The term “garbage in, garbage out,” or GIGO, dates back to the earliest days of commercial computing in the mid-20th century. Yet the concept was present more than 100 years earlier at the very dawn of computing. When Charles Babbage first described his difference engine, a member of Parliament asked him whether the machine could generate […]
Fundamentals of Data Access Management
Across all industries, and in businesses of all sizes, one thing holds true: The more you know about your customers, the greater your organization’s chances for success. This makes data your company’s most valuable non-human asset. As the revenue potential of data increases, the job of protecting that data becomes more important and more challenging. […]
Fundamentals of Data Compliance
Data compliance delivers benefits to organizations far beyond simply avoiding potential fines for not fulfilling regulatory requirements for collecting, handling, securing, and safely disposing of sensitive data…
The Challenge of Data Accuracy
Data has become one of the most valuable assets of modern businesses. The data a company collects, analyzes, and monetizes now serves as a distinct “asset class” rather than merely a byproduct of its IT operations. However, the value of data to an organization diminishes rapidly as the information becomes less accurate. Companies are responding to […]
Fundamentals of Data Preparation
Data is often called the raw material of the information age, and it does share characteristics with the resources that power other industries. For example, imagine trying to make a car out of unrefined iron ore. A lot of processing happens between the mine and the factory. Data is no different. In its “raw” form, […]
What Is the EU AI Act and Why Does It Matter?
Technology has always advanced faster than the laws we rely on to protect ourselves from technology’s misuse. Fears of a super-intelligent artificial intelligence arising that manipulates machines and humans to do its will sound like science fiction, but the incredible speed of AI advances make them anything but. The more immediate threats that AI poses to individuals and businesses […]
The Growing Importance of AI Governance
New technologies often engender fear and foreboding among people outside tech industries. The latest example of this trend is artificial intelligence (AI), which is a topic of much concern and misunderstanding among the public. It’s easy to dismiss these qualms as the common human tendency to mistrust the unknown. However, much of the alarm about AI […]
Common Data Integrity Issues (and How to Overcome Them)
To say data has “integrity” means that it can be trusted and relied upon and is ultimately useful. Data integrity also conveys a sense of unity and completeness. The greatest challenges to ensuring that data has integrity are any characteristics or events that detract from the data’s usefulness, trustworthiness, and reliability, as well as anything […]
What Is a Data Marketplace and Why Does It Matter?
The most successful organizations strive for excellence in their products, their processes, and especially in their workers. Excelling in a profession goes beyond simply meeting short-term and long-term goals to devising and applying creative, innovative solutions. To achieve this level of excellence, companies must provide their workers with the tools that let them convert their […]
Building an Enterprise Data Strategy: What, Why, How
No matter how good you feel about the reliability of your company’s data operations, you can’t help wondering on occasion what the chances are that your firm will be one of the victims of the next data outage, malware scourge, or cyberattack. This is especially the case if your job entails ensuring the availability of your organization’s […]