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New Year's Resolution for GCs in 2016: Establishing a Data Governance Committee

By David F. Katz
December 31, 2015

Data is an increasingly valuable corporate asset that must be managed competently, efficiently and responsibly in order for a company to be well-positioned to thrive in a connected and data driven economy. Governing of the organization's data must be a priority for 2016. Organizations that don't put proactive systems in place now may find themselves a distant memory from the dawn of the age of the Internet of Things (IoT) for a whole host of reasons. Data breaches, poor data security, cybercrime, regulatory scrutiny, plaintiffs' lawyers, wholesale brand collapse, and loss of consumer trust and confidence surrounding data protection can all be material failures for a company, and 2015 has, again, confirmed that no one is safe for these risks.

The only hedge against cyberrisk is sound data governance, which requires a strong focus from the company's management team, excellent communication and leadership within the organization, and cooperation among all participants. Establishing a Data Governance Committee (DGC) is the first step to proactively addressing these risks, and to carefully evaluate the impact and full scope of what a commitment to good data governance could mean to the company in the long term.

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