Data is becoming increasingly important in Malaysia, especially as the nation strives to establish data-driven organisations within its digital economy. However, data is only useful for the country’s digital strategy when protected, and importantly, when its context, content, and quality can be trusted.
Catherine Lian, Managing Director and Technology Leader of IBM Malaysia, described data governance as “encompassing a comprehensive set of policies and procedures that govern the collection, storage, use, and sharing of data, ensuring its availability, integrity, security and compliance.”
“Robust data governance practices establish trust in how data is generated, collected, processed, and utilised,” she said.
“Building a data governance framework is not easy. In the public sector, especially, ensuring the availability and accessibility of data across departments and wider agencies is one of the most prominent hurdles. This siloed approach to data management limits the ability to gain a holistic view of government operations and seamless data harmonisation, and impedes efficient decision-making.”
She was speaking at a recent event entitled “Governance of Effective Data Protection in the Information Age”.
Shamsul Izhan Bin Abdul Majid, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), concurred with Catherine’s views and said that various initiatives for enhancing data governance within the government’s technology and innovation sector are being implemented.
“Additionally, designated data stewards oversee data quality, integrity, and compliance, safeguarding data assets,” he added, asserting that MCMC will regularly review and refine its data governance practices through periodic assessments, feedback, and industry benchmarking, promoting continuous improvement and adaptation to emerging data governance challenges.
Meanwhile, Ryan Hardin, Head of Strategic Planning and Development at MyDIGITAL Corporation, emphasises the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint’s focus on a collaborative public sector for enhancing the data ecosystem.
A Data Governance Council, comprising representatives from various departments, has been established as the central body to develop and implement data governance policies and strategies.
At the event, Kitman Cheung, APAC Technical Sales Leader, IBM Technology Software, also shared that IBM is excited to work with Malaysia’s government to leverage cutting-edge technology solutions to help them achieve their data governance goals.
Leveraging DataOps, AI-powered solutions, and modernising legacy systems is one example. DataOps emphasises collaboration, automation, and continuous integration and deployment of data-related processes.
By implementing DataOps practices, the government can achieve faster and more reliable data pipelines, improved data quality, increased collaboration between data teams, and enhanced agility in responding to changing data needs across departments and agencies.
“By embracing digital technologies and implementing effective data management practices, organisations can leverage the power of data to navigate change, identify opportunities, and achieve sustainable growth,” said Kitman.
This year, IBM introduced IBM Watsonx, a comprehensive AI platform that facilitates the integration of AI across all aspects of the business process. Watsonx empowers organisations in Malaysia to scale and speed up AI impact by leveraging data from any source throughout their operations.
As part of the capabilities, IBM Watsonx.governance can help organisations operationalise governance to help mitigate the risk, time, and cost associated with manual processes and provide the documentation necessary to drive transparent and explainable outcomes.
The solutions will also provide mechanisms to protect customer privacy, proactively detect model bias and drift, and help organisations meet their ethical standards.
“IBM firmly believes that improving data governance is key to enhancing the power and effectiveness of the public sector. By implementing robust data governance practices, governments can ensure the quality, accuracy, and security of their data assets, leading to better decision-making and improved public services for the rakyat,” said Catherine.
