3 Reasons MSPs, ISVs, And VARs Need To Carefully Consider Data Governance

By Joseph Tavano, Continuum Managed IT Services

The way the world uses data has changed. In a short span of time, the amount of data created globally has increased at a geometric rate. We’re no longer thinking in terms of gigabytes, terabytes or even petabytes — we’re in the age of a data universe measured in exabytes and zettabytes (that’s one trillion gigabytes, if you can believe it).

Big Data is starting to look as unfathomable as the night sky in its size and scope, and just like the untold numbers of stars in the sky, businesses are starting to realize they cannot account for the entirety of their data production by conventional means. More and more, they are turning to MSPs, ISVs, and VARs for help with data governance strategy, implementation, and compliance. There’s a great opportunity to add data governance programs to your service offering, but in doing so, what exactly are your clients’ seeking, and what exactly are they expecting you to deliver? Before you get started, there are a few things to consider.

1. One Size Does NOT Fit All. In essence, data governance is a set of controls to control the quality, integrity, usability, and security of a company’s information. However, that can mean many things to many companies. A main street SMB, hospital, bank, and government office all have different requirements, and, in some cases, compliance law to adhere to. Be prepared to create custom data governance assessments for each client that examine their data security, data retention policies, data creation standards, and the efficacy of the programs in place. In addition, you’ll need to determine your client’s exposure to compliance regulation such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) or the Sabarnes-Oaxley Act, and whether they are currently at risk of noncompliance. Some considerations...

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