Data is considered the cornerstone of every institution. The premise has been that the more data companies can gather, the more return on investment. However, businesses must now contend with regulations to safeguard that data.
Kristina Podnar, digital policy advisor at NativeTrust Consulting, will address the need to govern big data and how to successfully adopt new policies during her Data Summit 2018 session titled, “GDPR: Writing Policy for Big Data.”
“I am excited to share what we all need to be thinking about and practical actions we should be taking to comply with the laws and regulations that are driving global data governance,” Podnar said.
For many organizations, it is challenging to keep up with the continually changing requirements around data privacy, including GDPR. Piled on top of that requirement for data localization, special processing, and encryption, then basic daily business tasks such as marketing and communications can become overwhelming, Podnar said.
Through this session, attendees will be provided a way to cut through the regulatory and legal noise and develop sound digital policy around marketing data.
“This will allow participants to go back to the workplace and create GDPR-related policy that isn’t a set of restrictions, but a means of liberating the organization from uncertainty, risk, and internal chaos to take full advantage of digital opportunities and leverage data in service of the organization’s larger mission,” Podnar said.
For most organizations and conference attendees, data is like water - it flows through digital channels including the organization’s email system, online channels (websites, social media, mobile apps, CRM) and back office systems, Podnar explained.
There is little control over its flow and often it leaks in unexpected places. Emerging regulatory and legal frameworks such as GDPR which is effective on May 25, 2018, are spawning up regularly and mandate how that data and leakage needs to be managed.
“Without insights into responsibilities and what is expected, it is all too easy to step out of compliance and face fines, operational government sanctions, and lawsuits. By becoming aware of these requirements now, attendees can begin operating and managing big data in a compliant way that allows for creative use of its flow and harnessing that flow to make a big digital and business impact,” Podnar said.
This will be her first time attending Data Summie and Podnar has two goals: to learn and to contribute content and perspective.
“I believe there will be a variety of new ideas and trends that can benefit what I am working on and I look forward to taking advantage of that opportunity and sharing those insights with colleagues and business partners,” Podnar said. “I look forward to bringing and contributing real world examples of what works in this area, what I have seen failed, and what attendees should be thinking about now that will be impacting their world in 12-18 months.”
In addition to a heavy focus on new regulatory changes, Podnar predicts attendees will spend a lot of time talking about data “lakes.”
“Organizations are used to generating a lot of data and keeping them in separate containers or groups. I think with the shift in focus onto how that data is used, for everything from analytics and insights to powering IoT and AI, there will be a lot of discussion on how you practically make that work in the organization, which includes governance (strategy, policies standards),” Podnar said.
She also believes attendees will spend time talking about increased efficiency and innovation potential from a solid cloud data platform and what that means for different industry verticals.
“When we meet for my session, we will be 2 days out from GDPR going into effect. If your organization has not yet gotten compliant or you really need to mature your data management practices, this is the time to come and get that basic data hygiene item taken off of your to-do list,” Podnar said.
Podnar will give her talk on Wednesday, May 23, 2018, at 2:00 pm at Data Summit.
For more information about Data Summit 2018, and to register, go here.
To review the Data Summit program, go to www.dbta.com/DataSummit/2018/Program.aspx.