Defining Data Governance, An Increasingly Important Field

 

Data Governance pic
Data Governance
Image: dataversity.net

Timothy Valihora, an IBM information server expert with more than 20 years of information technology experience, serves as president of TVMG Consulting, Inc. Through his consultancy, Timothy Valihora leverages his technical insight to advance data governance solutions initiatives.

An emerging, influential field, data governance involves procedures that preserve the quality of data as it passes through the various systems, institutions, and processes that encompass the data lifecycle. Data governance might involve, for example, setting parameters within an organization so it’s clear who has the authority to access what data under what particular circumstances.

Given the increasingly central role data plays in the public and private sectors, data governance solutions can have a profound impact on efficiency and security. Data governance can prevent privileged information from falling into the wrong hands. Moreover, it can make it easier for stakeholders to interpret and act decisively on key information.

In light of these factors, major corporations like IBM have designed products to help customers achieve data governance goals. For instance, IBM’s Information Governance Catalog, a web-based analytic tool, offers users easy access to metrics that aid them in understanding how data flows through their organizations.