Mining operations rely on the security and integrity of their data. If managers don’t know what’s underground and where, they can’t create a way to get it and extract in a cost-effective manner.
With cyber thieves and hackers trying to steal important data and resources from large-scale operations all the time, keeping data secure is more important than ever. In addition to keeping data away from hackers, your data should be easily accessible by the right people in real time. Managing this balance between security and utility is one of the many challenges any mining operation must contend with.
Data Management
In any mining operation, data management is the key to its success or failure. Mining and exploration companies go to great lengths to maintain the quality and usability of their data, as well as its integrity. When data is lost, inaccessible, or stolen, it can result in disastrous losses. When inaccurate modeling and decisions are made based on incomplete or otherwise compromised data, it can cost millions of dollars.
Because data, aside from the raw materials themselves, is often the most important resource for a mining operation, storing it accurately, accessing it, and securing it is crucial. Usually, the easiest way to organize and access data is by storing it in a single point or server with controlled access. This storage solution should be shared by all stakeholders and managers so they can make decisions in real time without risking a data breach.
Scale-ability
A good data management solution needs to be scale-able to sizes of operations and to multiple mining sites. The simplicity and intuitiveness of the solution will help in this regard. A flexible solution, capable of showing large and small swaths of data for a variety of resources and settings will make all mining operations as cost-effective as possible. The data solution must be capable of adding and verifying data from the field in real-time, no matter the scale.
Security
Accessing and adding to the data in real time is important, as is using accurate data to make decisions when they need to be made. However, if the data is compromised, it’s all for naught. Data management solutions in the mining industry need layers of security that are easy for those with approved access to navigate, but impossible for hackers and unauthorized outsiders to gain access to. Security in these types of solutions should also allow an administrator to centralize the data and customize it to fit the operation’s needs. An intuitive security solution based on existing security platforms is a good way to achieve this.
Data management solutions are crucial for organization, prediction of resources, and workflow purposes. If the data isn’t organized and usable for everyone who needs access to make decisions, the operation is in peril. The data and its accessibility, as well as its security and integrity, is how mining and exploration companies make good on their promises and deliver products on-time, and on schedule.
See how Geobank and Geobank Mobile can help your organisation secure its data.
