Data Discovery

Data discovery is the process of locating sensitive wherever it lives across an organization’s endpoints, servers and storage. Data classification is the next step: categorizing what was found by type, sensitivity and required handling. Discovery answers where is the data; classification answers what kind of data is it. The two are usually run together, discovery without classification produces a long list with no priority, while classification without discovery only categorizes what is already known about.

Traditional classification relies on rules: file extensions, keyword matches and regex patterns. AI-powered classification looks at semantic content instead, recognizing what a file is about rather than what it is labeled. In BCWipe Search, users upload example files for each category they want to track, and the AI builds a semantic profile from those examples. New files are then categorized based on how closely their content matches the profile, which means the tool can identify sensitive documents even when filenames or formats give no clue.

No. In BCWipe Search, all classification processing happens locally on the user’s machine. Files are not uploaded to an external service for analysis, no model is trained on the organization’s data, and no content leaves the environment. This matters for organizations subject to GDPR, NIS2, DPDP or sector-specific obligations, where transferring sensitive data to a third-party AI service may itself be a compliance issue.

Discovery and erasure are usually treated as separate tools: discovery finds the data, erasure removes it, and the connection between them is manual. BCWipe Search integrates the two directly: once sensitive files are located, they can be selected for secure erasure with BCWipe in the same workflow, without exporting lists or re-running scans. The data is then overwritten beyond forensic recovery, with an audit-ready report documenting what was erased and how. This integrated workflow was the first of its kind when introduced in December 2024.

Under GDPR Article 17, individuals can request that an organization erase their personal data. Fulfilling that request means finding every copy of the data, not just the obvious one in the main database, but also duplicates, backups, exports, temporary files and copies in shared drives or collaboration tools. Data discovery is what makes this possible at scale. BCWipe Search locates personal data across endpoints based on content rather than just filename, so the organization can demonstrate completeness of the erasure rather than relying on the assumption that the central database covers everything.

Yes. BCWipe Search can scan inside compressed files and archives, including ZIP and similar formats, so sensitive data hidden in nested files is still discoverable. It also handles scanned documents and image-based files, locating relevant content even when the data exists as an image rather than searchable text. This matters because sensitive information is often left behind in unexpected formats: contracts saved as scanned PDFs, IDs photographed and emailed, exports compressed for archival and forgotten.