In today’s world, where strict privacy laws are constantly challenging organizations, information governance has become the ultimate solution. As a business leader, it’s crucial to have a solid understanding of information governance basics to optimize productivity, reduce storage costs, and maintain compliance.
As digital transformation projects took off in the 2010s, the information governance market grew. Organizations with more data require more elaborate information governance policies. In recent years, many have completed basic projects like digitizing paper documents and are now focusing on data retention and cleansing.
With increasing data storage and stricter privacy laws, information governance is more critical than ever. That’s why many organizations have added governance roles, like the Chief Information Governance Officer (CIGO), to their C-suites. So, are you ready to test your knowledge of information governance basics? Take the quiz now and see how you stack up!
Table of Contents
Question 1
True or false: Information governance and data governance are the same thing.
A. True
B. False
Answer
B. False
Explanation
Data governance is one component of information governance. Information governance focuses on the policies and procedures that can help an organization balance compliance and risk management requirements with its business goals. Data governance, on the other hand, focuses on the technical aspects of data collection and storage.
Question 2
What can information governance help organizations achieve?
A. Reduced storage costs
B. Improved regulatory compliance
C. Streamlined e-discovery
D. All of the above
Answer
D. All of the above
Explanation
An effective information governance plan identifies and reduces redundant, outdated and trivial (ROT) information that an organization stores, which can cut storage costs and streamline e-discovery. As ROT clutters an organization’s storage with irrelevant information, workers may struggle to find the information they need. For example, ROT can hinder legal teams in the e-discovery process as they attempt to locate information relevant to a court case.
Information governance also lays out policies and procedures to protect data, such as access controls and retention schedules, and ensures regulatory compliance with laws like HIPAA and GDPR. In the U.S., HIPAA stipulates how healthcare providers and their business associates store and process protected health information (PHI). Access controls can restrict PHI access to workers that need it, which reduces security risks.
GDPR ensures any organization that collects an EU citizen’s personally identifiable information (PII) does so responsibly. For instance, organizations must only collect PII for specific business purposes and delete it when it’s no longer necessary. Retention schedules can streamline the deletion of unnecessary PII in compliance with GDPR.
Question 3
Which role typically initiates and leads an information governance plan?
A. CEO
B. Owner
C. Chief customer officer (CCO)
D. CIGO
Answer
D. CIGO
Explanation
Many organizations have a CIGO who oversees the information governance plan’s success and ongoing maintenance. However, in some organizations, the CIO, chief counsel or data protection officer may lead the plan.
Question 4
True or false: Information governance professionals typically struggle to get buy-in from C-level executives.
A. True
B. False
Answer
A. True
Explanation
C-level executives may view information governance as a lower priority compared to business growth, so information governance advocates may struggle to gain C-level support. To garner executive buy-in, advocates should explain how information governance can secure important customer and business information, deliver ROI and boost an organization’s growth.
Question 5
Which roles typically comprise an information governance committee?
A. Sales, marketing and graphic design professionals
B. Business, legal, HR, compliance and IT leaders
C. Accounting and editorial professionals
D. Only IT professionals
Answer
B. Business, legal, HR, compliance and IT leaders
Explanation
People who build information governance plans must understand business goals, industry-specific compliance regulations, data management and more. Therefore, organizations should form a committee of key stakeholders that includes leaders in business, legal, HR, compliance and IT departments. This committee can devise the plan and review its effectiveness over time.
Question 6
As the committee plans its information governance initiative, what should it do first?
A. Perform a needs assessment and evaluate compliance requirements
B. Purchase information governance software
C. Delete all files more than six years old
D. All of the above
Answer
A. Perform a needs assessment and evaluate compliance requirements
Explanation
An organization’s business and compliance requirements shape its information governance plan, so committees must identify those needs early in the planning process. For example, if an organization stores a lot of duplicate data, the committee may focus on data deduplication to reduce storage costs. Also, to maintain proper compliance, committees must identify any industry-specific regulations, such as HIPAA and the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, that apply to their organization.
Question 7
An effective information governance plan can generate _____.
A. A single source of truth (SSOT)
B. Redundant, outdated and trivial data (ROT)
C. Omnichannel support
D. Both B and C
Answer
A. A single source of truth (SSOT)
Explanation
An effective information governance plan should make information easily accessible to those who need it. Workers may struggle to find accurate data if their organization stores different versions of the same information in different places, creating data silos. An SSOT offers a centralized place to access reliable information.
Question 8
Which technology lets organizations manage information that remote employees generate and share across different collaboration tools?
A. Workforce optimization platforms
B. Unified communications as a service
C. Data federation software
D. Predictive analytics tools
Answer
C. Data federation software
Explanation
Data federation software uses APIs to interact with other tools and bring data from disparate sources into a centralized location. This software can streamline how organizations manage and control information across collaboration platforms.
Question 9
Which metric can help organizations track their information governance plan’s success?
A. Number of security incidents
B. Amount of storage that each department uses
C. Ratio of used to unused files
D. All of the above
Answer
D. All of the above
Explanation
An organization should implement an information governance plan with specific goals and measure over time whether its plan achieves those goals. Typically, organizations use information governance to enhance compliance and security, increase productivity and cut storage costs, so metrics like the number of security incidents and amount of storage used in each department can help evaluate success.
Also, organizations can use the ratio of used to unused files in their systems to identify ROT. If the majority of an organization’s files go unused for extended periods of time, information governance professionals may want to delete them.
Question 10
What can technology leaders do to ensure an information governance plan’s effectiveness?
A. Offer one training to all employees
B. Limit ongoing training to professionals in IT, legal, HR and compliance roles
C. Increase IT staff
D. Offer ongoing trainings and provide regular updates to all employees
Answer
D. Offer ongoing trainings and provide regular updates to all employees
Explanation
An information governance plan’s success relies on cooperation from all workers. For instance, a governance policy may require all workers to encrypt attachments before they share sensitive information over email. However, without consistent training, employees may forget how to encrypt data or underestimate the policy’s importance.
Organizations should offer ongoing training to all employees to keep information governance fresh in employees’ minds. Managers should also weave important information governance updates into regular discussions to keep employees up to date on the latest policy changes.