Information Security Governance - Definitions of Information Governance

Definitions of Information Governance

Because information governance is a relatively new concept, there is no standard definition as of yet. Gartner Inc., an information technology research and advisory firm, defines information governance as the specification of decision rights and an accountability framework to encourage desirable behavior in the valuation, creation, storage, use, archival and deletion of information. It includes the processes, roles, standards and metrics that ensure the effective and efficient use of information in enabling an organization to achieve its goals.

As defined by information governance solutions provider RSD S.A., IG enforces desirable behavior for the creation, use, archiving, and deletion of corporate information.

To technology and consulting corporation IBM, information governance is a holistic approach to managing and leveraging information for business benefits and encompasses information quality, information protection and information life cycle management.

Regardless of the exact wording, definitions of IG tend to go quite a bit further than traditional Records management in order to address all phases of the information life cycle. It incorporates privacy attributes, electronic discovery requirements, storage optimization, and metadata management. In essence, information government is the superset encompassing each of these elements.