Karl Meier

When it comes to governance, your first thought is probably government. But the term can also mean management or control through overarching rules – so laws, guidelines, and the creation of specific structures. The goal of structured data management is to ensure the availability, usability, integrity, security and confidentiality of information. 

So, data governance is nothing new – but many companies are only just getting around to it. But here's why they shouldn't wait any longer:

The objective of data governance

The objective of data governance is to provide insights into the availability, usability, integrity, security and privacy of data. As the amount of data organizations handle grows, establishing efficient data privacy policies and processes is critical. Furthermore, data privacy must be embedded in new systems and crafted onto existing legacy systems and networks. But privacy is far from just about software and hardware. It’s very much about people.

Data Governance. It’s kind of like going to the gym. You know it’s really good for you, but you just don’t do it (Sorry Nike!). The same applies for many organizations today when it comes to data governance. They know that it can add real value to their business, but despite that, it is and always has been difficult to sell internally. Concepts such as technical and business-related metadata, data quality, information models and data ownership often lack funding for implementation.

What you should know about data modeling

Gartner says, “Matching the data model to its purpose remains the most-important criterion in selecting CDI products. The model must be able to handle complex relationships and should map to the master customer information requirements of the entire organization, not just selected areas."¹

Some time ago the kids were searching for Dragon Ball figures on my iPad. Even if they hadn’t told me, I would have found out because of the ad retargeting. This happens when marketers mix up the device or account and the user.

The same thing happens when I order something for my mother. After that, I’m aging rapidly in the eyes of the marketers. I wish they knew me a bit better. I would avoid all the irrelevant ads and offers, and the company would attain a much more successful cross selling.

The past several years have brought many businesses through cost reduction programs. In the aftermarket¹ - as well as in several other industries - that means that price is a factor that is more important than ever.

Have you seen the movie Zootopia? A few weeks ago, I watched it with my kids. One of the most beloved characters is the sloth Flash, who works in the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Trying to get information from him is a little bit tedious as you can see in the trailer.

We’ve all seen these Design versus User Experience (UX) pictures on LinkedIn and Twitter. It’s a great illustration of the eternal battle between how a designer intends for their design to be used and how the end user uses it in a completely different way.

Image: bit.ly/1XuAG0V

Do you remember your last Easter egg hunt? Some eggs were easy to find. For others, you had to search longer and maybe you needed hints to find the eggs. But, it was worth searching until every egg was found. Otherwise, you ended up with fewer sweets or, if they were real eggs, they would rot in the summer heat.

It is the same with errors hidden like Easter eggs in your data. If you do not find them, you may miss out on potential profits or cause a problem worse than just bad odor.