Recent times have seen several big corporations and institutions suffer massive data breaches and leaks. The incidences involving Sony, Adobe Systems, 21st Century Oncology, U.S Postal Service, and the Office of Personnel Management, among others, have shown no one is safe from data breach attempts.

They have also underlined the vital role of information as an asset. The incidents also highlighted the need for a defined strategy on how it is handled at all levels. For this reason, information governance has emerged as an important area for businesses and institutions of all sizes.

What is Information Governance, and what does it involve?

Information governance primarily involves having control over the information generated in your organisation. It consists of setting up a framework of rights and responsibilities that determine how information is acquired, processed, and stored.

In the light of cybersecurity and new global regulations around how data is collected and used, information governance brings order to all data life stages. These are;

  • Acquisition
  • Creation
  • Transportation
  • Storage
  • Use
  • Curation
  • Deletion

Information governance brings an oversight role in the management and use of data in the organisation, ensuring they meet the policy defined by the agreed-upon framework and regulations.

As such, information governance will focus on areas such as;

  1. Appropriate use of data including defining what proper use is and what is inappropriate by the different parties
  2. Determine the value of the data being kept by the company for either compliance reasons or business use.
  3. Classify and curate the various information collected and facilitating its use.
  4. Determine the information lifecycle and the policies around the different stages.
  5. Create access policies determining who accesses what and under which circumstances.
  6. Create policies that define stakeholders and ownership, as well as the accountability and responsibility of each party.

Recent times have seen several big corporations and institutions suffer massive data breaches and leaks. The incidences involving Sony, Adobe Systems, 21st Century Oncology, U.S Postal Service, and the Office of Personnel Management, among others, have shown no one is safe from data breach attempts.

They have also underlined the vital role of information as an asset. The incidents also highlighted the need for a defined strategy on how it is handled at all levels. For this reason, information governance has emerged as an important area for businesses and institutions of all sizes.

Principles of Information Governance

In implementing information governance, certain principles need to be considered which involve;

  • Accountability is the first principle, and all the different parties get defined their responsibility and how they will be held accountable.
  • Transparency is a crucial element since the framework has to be done in an open and verifiable manner.
  • Integrity requires the policies of information governance to maintain the reliability of the data being collected.
  • The principle of protection demands that information has to be kept secure and the access qualities determined.
  • The principle of compliance requires that information government strategies reflect international and governmental agencies’ laws and policies.
  • Retention principle; requires you to define how long you will store the information and covers the legal, financial, and operational requirements.
  • The disposition principle requires that any information the company no longer needs is disposed of safely and lawfully.

Importance of information governance

Information governance is a critical part of any organisational structure. It affects all other necessary departments from IT to finance and from legal to human resources. Some of the benefits of the information governance include;

  1. It supports your organisation’s needs, objectives, and priorities by providing relevant information and streamlining the channels.
  2. It enables you to comply with all the required regulations and avoid financial losses from penalties and fines.
  3. Helps prevent data breaches
  4. Improves data analysis capabilities
  5. Increases the employees understanding and adoption of the information policies
  6. Helps in avoiding information duplication and unauthorised modification
  7. Introduces a system of accountability that helps in crisis times and acts as an extra incentive to ensure you and your employees take considerable care when handling information.

What does information governance training involve?

Information governance training aims to equip you with the knowledge and skills that introduce to this field and prepare you to better handle and utilise information in your organisation. Part of the areas covered by the course include;

  • Introduction to information and governance
  • The role of information governance
  • Structures around information governance
  • The laws and regulations around information governance and compliance standards
  • Strategies for implementing information governance
  • Topics or accuracy, retention, and disposal
  • Confidential waste issues
  • Data breaches topics
  • The responsibilities and roles of information asset owners and stakeholders
  • Controlling information access
  • Creation of privacy policies
  • Information management on new platforms

Benefits of information governance training

Given the vital position of information governance, you and your employees have to be trained around the various aspects and issues of information governance. It is an evolving field and training in this field offers the following benefits;

  1. You become aware of the various laws and regulations around information handling, and you are in a position to ensure compliance.
  2. You can design and implement an effective and practical strategy for managing information assets.
  3. You improve how you capture, sort, share, access, store, and dispose of information.
  4. You can identify the relevant roles and responsibilities for information governance within your organisation.
  5. You become aware of and understand the importance of information governance.
  6. You increase security measures and implement proper confidential guidelines that prevent data leaks and breaches.
  7. You and your employees can benefit from a fast-tracked yet comprehensive information governance training program.

Our Information Governance training course provides an opportunity to keep up with modern trends through both theory and a practical one-day program covering the latest issues in information governance. Inhouse training is also available. Contact us today for any inquiries.