Table 3

Risks mitigation and opportunities of information governance within ATNS

RisksMitigation (control activities)Opportunities
Loss of data, information, and intellectual propertyTo develop and implement policies and procedures that are aligned with the relevant legislation and ISO standards, clearly outlining the organisation's information, incorporate information ownership and data handling policies, and ensure proper backup procedures are in place and communicated org wideRelevant, policies, procedure, and standards
Information lifecycle (creation of information to preservation or disposal)To develop Standard Operational Procedures (SOP) on information lifecycle management (ILM) refers which will ensure that information from creation through to archiving or disposal is optimally used at a low cost and meet the legal complianceInformation lifecycle management SOP will provide the organisation with an overall information value chain and be able to manage the risks as information moves through the lifecycle and have an action plan to mitigate the risks
Lack of metadata management to increase findability, apply security, accessibility controls, and managing retentionThe IT department will deploy and implement modern technology with metadata functionality. Train employees on basic metadata standards and requirements and why it is important to include metadata in the information that is saved in all organisational systems to ensure accessibility and retrievabilityQuality control measures – easy access to information and searchability
Harm to information from malicious access and unauthorized personsAccess control policies and guidelinesLimit access based on the role of the employee and the responsibilities in the organisation. Create an audit trail. Eliminate security vulnerabilities by putting strict control measures in place
Storage of information in locations or formats that increase loss, cost and limited accessStrengthen security on all storage facilities by implementing the following
  • Identity and access control

  • Use of multi-factor authentication

  • Use of strong passwords; and

  • Remove unused storage space and ensure that the information lifecycle principles are implemented

Security control policies and procedures – that will limit unauthorised information access
Failure to preserve information relevant to litigation, compliance and government proceedingsEnsure that the information retention policy is in place with proper controlsRetention and e-Discovery policies
Outline e-discovery processes and communicate with businesses for proper implementation
Over-preservation of information relevant to litigation or government proceedingsATNS will develop and implement the Information Retention and Archive Policy. The purpose of this policy will be to ensure that all information created in the organisation is monitored through its lifecycle and is disposed of or archived as and when requiredInformation Retention and Archive Policy
Disaster recoveryEvaluating the hazard, exposure, and vulnerability of the organisation's information. Planning ahead to ensure that any disaster that could occur should not destabilise the use and access of information for operational efficiencyDisaster Recovery Plan (procedure)
Information vulnerabilities that impacts data and information confidentiality, integrity, access, and availabilityImplement information access control and permission control, activity monitor privileged information system users, implement Information Destruction Policy, training employees on information vulnerabilities, confidentiality, integrity, access, and availabilityInformation Destruction Policy
Training and awareness to all employees
Management of unstructured content, e.g. emails and correspondenceTraining of all employees on enterprise content management (ECM)ECM training
Any missing risk, specifyThere were no comments on this sectionNot applicable
Source(s): Authors’ own work

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