Data governance is often perceived as highly complex, technical, and somewhat difficult to apply. It’s typically driven by IT teams with ambitions to enable business intelligence, analytics, or more recently, AI-driven projects. While these outcomes are undoubtedly valuable, they are ultimately just beneficiaries of good data governance.
At its core, data governance is about managing data as a genuine corporate asset, in the same way organisations manage financial resources, human capital, infrastructure, or physical facilities. Yet data remains one of the only critical assets that many companies still fail to govern properly and consistently.
Managing data as an asset means knowing exactly what you have, why you have it, how it can be used, both primarily and secondarily, where it is stored, how long it should be retained, and what should happen to it once it’s no longer needed. That may sound complex in theory, but it can be illustrated through a simple and surprisingly effective metaphor: managing your fridge.
First things first: What is data governance?
Data governance is the set of rules, roles, processes, and controls that ensure your organisation’s data is secure, accurate, and used responsibly. It governs how data is managed across its entire lifecycle, from creation and storage, to usage, archiving, and deletion.
With a clear data governance approach, you can take control of your data, not just to ensure compliance, but to build smarter, more resilient business operations.
The fridge metaphor in data governance
Think of your data ecosystem as a fridge. This metaphor helps explain one of the most common misconceptions: the difference between managing the infrastructure (the fridge itself – your IT systems) and managing the content (the food inside – your data).
Nobody would argue that having a high-performing cooling system is enough; the real value lies in what’s inside, how it’s organised, and how it’s consumed. The same goes for data governance.
To manage a fridge properly, you start by defining its purpose. What kind of fridge do you need, and what is it for? A restaurant, a pharmacy, and a household will all have different requirements for both the fridge and its contents.
Data governance works the same way: your framework, processes, and technologies must be aligned with your business goals and operational needs. If governance doesn’t match business reality, it’s almost certain to fall short.
Organise, label, and protect
Once the purpose is clear, it’s time to organise the contents. Who has access to what? What rules apply to each item? At home, some items might be kept out of children’s reach. In a shared office fridge, people label their food to avoid mix-ups. Likewise, in a business setting, access rights, ownership, and usage rules must reflect specific responsibilities, risks, and requirements.
Identification is essential. You need to know what’s in the fridge. Sometimes a quick glance is enough. Other times, like in a restaurant, a systematic data inventory is required, perhaps even supported by digital tools. It’s the same for data: organisations need to be able to identify and classify what they hold, whether it’s structured data (like databases and spreadsheets) or unstructured data (like emails, documents, or images), through real-time insights or regular audits.
Freshness matters
Just like food, data has a shelf life. Ensuring the quality and relevance of what you store requires regular checks. Data retention rules, guided by legal, operational, or industry requirements, help ensure data is kept for just the right amount of time, not too long, not too short. Some information might be archived, like freezing food for long-term storage. The key is to strike the right balance between accessibility, cost-efficiency, and compliance.
In some environments, control and documentation become even more critical. A restaurant or pharmacy might face audits or legal checks requiring evidence of inventory management. Businesses handling sensitive information must be able to demonstrate full control of their data lifecycle, from collection to classification to deletion, in order to remain GDPR compliant and audit-ready.
Checklist: Treat your data like your fridge
- Define the purpose (what kind of data you store and why)
- Label everything clearly (ownership, access rights)
- Remove expired items (automated retention policies)
- Keep sensitive items protected (controlled access, encryption)
- Regularly check and clean (audits, classification updates and a maintained data inventory)
Organise your data like you would organise your fridge
Effective data governance doesn’t have to be complicated, it just has to be intentional. Like a well-organised fridge, your data environment should be clean, structured, and purpose-driven. When the right controls are in place and understood across the organisation, governance shifts from a compliance checkbox to a powerful enabler of smarter decisions, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth.
Want help designing a practical, business-aligned governance approach? Reach out to our Data Governanc
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