Global Information Governance Day 2023

Today, February 16, is Global Information Governance Day! Global Information Governance Day (GIGD) was established by the Information Governance Initiative (IGI), a think tank and research organization dedicated to advancing the field of information governance. The IGI was founded in 2014 by industry experts and thought leaders, including Barclay Blair, Bennett B. Borden, Jason R. Baron, and Jay Brudz. 

The goal of GIGD is to promote best practices in managing information throughout its lifecycle, from creation to disposal, and to increase awareness of the significance of information governance. A crucial discipline called information governance aids firms in managing and safeguarding their information assets, ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory obligations, and getting the most out of their data. 

The third Thursday in February is designated as Global Information Governance Day (GIGD), which brings together professionals from a variety of industries, including compliance, legal, records management, and IT.  

Information governance: What is it? 

An organization’s implementation of a set of policies, practices, and controls to manage its information assets over their lifecycle is called information governance (IG). This covers all kinds of data, regardless of its format—physical or digital—or the location where it is kept. 

Information governance seeks to make sure that data is utilised responsibly, in accordance with legal and regulatory standards, and that it is accurate, complete, and secure. Coordination between many departments and roles, such as legal, IT, records management, compliance, and business divisions, is necessary for effective information governance. 

Information governance is closely tied with RIM (Records and Information Management) 

What caused the initial necessity for the regulation of information? The beginning was with records. A record might be a real, physical object or digital data like an email, database, or application data. The production of a record until its eventual disposal was formerly seen as the record’s lifecycle. 

Traditional records management fell behind as information development surged in recent decades and rules and compliance concerns grew. Information governance programs were created due to the need for a more comprehensive platform for managing records and information to address all stages of the lifecycle. 

What characteristics mark a successful information governance program? 

With decades of experience in information governance, ZircoDATA has based its company on advising businesses on how to implement best practices for information governance. In short, effective information governance relies on the creation and upkeep of robust regulations, their enforcement, and, of course, some good old fashioned due diligence. 

Executing a successful information governance program, however, is frequently challenging, even with solid fundamental data governance policies and procedures. Workforce training, system proficiency, fundamental business processes, and evolving legislation can all help or hinder your program depending on how well it is executed. You need to use a solid foundation in Information Governance best practices to develop and operate a robust records and information management program. A program plan for implementation begins with data collection and an evaluation phase to determine the status of the IG policies and the level of compliance across the business. 

Establishing an effective information governance program 

In-depth interviews with important stakeholders, examination of workflow systems and business processes, and surveys of the workforce to determine the extent of compliance are all possible during the assessment phase of information governance. 

Typical program evaluation criteria for information governance include: 

  • The coordination of using internal resources to implement an IG program 
  • Executive sponsorship’s level of involvement and their ability to exert pressure on other parties to uphold established rules 
  • Training, retention education, developing information governance standards, and other rules’ existence (or absence) 
  • Using auditing tools to make sure the right change management procedures are implemented and managed will boost program success overall 

The creation of retention schedules and information management procedures have been transformed by ZircoDATA’s cloud-based Virgo retention and privacy compliance software. Virgo functions by developing a clear and effective procedure for negotiating the intricate legal requirements that impact operations. Automating retention schedules can also be useful for saving time and lowering risk. 

In reality, our tried-and-true techniques have been used for years to tailor regulatory reports for clients in complex, strictly regulated industries while significantly lowering compliance costs. When using Virgo as their information governance retention software, organisations are always prepared for audits.