Information Governance

Data and information are increasingly becoming the lifeblood of organisations.  However the exponential amounts of data being collected by companies and government alike, together with the risks and costs of holding and securing this information, have created a new set of issues for those responsible for organisational governance. IG provides a unified strategic framework for the control, security, optimisation and effective use of information.  It is an essential part of good corporate governance, assisting organisations to maximise the value of information while minimising risks and costs by providing a mechanism to align policies and processes, people and technologies across an organisation. The IG diagram below shows different areas and activities within an organisation responsible for the security, control, optimisation and risk management of data and information.  There may be more or fewer areas according to the type and size of the organisation.  The key to implementing an effective information governance […]

  This is the first in a series of articles explaining how design information governance (IG) adds to the ontological and structural language that creates the 'sensemaking' framework for complex adaptive systems. In doing so, IG provides a foundational enterprise capability which enables adaptive behaviour and organizational resilience in the face of changes in the internal and external environment. Modern society is enabled by systems, some of them technology-centric like our road and rail networks, some human-centric like our system of parliamentary democracy, and some a more balanced mix like our health system. Successful systems are those that are effective in meeting the needs that they were designed (or emerged) to meet and are sustainable in the face of change. A key enabler of successful systems is appropriate design information. For example, the number and boundaries of electorates in our parliamentary democracy are periodically adjusted to ensure that the (design) […]

InfoGovANZ joined with National Archives and other professional organisations including RIMPA, IM, DAMA, Australian Society of Archivists, Australian Library and Information Association as part of Information Awareness Month.  The event provided an opportunity for industry leaders  to share perspectives on contemporary information and data management trends and challenges.  The Many Voices, One Message booklet summarising the key themes and topics discussed at the workshop has just been published this week. Access the booklet

  Information is critical to decision-making and plays an essential role across all three pillars of governance. The emerging driver of good information governance globally is compliance with regulatory obligations, particularly with the growth in global privacy laws. Effective information governance requires top-down board and senior executive leadership. Good corporate governance in the data driven and digital economy poses significant challenges for Boards and seniors executives.  This article highlights the importance of information governance to ensure there is a unified strategy and framework to govern information effectively.  Good information governance enables organisations to maximise the value of information as a business asset while minimising risks and costs, particularly those associated with data breach. Over the last 25 years there has a lot been written about corporate governance.  There have been debates about the value it adds to an organisation and even the share price on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). […]

Presidential tweets, Self-destructing messages and the use of Shadow IT as the ‘new normal’:  The need for Information Governance more than ever – Jason R Baron   Thanks to Gilbert+Tobin and Thomson Geer for hosting very successful and engaging events in Sydney and Melbourne with Jason R. Baron presenting ‘Presidential tweets, Self-destructing messages and the use of Shadow IT as the ‘new normal’: The need for Information Governance more than ever’. Jason’s keynote was followed by panel discussions facilitated by Susan Bennett, Co-founder InfoGovANZ – the Melbourne panel included Victorian Privacy and Data Protection Commissioner, Rachel Dixon and Paul Noonan, Technology Partner at Thomson Geer; and the Sydney panel included NSW Privacy Commissioner, Samantha Gavel and Simon Burns, Technology Partner at Gilbert + Tobin. Jason’s keynote, delivered in his distinctive and thoroughly entertaining style, addressed the rapidly changing information landscape and the impact it is having on individuals and organisations. His observations […]

  What is Information Governance? Effective Information Governance is a key factor in delivering strong Corporate Governance. An organisation’s information governance defines the rules and the roles for protecting information, ensuring its proper use and providing maximum value to the business. Information governance is also concerned with protecting sensitive information, preserving and sharing knowledge, keeping records and mitigating information risks. Why is it important to corporate governance? Good information governance supports an organisation’s strategic objectives and corporate governance approach in a very pragmatic way by providing the tangible mechanisms (intellectual, architectural and procedural) for getting the right information to the right people at the right time to support business operations. What are governance documents? Governance documents are the tools through which direction and guidance is formally given to business operations. They are the policies, standards, procedures and data capture tools that define the minimum operating requirements for running the business. […]

