Many businesses are focusing on the acquisition of Big Data, but Laura Hahn believes that businesses should be focusing on taking raw data and turning it into something actionable. The senior data governance consultant for TD Ameritrade, Inc. told theCUBE, SiliconANGLE’s Media team, during MITCDOIQ Symposium 2015 that Chief Data Officers (CDOs) “must continue to advocate” data governance “less it be trumped” by other concerns. Particularly in regards to metadata, which “can feel big” and sometimes result in businesses feeling “spread thin” with the multiple forms, Hahn advises to pick and choose where to use resources.

Hahn has found that there is a lot of heavy lifting to do in correcting data and getting it usable. “A lot of hard work in organizations have been avoided for a long time,” she said, but data integrity is the “foundation of the house”; anayltics cannot function properly without the it.

Data governance as the foundation of solid business

One area that cannot be overlooked is liability. There are steps to take to protect data in order to be responsible citizens with that data, explained Hahn. Third-party sharing is a particularly concerning aspect of data governance for Hahn: “We have to careful … because you never think it will be you leaking data,” she said. Therefore, many CDOs might feel the tug-a-war between access and security. The solution is to “be a lot more thoughtful about” third-party data sharing, she added.

Hahn suggested that in situations where a CDO might be forced to say “no” to a data request, that scenario can become a “seek to understand conversation.” Instead of denying the request outright, Hahn asks the third party more about what they are trying to do. Usually, the request can be fulfilled with a single metric or trend-line rather than the raw data. Therefore, Hahn is able to help the third party with their problem and improve the image of her business by not saying “no” outright.

Watch the full video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of MITCDOIQ Symposium 2015.

Photo by SiliconANGLE