Turning Information Overload into Focused Response 

Today, forward-thinking defense, intelligence, security, and critical infrastructure (DISC) organizations are doing everything they can to become data-driven.  

But in a time where more than 402 million terabytes of data are created each day, it’s easy to succumb to information overload — the problem of having too much data — which can slow decision-making down, overwhelming even the most capable teams. 

To help DISC teams transform information overload into focused response, former U.S. Air Force intelligence operative AJ Nash recently hosted a webinar featuring Colton Shaw, a solutions engineer at Mattermost.   

In it, the two discussed why information overload can hinder a team’s ability to respond swiftly when every moment matters — and what they can do to find the signal in the noise and respond to mission-critical events with urgency. 

The Information Overload Problem Defined 

In high-stakes environments, there’s no shortage of data teams can leverage to make decisions. Yet oftentimes there are “policies on top of policies” that “hinder the ability to act swiftly in times of need,” Shaw says. 

“Those are needed, though, because you don’t want data to fall into the wrong hands,” he says. “How can you make a fast decision while also securing the data we need?” 

Compounding things further is the fact that data often exists in different systems. Believe it or not, the average enterprise uses more than 1,000 different apps, making it hard — if not altogether impossible — for the average user to understand see the complete picture. 

And even if you somehow had access to all that data, it’s still difficult to figure out what is the right data to look at for the problem at hand, Shaw explains. 

How Organizations Can Secure Their Data while Accelerating Response Times 

Over the last decade, many DISC organizations have moved to cloud-based SaaS solutions. While these tools certainly have their fair share of benefits — they’re highly available and highly scalable — they’re not without their downsides. 

In exchange for the convenience of the cloud, “we’ve kind of lost that ability to secure our data and understand what data we have and what data we’ve given to a third party,” Shaw continues. 

To solve this, Shaw recommends zeroing in on data ownership and figuring out where your data lives, who owns it, who can access it, and what controls you can put on it. 

“In cloud-hosted platforms, you’re often limited on the data you can pull out of there,” he says, adding that you usually can’t look at all the data because it’s owned by another organization. 

Once you do own all your data, it’s time to think about how your team can put it to use. 

“Owning and controlling data gives you flexibility — the real-time processing and real-time engagement that really gives you that decision-making advantage,” Shaw says.  

Transforming Data into Action 

Dealing with information overload? Here’s how to solve it. 

First, take a step back and understand your data landscape, Shaw says. What data exists and where does it live? Once you’ve answered those questions, explore what insights you’re able to extract from what you already have — a capability Shaw says organizations sometimes overlook. 

Next, it’s time to centralize communications so everything’s in one place. By moving to Mattermost, for example, organizations can create dedicated channels populated with the right people and have all conversations there. 

“You’ve changed how that data is logged and recorded, so now it exists permanently in the environment that anyone can access who has the right permissions,” Shaw says.  

Overcoming Information Overload with Mattermost 

Recently, a Mattermost customer “moving planes all around the world” moved away from phone calls, centralizing their communications on Mattermost. As a result, team members are able to stay informed whether they’re 30,000 feet in the air or sitting in a command center. 

“It’s the mission in motion — how you continue to move and keep everyone involved.” 

To streamline incident response, the customer pipes data from backend systems — like flight schedules and weather feeds — into a dedicated Mattermost channel, creating a centralized view of critical information in real time via a single pane of glass. 

They’ve also modernized their paper-based standard operating procedures by converting them into automated Mattermost Playbooks. These playbooks can be triggered by specific alerts or keywords — like “weather” or “critical” — instantly launching incident response workflows and notifying the right team members.  

Since all relevant data is already embedded in the playbook, everyone knows exactly what to focus on, and no one has to scramble to find the data they need. 

Conquer Information Overload Today 

Looking to overcome information overload and make hyper-focused decisions when every second counts? 

Explore Mattermost use cases in a preview environment to learn more about why today’s leading organizations trust Mattermost to power mission-critical operations.