In Australia, New Zealand and around the world, the impact of social media and a 24/7 news cycle, has changed the ability of simple stories that would have been forgotten within days to be reported immediately and that the ‘trending’ of topics, indexed by hashtags (#) hurts the corporate world.  The need for clearer communications strategies, especially in times of crisis management, has never been so urgent.  Having a clear spokesperson, probably the CEO, who can explain events as they unfold and with transparency and integrity answer questions as are launched by journalists, competitors, regulators, lobbyists and shareholders, to name a few stakeholders. There are a number of researchers that examine the thoughts of corporate directors and other governance professionals to predict trends that impact on the top concerns of people.  The importance of information governance is growing annually in the light of corporate governance requirements. Two particularly important sources are the US […]

In the first article in this series (here) I described why ensuring consistent information about how the business is operated and what standards are expected to be met is part of the ‘common language’ required for effective corporate governance and why it is essential to safe and efficient business operations. Establishing and communicating a simple governance document hierarchy in your organisation supports better corporate governance by creating a shared understanding of the key tools used to embed corporate culture, establish strategic priorities, maintain business operations and to control risks. Every business function and discipline in your organisation should have a suite of high quality, plain English governance documents which describe how they operate and are easy to locate by any business user who needs them. The key to using any heuristic approach is to understand that you are creating a mental model for business users – a set of simple mental shortcuts that allows […]

Cyberattacks, data breach, privacy of customers, citizens and employees’ personal information, together with the opportunities to create value from data and information held by organisations – are major drivers for organisations to implement a strategic approach to the governance of data and information as part of good corporate governance. Information Governance provides an overarching strategic framework for organisations seeking to control and secure information throughout their organisation, which both maximises the value of information and minimises the costs and risks of holding it. Twelve months ago, the Director-General of the Australian National Archives called for Chief Information Governance Officer positions to be created to lead the digital transformation in Federal government agencies.  This article looks at different Information Governance leadership models being used in corporate and government organisations together with the views of Information Governance leaders in those organisations. Who is responsible for data and information? Typically, an organisation’s data […]

The Information Governance Imperative Information Governance is a key issue for organisations in today’s security conscious world.  The imperative driving this surge in interest is twofold, but is essentially all about risk management: The fast pace of the evolving digital world can disrupt existing businesses that don’t have a proactive Information Governance program; and Effective leadership of Information Governance is the key to ensuring appropriate strategies, priorities, policies and processes are successfully embedded in an organisation to maximise the opportunities and minimise the risks arising from the information it holds. The value for organisations is to enable the delivery of better outcomes by minimising the risk and maximising the value of the information they hold. The value to individual Information Governance professionals is to keep them up to date with the latest developments and international global thinking and ensure the professional discipline of Information Governance is recognised as a key […]

Table of Contents  Executive Summary Information in the Digital Age Information Challenges Introducing Information Governance Benefits of Information Governance Information Governance Framework Implementing Information Governance Information Governance Definitions Acknowledgements 1. Executive Summary 1.1 Introduction   Most company directors and senior company officers take their Corporate Governance responsibilities seriously, they understand the mechanisms and processes by which a corporation is controlled and directed. They also have a good understanding about the roles and relationships that are required between the business, risk and compliance, audit, HR and even Information Technology (IT), and the standards and processes that need to be put in place to establish and maintain a company’s compliance obligations. Information Governance (IG) is a subset of Corporate Governance (which is the mechanisms and processes by which a corporation is controlled and directed), however, many of us struggle with its concepts. It is not IT (although elements of IT are a […]

Effective leadership of information governance (IG) is key to ensuring that appropriate strategies, priorities, policies and processes are successfully embedded in an organisation, both to maximise the opportunities and minimise the risks arising from the information it holds. Download Now