Intelligent CIO Europe Issue 81 | Page 76

FINAL WORD

Data guardrails essential for governance

Ugo Ciracì , Data Strategist & BU Lead at Agile Lab , explains the growing necessity of data guardrails for effective governance .

eEnterprises everywhere are heavily focused on driving value from data , but what does this actually mean , and what are the main challenges they face ?

Driving value from data is a widely discussed business priority . Generally speaking , this is the process of using data to achieve a range of objectives , from informing decision-making and improving efficiency to optimising operational capabilities and the customer experience . The list of potential benefits goes on , but given the huge volumes of data modern businesses collect and retain , being data-driven is now synonymous with growth and success .
Turning the concept into something tangible , however , is fraught with challenges . Part of the problem is that many organisations are in a hurry to deliver demonstrable impact or uncover the kind of insight that will give them genuine competitive advantage . This can create a potentially serious disconnect between their data-led objectives and the governance frameworks they apply . In this context , issues such as data integrity , quality , architecture , security , and compliance can combine to derail efforts to leverage data effectively .
For example , organisations will often find that their legacy data strategy means datasets reside across disparate and siloed systems , incompatible formats and even different countries . This can add a huge level of complexity to the tasks associated
76 INTELLIGENTCIO EUROPE www . intelligentcio . com