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ICT

Why is a tailored data governance

framework key to driving your

data strategy?

By Gary Allemann, Master Data Management (MDM) management and governance. The need is largely
driven by legislation such as the Protection of Personal
Information Act (PoPIA), as well as the realisation that
data has value and can yield increased earnings when
hile CIOs and CDOs realise that simple used correctly in the digital age.
data management allows organisations With a customised governance framework in place,
Wto generate insights from their data, they organisations can increase their levels of efficiency and
cannot be sure whether this data is accurate, relevant improve their data management practices. Improved
or where it originates from. It is therefore questionable practices allow companies to know what data they have
whether conclusions drawn from this data are of any and where it is stored, thus also enabling them to identify
real value to the business. Data governance ensures duplicates, consolidate information and streamline
that the right people are involved at every step of processes.
the data management process - making decisions, understanding Working with an experienced partner like Master Data
impact, supplying context, prioritising deliveries, and staying Management allows organisations to tweak the framework according
informed. An appropriate data governance framework - that can be to their immediate needs, phasing in additional complexity later.
tailored based on your organisation’s maturity, business needs and For example, a company that is focussed on delivering self-service
priorities – ensures a structured approach to meeting your data business intelligence may begin by putting controls in place to enable
management goals, now and in the future. data scientists and other knowledge workers to find and access the
data sets they need to do their jobs, whilst an implementation focused
Still difficult to find an appropriate framework? on the Protection of Personal Information has the opposite goal – that
Finding an appropriate data governance framework can be difficult. of ensuring access to sensitive data is restricted. A data governance
Many of the available frameworks are too specific, created for distinct framework, supported by an experienced partner, must provide the
vertical and specified company requirements that may not match those road map to deliver either goal, but eventually cater for both.
of your organisation; while others are too broad, generic or high-level,
making it tough to relate back to the business or specific use case. Good business practice
MDM, a provider of complete data management solutions, Improved data management practices not only equate to good
recently announced its latest industry-agnostic and adaptable data business practice, but also facilitate regulatory compliance by allowing
governance framework, which can be tailored according to an companies to control access to and modification of their data.
organisation’s specific business requirements. The implementation Most organisations find it difficult to successfully implement
is a change management process that considers the organisation’s a data governance framework, which prompted MDM to take a
goals, data strategy and culture, in addition to its data governance collaborative approach, working hand-in-hand with the client to
and management maturity level. identify priorities and plan implementation accordingly.
This approach to data governance comes at a time when We jointly identify a particular starting point, based on a broader
organisations are increasingly recognising the need for data picture that includes the client’s data strategy, culture and current levels
of maturity. Once this is established, we collaboratively implement the
governance framework, adapting it to your specific requirements.
We have incorporated our nearly fifteen years of data governance
implementation experience into our new framework, which has now
been added to our growing offering. This includes our Enterprise
Information Management framework (EIM), PoPIA implementation
framework and MDM implementation framework, to mention a few.
MDM’s enterprise approach engages stakeholders across
business and IT to share knowledge, minimise unwanted impacts
and build trusted data within an organisation.
Companies that practise active data governance – embedding
data stewardship and curatorship activities into business-as-usual
data processes – report significant advantages in their ability to use
data effectively. n

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