publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/306297
INFORMATION GOVERNANCE COMES OF AGE The need for information governance has been well- documented recently. Organizations can no longer afford to ignore the problems caused by not having an IG program. CIOs and other business leaders are showing greater interest in IG. This escalation in interest has three primary drivers: • The information challenge is getting worse. Not only is the volume of enterprise data doubling every 12 to 18 months, but data are also being stored in hundreds of silos across an organization and around the world. An increasingly mobile workforce is also using multiple devices to access their data, which is forcing organizations to respond by delivering better connections to meet user expectations. Expectations for access anytime, anywhere, on almost any device exacerbate the information challenge. • The repercussions of poor governance practices are increasing. The sheer volume of an organization's data means simply throwing more storage at the problem is no longer a realistic way of dealing with it. Regardless of how inexpensive storage might be, the costs add up. In addition, poor governance practices could lead to compliance issues related to legal and regulatory requirements, resulting in fines or sanctions. • Technology is catching up with demand. Until recently, IG required a massive and unwieldy solution involving deep integration, combined with a high level of manual work to classify and migrate data. This approach resulted in unclear ROI. Much has changed, and solutions are emerging that are more modular in structure and compatible with cloud or hybrid cloud deployment. With these new solutions, an organization can solve a specific governance problem with proven ROI and then add additional modules to achieve even greater value. This new approach, combined with enhanced capabilities to automate retention policies, offers far greater flexibility than was possible with a single, monolithic solution. More organizations are realizing the problem of managing increased amounts of information could soon become unsolvable if swift action isn't taken. TRADITIONAL BENEFITS OF GOVERNANCE Historically, there have been three primary drivers for pursuing an information governance strategy, including: • Lower Risk: By gaining better control of information, you can guard against accidental data leaks and ensure greater compliance with data management regulations (internally or externally mandated). Perhaps most important, proper governance controls allow you to better protect your organization from inadvertent data spoliation. This added measure, to ensure data ILTA WHITE PAPER: APRIL 2014 WWW.ILTANET.ORG 11 TAKE BACK CONTROL OF ENTERPRISE DATA