What is Data Governance and A Data Governance Framework?

A World of Data 

In our interconnected world, everything runs on data. How long can you go throughout the day without a company wanting you to take a survey, leave a review, or like and subscribe? There are whole professions and entire industries dedicated to the logging, compiling, and organizing of data. From mighty enterprises to clandestine individuals, there are even those who want to gain access to your data. 

For businesses, the future’s successors will be those who can master and control their own data. Digital transformation is not possible without proper data governance. As your assistant in the ever-evolving tech industry, Conectrix wants to guide you through the subject of data governance and the corresponding data governance frameworks.  

What is Data Governance?

Data governance is the procedure and principles by which an organization manages, uses, and safeguards its data. Data refers to either digital or hard copy assets. Another way to position data governance is that it is the who, what, when, where, and why of an organization’s data.

What is a Data Governance Framework/ Policy? 

If data governance is how a business manages, uses, and safeguards their data, then a data governance framework is how said business goes about implementing their data governance.

A data governance framework or policy is the set of rules, delegations, and processes created to put everyone in an organization on the same page. The framework helps the organization enforce its data governance; concrete rules and regulations that make the great ideas of data governance applicable.

The Aspects/Positions of a Data Governance Framework 

There are many data governance frameworks, with varying personnel and structures, here is a general list.

• Chief Data Officer: The leader of the data governance strategy.

• Data Owners: The people directly in charge of the company’s data. They are dispersed throughout the organization’s branches. 

• Data Stewards: The enforcers of the data governance strategy.

• Data Custodians: The people responsible for the maintenance and updates of the data assets. 

• Data Governance Committee: Those charged with creating policies for data governance. They often work with the Chief Data Officer. 

The Benefits of a Data Governance Framework

Having a solid data governance framework in place means that an organization can quickly and efficiently analyze their data and make confident and educated decisions. Cross-functional decision making and compliance across branches are easier.

Properly managed data is also safer data. A data governance framework protects against threat actors (hackers) and unintentional data leakages. Furthermore, IT teams will have increased freedom to pursue other projects rather than manage data.  

Considerations

Implementing a data governance framework will be beneficial for your organization. However, regarding the listed aspects/positions of such a framework, it is clear that a data governance framework is usually only suited for larger companies and enterprises. Of course, small companies can use a data governance framework on a minimized scale, but the policies were designed with size in mind. 

Other considerations include privacy regulations. If your organization is under HIPPA, CCPA, GDPR, or PCI, you need to have a data governance framework in place. Additionally, if your company uses analytics to make decisions or if you are finding that your data storage costs are increasing, adopt a data governance framework.  

Have any more questions or concerns about data, collaboration, or communication technology in general? Then reach out to us at Conectrix.