Unlocking the Business Value of Dark Data: The Importance of Data Governance

Hidden amongst data is dark data; unstructured, unanalysed and typically unused data. Dark data is a complex phenomenon as it is typically difficult to access, lacks meaning without human interpretation, yet could add value and benefit to an organisation. Alternatively, a risk of not activating dark data for an organisation could be inaccurate data used for decision making. Dark data provides the opportunity for building knowledge and in turn, can provide a competitive advantage. Whilst awareness of the value of dark data is increasing, accessing and effectively using this data is not straightforward. Dark data engagement brings with it challenges of how to access this data, how to convert this data for it to be usable and who will be accountable to ensure appropriate use of such data. This paper argues that data governance will be necessary to unlock dark data, control the conversion of dark data to usable data and manage appropriate use of such data. This paper also argues that not unlocking dark data may mean business decision-making may be at risk of not having an accurate base to inform decisions. Appropriate use of dark data aims to maximize benefits for a competitive company, but these organizations will need data governance to control and manage how this data is used. This paper will examine data governance to reduce risks associated with dark data, ensure security and integrity of all data, protect data from misuse, and improve dark data processing.