“What do data governance practices help for? Or we should ask first, do you know where to seek out particular data in your company, or who to contact for it? Businesses that are still in their early phases understand the importance of data-driven choices in boosting their financial performance,” reports Eray Eliacik  in Data Cononmy.

“A strong data governance plan may help you save time and money by raising the quality and ease with which teams access data. Following recommended data governance standards can guarantee that you benefit from a policy strategy, but first, what is data governance?”

Read the article.

“The Florida Bar has filed its fourth complaint against Miami-Dade County attorney Scot Strems, alleging that Strems and the Strems Law Firm (SLF) engaged in a pattern of duplicitous behavior and subterfuge to enroll property owners into legal services,” reports Michael Carroll in Florida Record’s Attorneys & Judges.

“In October, a court referee appointed by the state Supreme Court recommended that Strems be suspended from the practice of law for two years, as well as a one-year probationary period, over the filing of multiple property owner claims that critics say drive up premium costs for all the state’s homeowners.”

“The latest complaint, which was filed with the Florida Supreme Court on Nov. 24, alleges that Strems and his firm engaged in a series of actions involving deceit and solicitation through third parties, whom the Florida Bar refers to as “Strems Consultants.” Strems’ actions violated eight of the bar’s ethics rules, according to the complaint.”

Read the article.

Image by Widjaya Ivan

Some Republicans in Congress argue the Obama administration’s final plan to effectively privatize Internet governance constitutes a federal government internet giveaway and effectively monopolizes web domain pricing, reports Fortune.

The National Telecommunications & Information Administration announced it will transfer internet domain name authority from the federal government to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) on Oct. 1.

The NTIA says the move won’t affect internet users in any meaningful way, according to a Wall Street Journal report, but it’s necessary to prevent governance fragmentation between nations as the Internet continues to grow and expand.

“The senators’ primary beef was with the Internet domain name registration company Verisign, which ICANN exclusively works with to register web domains,” reports Chauncey L. Alcorn. “The lawmakers complain fully transferring the federal government’s domain naming process over to ICANN gives Verisign exclusive authority to name its own price for the domain name registration process.”

Read the article.

Governments invest billions of dollars annually in automating government financial management, customs, and tax systems respectively. But aside from a few cases that are repeatedly quoted, there is little rigorous evidence of the impact of these investments on government efficiency and accountability to deliver services, reports Zahid Hussain, Lead Economist, South Asia Finance and Poverty group, for the World Economic Forum.

“An examination of the roughly 530 e-government projects funded by the World Bank in the past twenty years, for example, reveal that almost a third are unsatisfactory, and perform worse than a typical project,” the report says.

The conclusion is that digital technologies can indeed be transformative; but only if accompanied by “analog complements,” Hussain writes.

Read the article.

“To protect ourselves and the businesses we oversee, the way we govern absolutely must change,” says Gerald M. Czarnecki, governance expert, in the latest edition of NACD Directorship magazine, a publication of the National Association of Corporate Directors.

The current model — where the board as a whole, the audit committee, or even the risk committee has general oversight of cyber threats — is no longer adequate, he writes. Cybersecurity and technology risks require a much-higher degree of specialized focus — the same level of focus and commitment allotted to financial controls. Czarnecki proposes that a fourth standing committee devoted to data security and technology become part of every public and private company’s board structure.

NACD Directorship magazine is an exclusive benefit of membership in the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), but anyone may download the complimentary copy of the magazine.

Download the report.

Information governance solutions provider Zasio Enterprises  announced its inaugural 2015 Information Governance Conference (2015IGC), which will comprise two half-day events in two cities: Portland on Nov. 11, and Seattle on Nov. 12.

Hosted by Zasio, together with Stoel Rives and SecurityMetrics, and with sponsorship from the Association of Information and Image Management (AIIM), this complimentary conference is designed to give individuals who manage information a better understanding of:
*The costs and risks of unmitigated data growth
*Data compromises, prevention techniques and what to do in the event of a hack
(Note: there will be a live hack demonstration)
*Using contracts to protect cloud-based information assets to protect the respective interests of both buyers and vendors
*Best practices for creating proactive, comprehensive, efficient and defensible IG plans
*How to use IG in the real world — what the concepts look like in action when applied to real organizations with real challenges
*How to mitigate risk and ensure legal compliance
*Employing data mapping to identify and track data and mitigate risk

Conference Details: 2015IGC is designed for professionals whose role is to manage or assist in the management and safeguarding of information, such as C-level and executive leadership, general counsels, corporate records managers, records analysts, IT professionals, information security and compliance managers, business analysts, and general business users. The conference dates for Portland and Seattle are as follows:

Wednesday, November 11, 2015 – Portland
Hilton Portland and Executive Tower
921 SW 6th Ave
7:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Thursday, November 12, 2015 – Seattle
Westin Seattle
1900 5th Ave.
7:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Sessions and Speakers

Experts will present on the following topics:
“Making the Case for Information Governance: A Three-Part Exploration” by Soo Kang, General Counsel and Director, Consulting Division, Zasio Enterprises
“Hacking Isn’t Hard, Basic Prevention Isn’t Either — A Live Hack Demo,” by Brandon L. Bastian, Esq., Corporate Counsel, SecurityMetrics and Ben Holt, Attorney, Stoel Rives LLP
“We’ve Been Hacked! What Should We Have Done? What Should We Do?” by Hunter O. Ferguson and Elijah M. Watkins, Attorneys, Stoel Rives LLP
“Managing Information Security Risks in Cloud Agreements,” by Andrea H. Jasinek, Attorney, Stoel Rives LLP
“You Can’t Govern What You Can’t See — A Guide to Real-World Data Mapping,” by Warren Bean, Senior Sales Engineer, Zasio Enterprises

“Applying IG principles to mitigate risk and proactively manage information does not have to be complex or confusing,” said Kevin S. Zasio, CEO and president of Zasio Enterprises. “Our goal in hosting this multi-city conference is to help dispel confusion about what IG is from both a policy and implementation standpoint. Attendees will learn about real-world solutions and have an opportunity to get answers to their most pressing IG questions.”

Registration: For more information on either event date and to register for this complimentary conference, visit http://zasio.com/2015IGC/.

The National Association of Corporate Directors has published the NACD Blue Ribbon Commission Report, which emphasizes that directors have a fundamental responsibility to ensure that the organization’s short-term actions are well aligned with its long-term strategy.

This NACD report focuses on the specific levers the board has to encourage this alignment. It includes specific recommendations, suggested action steps, and boardroom tools.

The full report is available exclusively to NACD members, but the complimentary executive summary is available for download.

Download the summary.