Governance Becoming Essential as Big Data Evolves

SOLUTION BRIEF

Governance Becoming Essential as Big Data Evolves Approximately 22% of executives do NOT have formal data governance programs as part of their big data strategy.1

program out to end users. This isn’t just a matter of preventing data sprawl, as businesses must also maintain compliance with regulatory and privacy laws as they sift through the large quantity of information involved in big data programs.

Data governance initiatives can deal with all of these issues as they establish parameters for how an organization will use and manage big data programs.

Considering The Growing Importance of Governance According to a Capgemini survey, businesses have been focused on delivering clear operational value as they develop their big data strategies. This emphasis on actionable data has fueled innovation, as 27% of those polled said their big data programs are already profitable. Another 45% said they are breaking even.

Capgemini identified governance among the top priorities of respondents as they work to drive more value from big data.

Governance is becoming incredibly important as businesses work to drive value from their big data programs. Simply gathering large quantities of data and working to make sense of it isn’t enough to drive ROI. Instead, businesses must be extremely intentional about where they get data, which types of information they plan on analyzing, how they will archive data once it isn’t in active use and how they’ll extend the analytics

Maximizing value potential is only one component of data governance. In practice, businesses may also be running into a situation where big data will simply become too overwhelming to manage if they are unable to govern how they gather and use it. A recent Infosys study explained that the quantity of traditional forms of unstructured data will expand2 by approximately 80% every year. As much as 85% of this expansion will be coming from entirely new forms of data, such as machine-generated information, adding another layer of complexity to the challenge of scale facing organizations.

The study explained that the amount of information being handled by big data programs is combining with the breadth of data in play to make governance extremely important. As companies take in such a wide array of information, they must also contend with constantly changing regulatory standards that

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SOLUTION BRIEF Governance Becoming Essential as Big Data Evolves (continued)

are increasingly designed to ensure businesses maintain personal privacy while they engage in big data programs. All of this adds up to a situation where governance has become critical, not just a value opportunity.

Treating Data As An Asset A Gartner report explained that the rise of big data and growing need for effective governance has created a situation in which organizations must treat data as an asset3. At this point, most organizations are in a difficult situation because data is generally owned and primarily handled by the end user. This means that CIOs are not in a good position to provide governance over data as their primary role is to manage IT solutions in general, not oversee all of the interactions between analytics programs and end users to ensure best practices are followed at all times. This is especially problematic when organizations face strict regulatory guidelines and the organization lacks a structure for governing big data across its entire life cycle.

Insights from data are a key asset for businesses, but data sprawl quickly becomes a legal and operational liability. Treating data as an asset positions companies to maximize value while minimizing risk.

The chief data officer role has been emerging as companies begin treating data as an asset they must manage to both improve value and comply with regulatory standards. Gartner estimates that half of all businesses in regulated industries will have a CDO in place as soon as 2017. In practice, CDOs will take charge of developing an organizational system of ethics around the appropriate ways to handle data assets across their entire life cycle. Such strategies are increasingly critical as companies deal with big data, and creating roles like the CDO can fuel the creation of the governance strategies needed to effectively connect the business and technology sides of a big data program.

Roles like the CDO emphasize the growing place for big data experts with an understanding of the nuances of governance programs. Continuing education programs focused on big data governance can help IT professionals expand their knowledge of both the business and technology sides of the analytics situation. This deep knowledge of big data governance is becoming mandatory as businesses face a growing need to glean value from big data while keeping risk under control.

Learning Tree offers a full curriculum on big data. Check it out to see what course options are available to help you get ahead in governance.

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Sources: 1 https://www.capgemini.com/resource-file-access/resource/pdf/the_big_data_payoff_turning_big_data_into_business_value.pdf 2 https://www.infosys.com/data-analytics/insights/Documents/effective-data-governance.pdf 3 http://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/understanding-the-chief-data-officer-role/

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