With cyber breaches in the news on what seems like a daily basis, data governance is on every IT department and CSO’s mind. In the event of a breach, the Blame Game often gets played. There are generally 3 groups of people who will be on the receiving end of all the finger pointing after a breach. With a few simple steps and a good data governance plan, you can greatly reduce the risk of a data breach and all that finger-pointing.
The End User
When it comes to placing blame, the end user is the easiest target. They were the one who accidentally clicked on the email, or left that password on a sticky note on the side of their monitor. The average end user has 6-10 user IDs and passwords for different applications that they need to complete their job. Chances are those user IDs and passwords are written down somewhere and to make matters worse, the credentials are left out in plain sight for anyone to see and use.
With all of our end users having a mild panic attack right now, this is an ideal time to take a deep breath and implement these tips to keep yourself safe as far as data governance is concerned.
1. Be aware of where you store your passwords and credentials. Don’t stick them on the side of your monitor.
2. See if your company has a password management system. If so, we highly suggest using it.
3. If you have access to an application that you no longer use, notify your manager or IT department and have them kill your access.
The Manager or CSO
The manager or CSO is often standing right next to the end user as the blame gets passed around. When it comes to data, the manager or CSO is ultimately responsible for the data from a compliance standpoint. Now is your average CSO walking the cubical hallways looking for password riddled post-it notes? Chances are the answer is no, but having a company-wide data governance policy in place will definitely help alleviate the CSO’s desire to become a password super sleuth.
As a manager or CSO, you have a lot on your plate. These 4 tips will help ease your mind when it comes to data governance.
1. Ask for a list of everyone who has access to the data you are responsible for.
2. Ask to be notified when the data access is changed.
3. Make access changes, a permission-based change.
4. Push for a password management system to be enacted.
The IT Department
Many times the IT department is the main group being blamed for any breach, even if the breach really isn’t their fault. Your IT department often is doing the best they can with the resources allotted to them. If the organization does not have an access request system in place, it is usually the IT department that is left to grant access to specific data. Your IT department might not know what Sally in Marketing needs to complete her job, or what Ben in Finance needs to complete a report. Assigning your data governance to a group of people who have no idea who needs access to what is a guaranteed way to lose control of your organization's data. These 4 tips are geared towards assisting the IT department in data governance.
1. Ask your IT department for solutions for your data governance policy. They probably have a good handle on available technology designed specifically with this purpose in mind.
2. A meeting with management, IT, and the C-suite would allow for a combined discussion on solutions, implementation, and budgeting.
3. Once again, implementing a password management system is a great first step.
4. Implement a company-wide (does no good if it is only department-based) data governance policy.
With these simple steps and a bit of teamwork, you can mitigate a lot of your organization's data governance risk, and stop that finger pointing before it ever starts. For more information on data governance or to speak with our advisory services division, call us at 1 (866) 216-4366 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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