Chief Information Governance Officer (CIGO): Roles And Responsibilities

The chief information governance officer (CIGO) is one of the C-level executives hired to plan and implement the information governance framework. He will create an information governance program according to the business objectives and goals and protect the business information. 

However, the roles and responsibilities of a chief information governance officer will vary according to the size of the organization and its objective. The chief information governance officer will help other executives understand the importance of the technology and help them make effective decisions by providing them with correct information.  

In the past, the chief information officer (CIO) handled information security and governance. Today, the CIO is responsible for handling the only information system and technology. Due to big data, organizations are producing large amounts of data in the form of structured and unstructured data, and to store and process it, organizations have created a new role named chief information governance officer (CIGO). 

He is responsible for handling information, providing more insights into information to other departments, reducing the risks associated with information to organizations and use the latest technologies in the workplace place. The chief information governance officer will work independently on behalf of every department in the organization. 

The chief information governance officer needs to have the support of the board of directors and the chief executive officer of the organization to implement the plan effectively. 

1. Need For Chief Information Governance Officer (CIGO)

If the organization wants to expand its business and create a new image in the business market, then it needs a chief information governance officer. He will ensure business continuity by reducing the risks and vulnerabilities related to information. The need for a chief information governance officer in business organizations is because it fills the gap between the information functions, such as 

• Information leadership: Different C-level executives will be present in an organization. The CIO is concerned about the information infrastructure, CISO is concerned about information security, and others, but no executive is concerned about information. The chief information governance officer is responsible for information, what information, and how to use it for the betterment of the organization. He creates policies and procedures to identify, classify, and dispose of business information.
• Coordination of information: Information is an essential asset of the organization, and it increases every day in volume. So, coordinating the information is very important to reduce the risks and vulnerabilities in the organization. The chief information governance officer is responsible for coordinating the information that has different importance in different departments. Every information is analyzed, classified, and linked to their metadata so that there is no duplication of data present in the database.
• Balancing and prioritizing risks and value:  Information is a business asset that has risk and value associated with it. Many organizations do not think of it as an asset leading to risks. Chief information governance officer (CIGO) will balance the information and add value to data by reducing the risks. He will prioritize the risks and reduce the risks to increase the value of information. He will give more insights into data and help other departments to make effective decisions. 

2. Skills Of Chief Information Governance Officer

The chief information governance officer plays a vital role in the business organization. He has access to every confidential information of the organization, so the person hired as Chief information governance officer must be trusted and experienced.  Some of the skills required by a Chief information governance officer are 

• He needs to have a graduate or management degree that can help him understand the responsibilities of this role.
• He needs to have at least ten or more years of experience performing cross-functional roles, handling security issues, managing organizational records and documents, and other related work.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and negotiation skills are essential for this role.
• He needs to have knowledge and experience about government rules and regulations, legal issues that may occur to businesses and how to handle them effectively to protect the image of the organization in the market.
• He needs to be a self-learner as he needs to educate himself about the latest threats and the latest technologies to be used to protect from such threats.

3. Responsibilities Of Chief Information Governance Officer (CIGO)

• The chief information governance officer is responsible for communicating the importance of the information governance framework to employees and higher levels to get support for implementing it effectively.
• He is responsible for ensuring that the information governance program meets the business objectives and missions.
• He is responsible for using the latest technology in the workplace to ensure ease of work and security of data.
• He is responsible for making decisions related to information in everyday work and investing in the latest emerging technologies that would help them to increase opportunities in business operations in future.
• He is responsible for hiring new employees by preparing job descriptions of the vacancies so that appropriate persons can enter the workplace.
• He is responsible for training employees on new technologies and newly created policies and procedures.
• He is responsible for ensuring that every employee in the firm is practising the information governance policies and standards by monitoring their access to business assets through auditing and surveillance across the company.
• He is responsible for identifying the risks related to information and mitigating them using risk management policies and applications.
• He is responsible for investing in new technologies and communicating with new stakeholders to increase their resources.
• He is responsible for creating a workforce plan for everyday business operations.
• He is responsible for ensuring the security and integrity of the business data by creating and implementing an information governance framework in the workplace.
• He is responsible for involving their employees and other stakeholders in building an information governance program so that risks related to every end user are identified at the beginning only.
• He is responsible for creating awareness about the information governance program in the workplace so that employees can understand its importance and use the program effectively.
• He is responsible for ensuring that the organization meets all the compliances and regulations to reduce legal and financial issues for the company that would reduce the business reputation in the market.

4. Conclusion

The Chief Information Governance Officer plays a vital role in the modern organization, where data is both a critical asset and a potential liability. He creates value for the data and improves operational efficiency. By implementing robust data governance practices, ensuring compliance, and collaborating with other leaders, the CIGO enables organizations to harness the full potential of their data while minimizing risks.