Protecting Security & Assuring Quality with Data Governance

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is here. In under a week the world will tune in to watch country against country in professional football. On the eve of the 2022 FIFA World Cup a new threat has been found—data privacy and security. 

With 1.5 million visitors expected in Qatar, experts are cautioning that two apps visitors must download (Ehteraz and Hayya) can serve as a form of spyware. Qatari authorities will have wide access to people’s data, and power to read, delete or change content. They could even make direct calls. 

When organizations like FIFA jeopardize the data security of their fans and players, it reduces the trust they’ve built at a global-scale. This is why at Crystalloids data governance is embedded in how we work and inform our clients and their partners. 

Security & Privacy

Everyday our clients trust us to organize volumes of their data in a proper and compliant way. When we handle data our aim is to always increase our clients profitability while activating their data so they can make smart data-driven decisions. 

Data remains the single source of truth for our clients and also is an important financial and risk asset for them. When organized properly the combination of Data and Governance results in business value as shown below:

So when we work with a client's data, we treat every stage of their data life cycle with methodical detail and embedded processes that put security and privacy at the forefront. Whether ingesting data or implementing new levels of data access to third-party tools, data governance is always top of mind. 

“We handle valuable data…we’re gathering data from so many sources and bringing in data from 3rd parties all to one central place…so we need to make sure the data is always protected…and also is secure, accurate, and available” explains our Software Developer Will Rulof. 

According to Will, part of what makes clients want to work with our team is because of the level of attention our developers and engineers give to data governance.  “We all follow ISMS (Information Security Management System) procedures for every new implementation. When we start implementing new features for a client…or are sharing data (for example through an API) we always consider and follow ISMS procedures. This ensures the data is secure and follows NEN- ISO27001 procedures.” 

Today, data governance encompasses everything related to how your organization gathers, handles, stores, processes, and disposes of data. At Crystalloids, data governance is a continuous procedure that is considered and monitored at every stage of our work. 

Quality Assurance

“Data is always growing and changing. We want to constantly monitor if our data catalogs are correct, if the classification and labeling is correct, and whether the current data access levels are right. With sensitive data you need to always update how and who you give access…what you share internally and externally.”

Data governance - as Will explains - can be a multi-tiered process that involves paying attention to all aspects of an organization’s data enterprise. Focus should not only be on securing data but also maintaining the use and processing of data at each potential touchpoint. 

As an example, “For Body & Fit…because we have set up their central marketing database…with data from them and their customers we need to be sure and aware that the data is up-to-date, complete, not duplicate.To do this we set up QA notifications. For Body & Fit we execute two QA reports daily” shares Will. 

These QA notifications serve as daily ‘check-ins’  that help Crystalloids ensure that all data is accurate and that data processes are running correctly. Additionally, Data Studio reports are normally set up for clients that provide more detailed reviews of current data accuracy. These reports are always being assessed by our DevOps team to ensure data is running correctly. 

Finally, data governance also involves classifying the levels of data available and then tracing who needs access, who is given access, and how much access is given.  “We have to prepare and send data to varying API’s and make data usable for various sources and reporting tools like Tableau…but for these 3rd party accounts we only give them the minimum access needed in order to complete the work without risking exposing any customer data,” notes Will. 

“We constantly check who has access to which data and applications…to make sure that the right person has the right access to the data we store…we check access levels related to groups…and if access is needed for data we always create a ticket with the DevOps team” according to Will. 

Today, data governance can affect every aspect of your business. Internally, from marketing to sales, data governance procedures ensure these departments safely access the data they need, are complying with privacy standards, and can make the data-driven decisions that drive your organization.   

“It’s important to remember that not every employee should see or have access to customer information. Customer information needs to be looked at and then classified by the level of sensitivity related to each catalog item,” explains Will. 

Externally, data governance procedures and maintenance allow your clients to feel safe at every point of physical and digital interaction with your brand. Proper data governance keeps clients loyal because they know you are prioritizing and protecting their data privacy. 

For Crystalloids, proper data governance procedures and practices let us build and maintain secure central databases and platforms so that our clients and their employees can have a seamless data workflow to help maximize their goals. 

Concerned, unsure, or unable to monitor and assess how secure your internal data processes are? Then click here. Want to learn more about why improper data governance can affect the quality of your data? Then be sure to read our data quality assurance blog.

ABOUT CRYSTALLOIDS

Crystalloids helps companies improve their customer experiences and build marketing technology. Founded in 2006 in the Netherlands, Crystalloids builds crystal-clear solutions that turn customer data into information and knowledge into wisdom. As a leading Google Cloud Partner, Crystalloids combines experience in software development, data science, and marketing, making them one of a kind IT company. Using the Agile approach, Crystalloids ensures that use cases show immediate value to their clients and make their job focus more on decision making and less on programming.