In recent years, accessible cloud storage has arguably become the most important contemporary innovation that has had a major impact on both private and public sector organizations. Though smartphones seem to be taking much of the credit for the world’s ongoing digital transformation, our present-day app economy simply wouldn’t be what it is without mature cloud-based storage, as it has greatly lowered the costs of maintaining effective and—most importantly—reliable online applications
However, as organizations increasingly migrate their data to the cloud, the need for strong data governance has never been greater. For the majority of organizations out there, cloud services provide unparalleled scalability, flexibility, and cost savings. That said, this shift to the cloud simultaneously introduces a few complex challenges in data management.
Thankfully, effective data governance can reduce the issues organizations face when bringing data offsite. Whether you’re transitioning to cloud storage or simply want to standardize your organization’s data handling practices, let these principles guide you in building a trustworthy data management system on the cloud:
1. Set Unambiguous Data Governance Policies
It can be easy to forget that data does not manage itself. All organizations are ultimately reliant on people to effectively and responsibly manage data, regardless of where it’s hosted. Therefore, effective data governance often depends on clearly defined policies regarding how human users interact with online systems.
When establishing standard data governance procedures, outline the roles each stakeholder has for managing data throughout its lifecycle. Critically, all stakeholders must be properly informed of their responsibilities and the importance of data governance before they are allowed to manage data. Work with key leaders in your organization to ensure that your policies are aligned with your business’s objectives and with overarching regulatory requirements.
2. Establish Trustworthy Data Stewardship
Regardless of your policies, there must be data stewards responsible for managing data quality, security, and compliance. These key gatekeepers must serve as the bridge between IT and business units and ensure that the data being uploaded to the system is not only accurate but also adequately protected. Data stewards should ideally be individuals within your organization who are already champions for data-driven business, as their role makes them a lynchpin in cultivating a culture that values and understands data.
3. Ensure Data Quality Right at the Source
The principle of “garbage-in, garbage-out” is as relevant in data management as it ever was. High-quality data is the only kind of data that has any value for making informed decisions that drive the organization forward.
To ensure that your cloud storage and apps work with clean data, establish processes for data validation, monitoring, and cleaning to maintain accuracy and consistency. Use appropriate automated tools to detect errors and involve data stewards in building your data quality assurance efforts.
4. Consider Scalability and Future Needs
For the vast majority of organizations, data requirements can only increase. A scalable data architecture is, therefore, almost certainly essential for accommodating growing needs. It’s especially worth considering given the ballooning size of typical business applications.
From the onset, your cloud infrastructure must be designed or selected to support scalability, flexibility, and interoperability across multiple platforms and devices. This maximizes the utility of the system, helps avoid the cost of more frequent upgrades, and ensures that your architecture can continue serving your system into the foreseeable future.
5. Implement Strong Data Security and Compliance Measures
Data security is paramount in the cloud environment since businesses do not always have direct control over all parts of the infrastructure. At the minimum, your cloud solution must have sufficient encryption, access controls with multi-factor authentication, and automated intrusion detection systems to keep data from being accessed by unauthorized parties. Only choose technology providers that give regular system updates and support. This way, you can be confident that your data is secure from emerging threats and you’re sure that you’re complying with data protection regulations.
6. Promote Data Transparency
Transparency is critical for effective data governance. Records of data sources, transformations, and usage must be maintained so that users can be kept accountable. Prioritizing transparency helps build trust in your cloud system and allows it to comply with laws related to data handling.
7. Guarantee Data Accessibility and Usability
Ensuring that data is easily accessible and usable by authorized users is a key aspect of data governance. For this reason, serious training programs should be established to empower users to utilize data effectively in their roles. Role-based access controls should also be rationally set so that they do not impede with the day-to-day handling of cloud-based data.
8. Build a Culture That Truly Values Data
Data governance may fail when stakeholders take data for granted. Organizations will often neglect to protect or even utilize data if they do not see their managers and peers value it. Fortunately, datacentric organizational cultures can be built through earnest initiatives and by hiring individuals who are a good fit for the culture that needs to be built.
In day-to-day operations, you and other major stakeholders must set an example by encouraging data-driven decision-making. Development sessions that promote the value of data and analytics must also be provided to all stakeholders, regardless of their roles. Importantly, ongoing training must be regularly scheduled to enhance data literacy and empower employees to use data effectively.
Data Governance: A Key Ingredient in Sustainable Organizational Growth
Effective data governance in the cloud maximizes the value of your data assets and keeps your business safe from emerging threats and regulatory risks. By considering the key principles discussed above, organizations from any sector can create a uniquely effective data governance framework that supports business goals and enhances the value of all employees.
Prioritizing these principles rather than policy specifics is also crucial, given that data governance must change, with time. As cloud technologies and external risks develop further, data use policies must be flexible enough to adapt to the times. With a strong guiding framework in place, your business will maximize its cloud capabilities in a safe and legally compliant manner.