Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the inaugural South African Chief Data Officer’s forum in Johannesburg. Despite being asked at the last minute to facilitate the workshop on Data and Compliance, the event turned out to be incredibly valuable and informative. It was possibly the first data-centric gathering I’ve attended, and what made it even more noteworthy was the predominately business-oriented audience it attracted.

Cross-Sector Interest

Diverse senior managers and Chief Data Officers from various sectors, including banking, insurance, government, and retail, came together to share their experiences and insights. Among the topics that took centre stage were analytics and data governance, with a consensus emerging that while analytics offers compelling data outcomes, governance is fundamental to the success of any analytics initiative.

The Key Takeaway

The business landscape is undergoing a shift, with more and more organizations recognizing that data is no longer just an IT concern; it is a vital aspect of business operations.

During the event, participants realized the importance of data governance, and it became evident that implementing effective data governance is a journey. The hardest part is simply getting started.

Echoing International Data Management Trends

Over the next few weeks, I plan to publish some key lessons from this local forum. However, today, I’d like to highlight the lessons from Collibra’s Data Citizen’s conference, which took place in New York City in early May. Our event echoed many of the outcomes of this New York conference.

What Was the Key Data Governance Lesson?

The key lesson was simple yet profound: Just get started! Initiating the data governance journey is often the most challenging step.

Andrew White, a consultant from Gartner, provided an excellent summary of this year’s event:

A client panel featuring prominent names from various organizations offered valuable insights, emphasizing the need for easy-to-use technology embedded in business processes. They stressed the significance of understanding data dependencies and the importance of advocating for governance. The event’s discussions revolved around making information governance work to unlock greater business value.