Information Governance

Information Awareness Month (IAM) is the opportunity for industry bodies and industry practitioners to work together to celebrate the amazing profession of managing information. The collaboration of industry groups continues to evolve by strengthening relationships which in turn, provides added exposure to all things information for all members. Industry bodies worked together to determine the trending issues impacting Information Management (IM) in 2021 and agreed that the National Archives of Australia (NAA) new policy “Building Trust in the Public Record” provided guidance on the theme for this year’s IAM. The IAM 2021 Events Summary report provides collaborative group members a summation of the discussions that occurred at each of the round tables with ideas to follow up in the ensuing years.

The Information Governance (IG) Roundtable had an engaged discussion covering a wide range of current issues and drivers for information governance. The discussion covered: Drivers of Information Governance in 2021, the compelling reasons for organisations to implement Information Governance, what are the current challenges and actions for protecting information and more. Participants included Roxanne Missingham, Kathryn Dan, Alex Caughey Hutt, Dr Chris Colwell, Dani Wickman, Fiona Beatty, Judy Anderson, David Brous, Genevieve Dwyer, Brandon Voight, David Church, Amanda Dolman and Simon Costello.  The roundtable was hosted by InfoGovANZ, facilitated by Susan Bennett and sponsored by ActiveNav.    IG Drivers in 2021  Our discussion considered key trends in IG, noting that the InfoGovANZ IG Industry Report 2021 identified the three main drivers for IG as:  External regulatory compliance and legal obligations;   Good business management practices; and  Internal technology restructuring or transitions.   The role of regulatory compliance as a mechanism to elevate […]

  As we put 2020 behind us and look forward to 2021, InfoGovANZ reflected in an interactive virtual discussion forum on the key IG learnings from the past 12 months and the insights and actions we now need to be taking to make the most of the opportunities and challenges on the road to recovery in 2021. We’ve seen the different ways governments have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and the results in managing the pandemic. Similarly, organisations have had to adapt to the changes and, in particular, to faster digital transformation. Robust governance of organisations and of information has never been so important. Increased cyber risks and the importance of access to real-time and accurate data for decision-making, both at the board level and throughout the organisation, are now critical issues. Given the expected ongoing complex and uncertain operating environment in 2021, robust information governance is needed to provide […]

As we put 2020 behind us and look forward to 2021, we reflected in an interactive virtual discussion forum on the key IG learnings from the past 12 months and the insights and actions we now need to be taking to make the most of the opportunities and challenges on the road to recovery in 2021. We’ve seen the different ways governments have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and the results in managing the pandemic. Similarly, organisations have had to adapt to the changes and, in particular, to faster digital transformation. Robust governance of organisations and of information has never been so important. Increased cyber risks and the importance of access to real-time and accurate data for decision-making, both at the board level and throughout the organisation, are now critical issues. Our expert panel included InfoGovANZ Advisory Board member, Sonya Sherman, with over 20 years’ experience is a highly regarded […]

As we put 2020 behind us and look forward to 2021, we reflected in an interactive virtual discussion forum on the key IG learnings from the past 12 months and the insights and actions we now need to be taking to make the most of the opportunities and challenges on the road to recovery in 2021. We’ve seen the different ways governments have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and the results in managing the pandemic. Similarly, organisations have had to adapt to the changes and, in particular, to faster digital transformation. Robust governance of organisations and of information has never been so important. Increased cyber risks and the importance of access to real-time and accurate data for decision-making, both at the board level and throughout the organisation, are now critical issues. Our expert panel included InfoGovANZ International Council member,  Brynmor Bowen, Principal Consultant at Greenheart Consulting Partners, and a Board […]

As we put 2020 behind us and look forward to 2021, we reflected in an interactive virtual discussion forum on the key IG learnings from the past 12 months and the insights and actions we now need to be taking to make the most of the opportunities and challenges on the road to recovery in 2021. The forum featured leading expert practitioners sharing their experiences and views for the year ahead including Susan Bennett, Sarah Auva’a, Ronke Ekwensi, Sonya Sherman, Dr Peter Chapman, Aurelie Jacquet, Richard Kessler, Bryn Bowen, Andrew King, Daimhin Warner, Dean Gonsowski and Enzo Lisciotto. You can read the insights of our expert panel in InfoGovANZ Key Learnings from 2020 – Action and Insights for 2021 Report, which is available for download here. The recording of the webinar on InfoGovANZ Key Learnings from 2020 – Action and Insights for 2021, which took place on 28 January 2021, is […]

Without a shadow of a doubt, 2020, will be remember for the impact of COVID-19, lockdowns, deaths and hospitals stretched to the limits. For Australia, the pandemic also followed the worst drought in a century and the worst bushfires in recorded history. This has had a profound impact on one of Australia’s largest exports, valued at over trillion dollars, education. Universities across Australia have been impacted in so many ways, which have pushed their systems to their limits. It has highlighted the importance of data and technology and the crucial importance of information governance. Issues In April 2020, I was interviewed by GRC Professional journal on the risks to universities (before COVID-19 had taken a grip, but once Chinese student visas were cancelled). I was asked “What are some the broad risks that universities face?” My reply was the current risk in Australian universities is, without doubt, the impact of […]

Effective corporate governance is not a one-size-fits-all approach, as recognised by regulators and self-regulatory organisations around the world. Principles propounded by local advisory and governing bodies provide guidance on how to effectively and transparently manage an organization and ensure it is meeting its obligations to all stakeholders. We will examine how corporate governance principles can be enhanced and improved by the explicit integration of information governance into companies’ corporate governance schema.   Corporate Governance Corporate governance is, in its most general terms, how a business is controlled, governed, and operated. Principles of good corporate governance include fairness, accountability, responsibility, and transparency. A company’s system of governance is its framework of rules, relationships, controls, and processes. Company management and boards have myriad responsibilities. These range from planning for pandemics, natural disasters, and other major events that can affect a company’s basic ability to conduct business and disrupt operations; managing the company’s […]

Information governance, data protection and security, privacy, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI) have all become critical topics for boards and government bodies to consider. Historically, the issues tended to be dealt with under either ‘IT’ issues or records and information compliance issues.  In recent years, the importance of cybersecurity, AI and data analytics together with changing privacy regulations have brought new governance challenges to the forefront of the minds of directors. Top issues for Directors There are common themes in the surveys of top issues confronting Boards of Directors, which have been carried out in recent years.  These include the opportunities and challenges arising from technology innovation and disruption, the overriding concern of cybersecurity and data breach, which is highlighting the importance of information security, and regulatory compliance including changing privacy regulations. The Akin Gump Lawyers group in the USA report an annual “Top 10 topics for Directors” each year, […]

Achieving interconnected services, sharing and re-using information and data assets requires strategic planning and investment. The Data Interoperability Maturity Model (DIMM) is the latest advice from the National Archives of Australia for building interoperability under the Digital Continuity 2020 Policy. It highlights the importance of information and data governance to drive interoperability initiatives. The Director-General of the National Archives of Australia, David Fricker stated,  ‘it is often said the data is the ‘oil’ of the 21st century, because in the future data will be the principal resource that drives our economy and our way of life.   Just like oil, data has to be properly managed.  It must discoverable, and of sufficient quality – pure, authentic and reliable – to drive the processes that rely on it.  Unified information and data governance empowers an organisation to align its interoperability objectives while balancing associated risks.’ The DIMM’s downloadable assessment tool helps your […]