Effective data governance software helps businesses guarantee the availability and safety of their data. However, most data management tools are complex and can require rigorous training to use.
Read this post to discover the 10 most effective data governance tools in 2023 and the key features to consider when searching for the right solution.
What Is Data Governance?
Data governance (DG) encompasses all activities done by an organization to ensure the availability, integrity, privacy and security of its data. In other words, data governance refers to internal policies and external regulations that a business should implement throughout the entire data lifecycle.
Uses of a Data Governance Framework
- Define the objectives and rules of your data governance program.
- Identify and document data assets and access points.
- Create a unified list of terminologies and definitions.
- Create roles and assign responsibilities for data management.
- Develop internal procedures and policies.
- Implement the necessary data governance tools and technologies.
- Monitor your workflow and ensure compliance with regulations.
- Conduct continuous assessments and improve your data governance program.
- Train team members and share best practices updates.
Key Features of a Data Governance Tool
- Discovering, capturing and cataloging data
- Data and metadata management throughout the entire lifecycle to ensure data protection and integrity
- Access control and data ownership capabilities to help streamline daily tasks of the data governance team
- Advanced self-service tools and visualization for comprehensive monitoring and reporting
- Tracing data sources and changes through automated data lineage
- Policy management capabilities to automatically apply data governance rules
- Built-in auditing functionalities to simplify compliance reviews
Top 10 Data Governance Tools for 2023
Informatica
Informatica is one of the most reliable solutions that has been in use for some time. This enterprise data governance software can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud.
- Main features: Data and metadata management, data cataloging, business glossary, policy management, automated data lineage and visualization
- Pricing: Upon request
Collibra
Enterprise-grade software that provides automated data management and governance. Multiple teams from different departments can work together using Collibra to streamline daily operations.
- Main features: Data governance automation, advanced and comprehensive visualization, machine learning data catalog and data stewardship
- Pricing: Upon request
OvalEdge
A highly adaptable and affordable data governance tool and data catalog. The flexible infrastructure allows SMEs to configure the solution to meet their business requirements.
- Main features: Automated lineage tracking, business dictionary, policy controls and role management
- Pricing: Annual starter pack for US$100/month per user
IBM
One of the most renowned names on the market. The IBM data governance software is ideal for large enterprises since it supports various frameworks. The tool works perfectly with structured and unstructured data.
- Main features: Data cataloging, advanced privacy and security, data and metadata management, self-service and automatic data lineage
- Pricing: Lite version is free, Standard starts at US$300 per instance and Professional starts at $7,000 per instance
Ataccama
Ataccama adopts the platform-as-a-service (PaaS) model since it provides AI-powered services to simplify data management tasks.
- Main features: Automatic data analysis and classification, data ownership and stewardship capabilities, data catalog and automated policy enforcement
- Pricing: Upon request + 30-day free trial
Erwin
Erwin by Quest Software offers several products to empower data management tasks, including Data Intelligence, Data Modeler and Smart Data Connectors.
- Main features: Data and metadata management, advanced modeling tool, data lineage and business glossary management
- Pricing: Upon request + free trial
SAP
Another well-known name in the enterprise data management industry, SAP provides the SAP Master Data Governance (SAP MDG) software that can be used on-premises or in the cloud.
- Main features: Data and metadata management, data ownership and stewardship, data governance visualization and data lineage.
- Pricing: Available on request
Alation
With the Alation Data Catalog, you can easily locate and manage data throughout your organization. This data management tool offers automation capabilities to simplify governance operations.
- Main features: Data lineage, self-service analytics, business glossary, data quality management, search and discovery.
- Pricing: Upon request
Atlan
Atlan includes an advanced search interface allowing you to browse through the business glossary and perform automatic data profiling.
- Main features: Data and metadata management, automated lineage, cloud integrations and access controls
- Pricing: Upon request
NAKIVO Backup & Replication
A flexible data protection solution with multiplatform support for virtual, physical, cloud, SaaS and NAS environments, the software offers incremental data backups, advanced storage tiering and swift recovery of entire workloads or individual items.
- Main features: Incremental backups, full or granular recovery, data protection against ransomware, powerful security options
- Pricing: Subscription licenses start at US$2.50 per workload; 15-day free trial is available.
Make informed decisions
Organizations can leverage the power of data to make informed decisions and improve daily activities. To do so, you need to implement a data governance tool that provides all the necessary features to satisfy your business requirements, ensure data integrity and scale your operations.
Editor’s note: For additional governance resources, find out about ISACA’s COBIT framework.
About the author: Alex Tray is a seasoned system administrator with over a decade of experience in the dynamic and ever-evolving world of IT. After earning a Bachelor's degree in computer science, he honed his skills at various organizations in Silicon Valley, and even played a pivotal role in launching several successful startups. Currently, Alex serves as a skilled system administrator at a prominent technology company based in Texas. His expertise lies primarily in Windows Server and Desktop Administration, with in-depth knowledge of other crucial technologies such as Azure, Active Directory, Office 365, DNS, DHCP, Group Policy, Endpoint Manager (Intune), and Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (SCCM).