Managing Data Governance in a Cloud-Focused World

The rate at which companies are amassing data is staggering. More than half of organizations today (57%) have production workloads running in the cloud and with the amount of new devices being introduced that create, consume and transmit data to the cloud, it has become critical to have some type of cloud governance program in place. However, one of the most challenging elements of such a program is how to manage an organization’s sensitive data. This data could encompass anything from bank account and credit card numbers to HR payroll data. Misuse or negligent handling of this information could cost companies tens of thousands of dollars per record lost in a potential data breach. Besides monetary consequences, we’ve also seen how disastrous a data breach can be to customer confidence. Cloud governance is nothing to scoff at!

When the stakes are this high, it is understandable that companies are reluctant to trust the cloud. Gartner predicts that “through 2020, 95% of cloud security failures will be the customer’s fault.” However, cloud providers have made significant improvements to their security offerings over the last five years. This means that with proper planning and preparation, you can still reap the benefits of cloud efficiency and agility while maintaining appropriate levels of security.

Narjit Aujla