Podcast
How to Build Data Governance in the Cloud: Classification, Catalogs, Policies & ROI
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How to Build Data Governance in the Cloud: Classification, Catalogs, Policies & ROI
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Episode Overview
How do you build data governance in the cloud that enables access, meets regulation, and demonstrates ROI? In this episode, Jessi Ashdown, Senior UX Researcher for Google Cloud, and Uri Gilad, Product Manager for Data Governance at Google Cloud, walk through practical approaches to data governance in the cloud—grounded in real user research and product experience.
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Chapter Summary
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- 0:00 - Podcast Introduction
- 3:29 - Guest Background — Jessi: UX Researcher & Data Governance at Google Cloud
- 4:46 - Guest Background — Uri: Product Management & Data Governance Experience
- 6:40 - Defining Data Governance: Beyond Security and PII
- 8:57 - Cloud & Regulation Driving Governance Adoption (GDPR, Cambridge Analytica)
- 14:04 - Core Components: People, Processes, Tools and Cataloging
- 15:33 - Practical Implementation: Classify Data and Establish Policies
- 19:40 - Assessing Necessity: When Governance Can Be Minimal
- 23:00 - Prioritization: Start with the “Why” to Scope Your Program
- 24:14 - Data Classification & Taxonomy: Defining Meaningful Data Classes
- 27:48 - Tools vs Spreadsheets: Scalable Data Catalog Approaches
- 30:20 - Aligning Storage and Systems: Make Data Work for You
- 33:03 - Human Roles: Data Stewards, Producers and Decision Makers
- 34:59 - Data Quality: Trust Signals, Source, and Measurable Checks
- 38:25 - Policy Design: Retention, Freshness and Purpose-based Access
- 42:04 - Policies as Enablement: Guardrails for Democratized Data Access
- 45:04 - Enforcement Models: Catalog Interfaces vs Storage Control Plane
- 47:02 - Access Workflows: Request/Approval “Shopping Cart” Experience
- 47:35 - Governance Tools & Platforms: Dataplex, Collibra and Integrations
- 48:50 - Automation: Tagging, Requests and Reducing Manual Effort
- 50:19 - Measuring ROI: Catalog Metrics, Cost vs Usage and Compliance Value
- 53:21 - MVP Strategy: Minimum Viable Governance and Future-proofing
- 54:37 - Data Catalog Contents: Technical Metadata, Lineage and Business Glossary
- 57:46 - Governance Scope: Why It Extends Beyond the Catalog
- 59:04 - Closing Remarks, Contact Links and Next Steps