Data Governance: The Definitive Guide

Chapter 9. Building a Culture of Data Privacy and Security

In this book we have covered a lot: considerations in data governance, the people and processes involved, the data life cycle, tools, and beyond. These are all pieces of a puzzle that need to come together in the end for data governance to be successful.

As alluded to earlier, data governance is not just about the products, tools, and people who carry out the process—there is also the need to build a data culture. The careful creation and implementation of a data culture—especially one focused on privacy and security—not only aids in the establishment of a successful data governance program but also ensures that the program is maintained over time.

As we discussed in Chapter 3, the people and processes around data governance—in conjunction with data governance tools—are essential components of a data governance program. In this chapter we will go one step further than thatby including the data culture (the culture within a company around data) as a key final component in creating a highly successful data governance program.

Data Culture: What It Is and Why It’s Important

The data culture is the set of values, goals, attitudes, and practices around data, data collection, and data handling within a company or organization. While many companies or organizations spend quite a bit of time vetting data governance tools and creating processes, they often fail to set up a culture within the company around data.

This culture defines ...