What is data governance?
Data governance is a structured framework for managing and safeguarding an organization’s data. In effect, it ensures that data is handled correctly. It guarantees that information is accurate, secure, and follows established guidelines. This involves defining:
- Who can access the data
- How the data should be handled
Main components of data governance
- Data stewardship: Assigns data management roles to specific individuals or teams to ensure data accuracy, quality, and compliance.
- Data quality management: Ensures consistency, accuracy, and completeness of data for reliable decision-making.
- Data access and security: Establishes policies for securing data, including compliance with data privacy laws like General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
- Data policies and standards: Defines guidelines for handling, storing, and processing data for consistency and regulatory compliance.
- Data lifecycle management: Helps manage data from creation to deletion, defining timelines for retention and archival to meet regulations and prevent overload.
Data governance framework
A data governance framework is a foundational model for managing data strategy and ensuring compliance. It starts with a data model that maps out data flows, such as inputs, outputs, and storage requirements. The governance framework then layers on the rules, procedures, responsibilities, and processes that guide and control these data flows.
A framework acts as a blueprint for how data governance functions within an organization. Each framework is unique, tailored to the organization’s specific data systems, roles, regulatory needs, and industry standards. Popular frameworks like DAMA-DMBOK, COBIT, and ISO/IEC 38500 help ensure data is available, reliable, secure, and promote accountability.
Benefits of data governance
Enables better decisions: Provides teams with reliable, timely data to make informed choices, improve customer service, and seize growth opportunities.
Reduces costs: Eliminates duplicate data and unnecessary storage, saving on hardware and maintenance.
Boosts compliance: Helps meet data regulations, avoiding penalties and adapting to new requirements.
Builds trust: Shows responsible data handling, building confidence with customers and partners.
Mitigates risk: Secures sensitive information, protecting against unauthorized access and data breaches.
Expands data access: Fosters a data-driven innovative culture, allowing safe data access for more employees.
Implementation of data governance
To implement data governance, organizations usually set up a cross-functional team and create a framework that defines roles, sets policies, and establishes data management processes. This is done by automating data quality checks, ensuring compliance, and securing data access.
Simply put, data governance enables managing data responsibly, making better decisions, and staying compliant in a data-driven world.
