The Need for and Value of Data Governance

Abstract

Universities increasingly recognize data as a valuable enterprise asset and that the shift to a decentralized cloud based software as a service model makes it more difficult to manage these assets. Formal data governance programs are on the rise as a method to foster data-driven decisions and reduce risk. Data governance controls the data asset life cycle by focusing on governing the data itself rather than on managing the data processing technology. A data governance program assigns responsibility for specific data assets to individuals and formally defines that responsibility. Data governance programs provide a structured decision making process for resolving issues. As important users of enterprise data assets, Institutional Research departments can support the establishment of data governance programs by identifying current problems and evangelizing the benefits of a formal data governance program. Although this chapter focuses on data structures and examples from one particular institution, many of the comments included in this chapter can be considered by IR officials, in all types and sizes of institutions.