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Data Governance & Compliance
From Chaos to Control:
Governance that Delivers Confidence.
We help enterprises build practical, scalable data governance programs that improve data quality, ensure regulatory compliance, and enable safe AI and analytics at scale.
Why Data Governance Matters
Data governance is the operating system for enterprise data: a methodology, set of roles, policies, processes, and tools that define what data matters, who owns it, how it is validated, how it is protected, and how it’s used across its lifecycle.
Without it, even advanced data platforms fail to deliver business value.
The Risks
Regulatory exposure:
Non‑compliance with UAE PDPL, Saudi PDPL, DIFC, ADGM, GDPR, CCPA, sector rules (SAMA, NCA, MOHAP…).
01
Low data trust:
Up to 30% of enterprise data is inaccurate, duplicated, or stale.
02
AI & analytics failures:
Poor‑quality, unclassified data leads to biased models, bad decisions, and reputational risk.
03
Operational drag:
Manual reconciliations, reporting disputes, audit findings, costly rework.
04
What Good Governance Delivers
Trusted, high‑quality data for reporting & AI.
Clear ownership & stewardship accountability.
Controlled access & lifecycle management.
Regulatory readiness with audit evidence.
Faster, safer scaling of AI/ML initiatives.
Our Governance Capability Framework
We combine global best practice (DAMA‑DMBOK, DCAM, ISO 38505, ISO 8000) with GCC regulatory alignment (UAE PDPL, Saudi PDPL, DIFC, ADGM, SAMA, NCA) to build programs that work in the real world.
Strategy & Operating Model
Metadata & Lineage
Data Quality
Privacy/Security
Compliance & Risk
Lifecycle & Retention
Value Metrics
Pillars Overview
Key Outcomes
Pillar
Typical Deliverables
Platforms / Tools
Governance vision, scope, sponsorship
Strategy & Operating Model
Charter, policy stack, RACI (Data Owner, Steward, Custodian, DPO)
Templates, Confluence, SharePoint
Findable, understandable data; impact analysis
Metadata & Lineage
Business glossary, technical lineage maps
Collibra, Alation, DataHub, OpenMetadata
Measurable data fitness for use
Data Quality & Observability
DQ rules, scorecards, anomaly alerts
Informatica, Great Expectations, IBM InfoSphere
Controlled use of sensitive data
Privacy, Security & Access
PII discovery, masking, RBAC/ABAC, encryption
OneTrust, Immuta, Privacera, native cloud controls
Controlled use of sensitive data
Evidence for regulators & auditors
Compliance & Risk
Control mapping, attestations, audit dashboards
SAMA / NCA mappings, GRC tools
Reduce risk & cost
Lifecycle & Retention
Retention schedules, archival & purge workflows
Cloud tiering, ILM tools
Track ROI of governance
Value & Metrics
Adoption metrics, issue MTTR, DQ improvement
BI dashboards, Jira metrics
Phase 3
Program Build & Tooling
  • Metadata / catalog rollout.
  • Data quality monitoring & alerts.
  • Access & policy automation; approval workflows.
Phase 4
Scale & Govern for AI
  • Feature store data classification.
  • Training data lineage & model audit trails.
  • Ongoing compliance reporting & value metrics.
Phase 1
Assessment & Strategy
  • Maturity evaluation (DAMA / DCAM / ISO 38505 baseline).
  • Regulatory gap analysis (PDPL, GDPR, DIFC, etc.).
  • Stakeholder alignment & role definition (Owners, Stewards, Custodians).
Phase 2
Quick Wins
  • High‑value domain focus (customer, finance, product).
  • Critical DQ rules; data glossary starter set.
  • PII discovery in priority systems.
Engagement Approach
A governance program doesn’t have to be big‑bang. We deliver practical, phased rollouts that show value quickly.
Request a Governance & Data Quality Assessment
Core Governance Services
Create a shared language for the enterprise.
  • Business glossary & data dictionary.
  • Technical lineage (source → transform → report/model).
  • Impact analysis for schema change.

Tools: Collibra, Alation, OpenMetadata, DataHub.
Industry‑Specific Governance Accelerators
Financial Services
  • BCBS 239 alignment (risk data aggregation).
  • FATCA data traceability.
  • SAMA CSF control evidence.
  • AML data lineage & alert auditability.
Healthcare & Life Sciences
  • HIPAA / GDPR cross‑mapping.
  • MOHAP / regional data residency.
  • De‑identification & re‑identification controls for research.
Government & Smart Cities
  • Open data programs with privacy overlays.
  • Citizen data classification & consent.
  • AI ethics review gates for public data use.
Energy / Oil & Gas
  • OT + IT data segregation & security tagging.
  • Regulated reporting data lineage (HSE, emissions).
Why Clients Choose Us
Global + Local Expertise:
GCC regulatory coverage (PDPL UAE/KSA, DIFC, ADGM) plus GDPR, CCPA, sector mandates.
01
Vendor‑Neutral & Practical:
We work with what you have; recommend best‑fit tools only where needed.
02
Business‑First Outcomes:
Governance tied to ROI (faster AI deployment, audit cost savings, reduced data risk).
03
Integrated With Your Data Platform:
Governance embedded in ingestion, modeling, BI, and ML pipelines,not an afterthought.
04
Engagement Options
Option 1
Governance & Data Quality Assessment
Get a prioritized scorecard covering:
  • Data quality index & top issues.
  • Regulatory & privacy exposure hotspots.
  • Recommended roles, tooling, roadmap.
Request Assessment
Option 2
Governance Pilot (1 Pillar)
  • Implement one high‑impact pillar (e.g., metadata catalog or DQ monitoring) to prove value.
Discuss Pilot
Option 3
Enterprise Governance Program
Get a prioritized scorecard covering:
  • Data quality index & top issues.
  • Regulatory & privacy exposure hotspots.
  • Recommended roles, tooling, roadmap.
Start Program Planning
Ready to unify reporting and move from descriptive to prescriptive analytics?
Request a BI & Analytics Assessment
info@s-o-d-a.com
+971 55 130 4590
IFZA, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai, UAE
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