5 Best Practices Information Governance Consultants Must Know

5 Best Practices Information Governance Consultants Must Know Contoural Inc

• Due to data privacy laws such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Consumer Privacy Act (CPA), it has become highly important to monitor and watch Information Governance policies and procedures, so that there are no violations to data privacy regulations. This article discusses 5 best practices every Information Governance Consultant must know to remain compliant with the regulations.

Create a cross-functional team • Effective Information governance policies must take all stakeholders onboard, and it should incorporate the needs of all involved teams. The jurisdiction of IG policies does not remain restricted to legal and IT teams, rather extends to HR, compliance, risk management, and various other business units. Information Governance consultants must engage all groups in planning phases so that their concerns are heard and addressed. Other teams can help in identification of data risks, metrics, and also in devising an effective strategy for ensuring Legal Governance, Compliance, and Risk; critical for any IG program.

Maintain Data Inventory and Data Audit • Maintaining a data inventory and conducting comprehensive data audit is the first step towards devising effective IG policy. It is important to assess the strengths and weaknesses of an organization before building an IG framework. Effective IG policies and procedures include creating backup tapes, data archives, and keeping assets such as technologies and software. IG consultants must also pay special focus on data mapping to remain compliant with data privacy regulations such as GDPR and CPA.

Assess Data Retention Requirements • Good Information Governance Consultants should assess the legal and regulatory requirements for data retention.

In some industries, there is a defined time limit for storing certain data types. However, the state or other regulatory bodies dictate the requirements for other data such as human resources information. In order to incorporate changes across the system, you must first understand the system yourself. In case there is no longer need of data, it is for the best to delete that data so that you don’t have to manage it and take the hassle to protect it from potentially negative outcomes in litigation.

Data mapping and enforcement of retention policies • Before devising a plan, it is recommended that an Information Governance Consultant must first prioritize critical areas to be addressed first. You can figure out these areas during the stage of data auditing and legal obligation assessment. Since the success or failure of a data governance system relies on the availability of data, it is advised to get rid of that data set which you have never used and which you will never require in the future. This will allow you to cut data management cost as you will have to deal with lesser data. In case you have accumulated a pile of never-used backup tapes, you must consider developing and implementing a defensible deletion policy.

Employee Training • As a successful information governance consultant, it is your responsibility to take care of employee training. Although your organization’s IG policies and procedures defining is mainly a subject of committee of stakeholders, the employees are responsible for implementing the defined plan. For effective employee training, it is important to equip them with crossfunctional knowledge of the business so that they understand the critical nature of data management and information governance.

Once they understand the policies, they can follow them without any trouble. Giving them access and training to the right technology will enable them to perform their duties efficiently.

Emloyees must have a clear idea about the reason behind the program so that they remain motivated to do the job on their own.

Contoural Inc • At Contoural Inc. our team of technicians has the knowledge and expertise to devise and implement information governance system which complies with the regulatory policies. Our Information Governance Consultants are here to assist you if you feel stuck or lost at any stage. To get a quote, or to talk to our representative get in touch with us today.

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