Data governance refers to the policies and processes by which an organization manages the definition, use, quality, consistency, usability, security, and availability of its data and information. It is about knowing the quality of data and that it is fit for use.

Data governance ensures the right people are involved in setting data standards and defining data usage and integration across projects, subject areas and lines of business. It will influence IT strategies and technologies but must be driven by business needs and not by technology.

Data Governance is meant to address common enterprise data issues including:

• Management of data as a Corporate asset

• Data quality issues

• Projects executed in silo fashion with limited data sharing across functions and lines of business

• Inefficient (costly) management of data

A data governance program will allow for the management of information-centric processes across the enterprise and standardization of shared or common concepts, such as consistent and sustainable definition of business terms across systems or applications.

Employing a data governance framework and instilling diligence in a diversified organization will require significant and sustained executive sponsorship, business collaboration and change management. In addition, several key process decisions will need to be made and new approaches considered.