.
AI is only as smart as the data behind it, making the caliber of enterprise information more critical than ever. Yet as enterprises deploy more AI models and analytics at scale, dark data has become a roadblock: mixing low-value ROT with high-value information drives up costs and risks, degrading business outcomes.
Enterprise data readiness at risk
Data management is rapidly becoming a top business priority as organisations seek to ensure their data is visible, governed, trusted, and ready to power AI. However, dark data continues to hold them back. According to the study, 99% of organisations have dark data, with over half (51-75%) reporting that it accounts for over one-third (37%) of all their enterprise data. The inability to separate and leverage high value data contributes to significant issues: substantial financial waste, potential compliance or security vulnerabilities, and missed opportunities to drive insight and innovation.
The lack of enterprise data readiness is putting AI production at serious risk as systems need up-to-date data to run effectively. This isn't hypothetical; it's already showing up in production:
- A staggering 97% of organisations are struggling to transition from AI pilot to production, with 62% facing moderate-to-severe obstacles.
- 68% of IT leaders rank data management as the top challenge when moving AI into production.
- 63% cite storage silos and data sprawl as significant barriers to AI success.
As AI adoption accelerates, organisations need greater visibility and control over both their data and underlying infrastructure. Success hinges on understanding where their data resides, how it is used, and whether it represents the most accurate, up-to-date copy.
Mapping data for its value and risks
Recognising the risks of dark data is one thing; having the visibility and control to act on it is another. While 76% of IT leaders see dark data as a significant business risk and 75% say extracting actionable insight is critical to AI success, 58% of organisations still lack basic visibility into their data environment.
Rather than viewing dark data solely as a liability, organisations should actively map their data across two dimensions – business value and risk – to decide what to activate, govern, retain, or delete. This is an ongoing process requiring regular adjustment, not a one-time exercise.
Everpure recommends the following framework to help organizations assess and remediate their data profiles:
- High Value, High Risk: Activate sensitive data only under strict governance, rigorous access controls, and robust security.
- High Value, Low Risk: Prioritize for immediate discovery and activation to quickly fuel AI initiatives.
- Low Value, High Risk: Secure, minimize, or permanently delete to reduce liability and compliance exposure.
- Low Value, Low Risk: Archive or delete to cut storage costs and curb data sprawl.
Modern organisations must manage increasingly complex environments– spanning SaaS, hybrid cloud, on-prem, and both traditional and AI workloads. Categorising data by value and risk gives organisations a clear roadmap as they transition toward a truly data-centric architecture.
ROT data should be identified and eliminated to minimize noise prior to sending to AI. Similarly, dark data should be identified, classified, and risk assessed in order to utilize the above framework for data activation and optimize data’s value at speed and scale. By transforming a scattered data estate into AI-ready, self-describing, and governed datasets, organisations can regain control and unlock the full value of their data.
Executive Insights:
“Organisations across APJ are scaling AI at speed but velocity without visibility is risky. Regional teams are managing a complex compliance landscape, rising security risks, and increased costs. The organisations that will be able to accelerate innovation are the ones that can answer three questions about any dataset: where it is, who is using it, and can I trust it. A data primacy approach puts those answers at the centre of APJ business strategy, and helps our customers on the path forward.”
Nathan Hall
VP & GM, APJ, Everpure
"For most organisations, the enterprise data readiness gap remains an unmanaged risk because they lack the visibility needed to understand and close it. But for those who can illuminate the blind spots, the upside is transformative. There is a massive opportunity to turn previously unknown and fragmented data into trusted, contextual intelligence that can support faster AI deployment, better decision-making, and greater business value." – Simon Robinson, Chief Analyst at Omdia
“Enterprises cannot build trustworthy AI on untrustworthy data. Redundant, Obsolete, and Trivial (ROT) data creates noise at the very layer that should provide context, increasing the risk of inaccurate AI inferences. The path to better AI isn't simply adding more data, but ensuring the relevant, context-rich data is used which requires a comprehensive understanding of the data landscape to unlock business value.” – Ashish Gupta, General Manager, Data Management, Everpure
Read more
- The Infographic Report was commissioned by Everpure with Omdia and is available to download: Exploring Enterprise Data Readiness
- Read Everpure’s data primacy blog
About Everpure
Everpure (NYSE: P) allows organisations to take control of their data with an industry-leading, ever-evolving storage and data management platform. We help companies unleash the power of their data by ensuring it is accessible, intelligent, and ready to perform in the AI era. We make data management effortless while simultaneously scaling performance and significantly reducing energy consumption. With one of the highest Net Promoter Scores for over a decade, Everpure is the choice of the world’s most innovative organisations. For more information, visit www.everpuredata.com.
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