Whilst collating a list of information governance events last week (see IG Events for the UK), it struck me that there are far more sector specific information risk events in the UK than general information governance, despite the fact that information risk is only a small element of IG, which is much more challenging to address in isolation.
Although there are a handful of events in the UK, many are aimed at verticals such as the NHS, local Government, insurance or legal, rather than a broader audience. The majority of activity appears to be over in America, possibly down the size of the market, but more likely due to a greater awareness of the importance of holistic information governance and the benefits it delivers.
We in the UK can’t simply ignore the forthcoming changes to data privacy laws, increasingly persuasive fines from the ICO (you may have seen that TalkTalk were fined £400,000 for weaknesses in information security last week), exponential growth of chaotic information and decreasing ability to quickly make insightful business decisions based on reliable data. It is vital to take stock of all data held, remove what is surplus to requirements, and improve the management of what is left (and yes, that includes but certainly isn’t limited to information risk management).
I will continue to scour for events in the UK and Europe which help advise on approaches to identify the risks and regain control, but if you know of any events I have missed, do email me at info@connexus.consulting, so I can share them further.