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What is Data Governance?

Data governance is the set of rules and processes that manages the privacy, integrity and security of the data in your systems. This data might relate to customers, employees, suppliers, or confidential business information.

Data governance rules are set internally, but they must also follow external regulations and standards, such as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) or the NHS Information Governance and Data Security and Protection (DSP).

Why data governance matters

Without an effective data governance strategy, there can be serious consequences, including:

  • Financial penalties and fines.
    Fines can (and do) run into the millions. Fines are enforced by regulatory bodies, such as the European Commission or the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
  • Criminal convictions.
    Serious negligence and misuse is punishable by law, and can even carry prison sentences.
  • Lawsuits.
    Mishandling data can lead to lawsuits and legal action being taken against your organisation.
  • Damage to reputation.
    Consumers are placing their trust in you when they hand over their data. Abusing that trust can mean lost customers, bad reviews and a damaged reputation.
  • Inefficient processes.
    Issues with data quality and consistency will affect the accuracy of your reporting and analytics systems.

You can avoid these mistakes and help your business grow by putting in place an effective data governance strategy.

Locked data

Building a data governance program with illumo digital

We can help you:

  1. Comply with regulations and standards – avoid large fines or penalties
  2. Reduce data management costs – help shape a more efficient data collection policy
  3. Prevent misuse of data – maintain a good reputation and retain customers
  4. Break down data silos – get better value from your data
  5. Increase data accuracy and reduce errors – make your data more useful
  6. Make data easier to surface – improve access for data scientists, business analysts, auditors
  7. Align your data governance strategy with your wider data processes and tools
  8. Train and educate staff about data governance processes

For more information, get in touch:

Get in touch

End-to-end data services

illumo digital offers data governance services to take your IT function to the next level. Our end-to-end data services include:

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us on 0117 379 0679

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We’d love to hear from you about your project. Our friendly, experienced team can help you connect the dots – whether you already know what you want, or want more information about our products and services.

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