Data management: develop a strategy that makes compliance simple

Given the crucial nature of data to businesses across every industry and sector, it is also vital that these organisations have sufficient processes in place to enable them to meet compliance requirements. However, there are still many that are unable to meet these standards, and this partly comes from the challenges of understanding all of your data, and then having the right systems in place to manage it.

Prior to the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2018, only 11% of survey respondents understood what constituted personal data within their organisation. One year on, 64% of respondents to a 2019 survey said that changing business processes and cultural requirements were greater obstacles to producing compliant data-centric practices than the technology itself. This suggests that the area businesses are most struggling with is the process of re-thinking their data management strategy, and putting new initiatives and solutions into place. To do this effectively, there are a few key areas that should be focused on:

The starting point for developing any strong data management strategy is to recognise how data is used throughout the organisation from the date it is generated through to the present, and everywhere from the edge of the network perimeter to the data centre. Work through the following questions: does the data need to be retained, and if it does, how long for? If it doesn’t, what happens to it? Where should it be stored?

Looking at data retention more specifically, this requires an approach that balances business with compliance legislation so the suitable levels of data accessibility and management can be delivered. Working in accordance with data retention rules and principles should, in turn, guide the development of appropriate processes to identify important data and then manage it in the most efficient and cost-effective way. This proves that, once again, knowing more about the data is essential.

Any data management platform that is chosen to support this effort needs to support data management and compliance strategies. In addition, by coordinating with data management and storage service providers, organisations are better placed to optimise their approach to data management, data quality, and data governance. This not only assists with the ability to remain compliant, but also helps organisations leverage more value from their data through analytics and intelligence.

With the huge volumes of data that are now in existence and being stored by businesses, one of the most important aspects to get right in data management is overcoming the ‘noise’ that this data produces. Applying data analytics to focus on what’s important is essential if enterprises are to improve efficiency, business decision-making, and secure that important competitive edge while still meeting compliance needs. However, it’s vital to remember that big data can add significant value to the decision-making process, but equally, supporting and managing large volumes of unstructured data can be complex and time-consuming.