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A chief data officer (CDO) is a senior executive who is tasked with managing and improving the organization's ability to leverage data as a strategic asset.
The CDO is responsible for a number of areas encompassed by data governance, including:
- Ensuring the organization meets compliance regulations.
- Identifying and promoting best practices and resources for data life cycle management and ata quality management.
- Fostering a community of learning.
Although related, the roles of the CDO and the chief information officer are different. The CDO typically reports to the chief technology officer (CTO), chief operating officer (COO) or the chief executive officer (CEO).
Techopedia Explains Chief Data Officer
The role of the chief data officer has changed since it was created in 2007 in response to compliance regulations that were enacted after the recession in 2007–08. At that time, the CDO was mainly responsible for ensuring that the enterprise data fulfilled compliance requirements.
Today, the role of the CDO is to drive the realization in organizations that big data is a business asset that can be used to identify potential revenue opportunities. The chief data officer is also responsible for ensuring that the data obtained from various sources is protected and its confidentiality is honored.
In the United States, Resources.data.gov hosts an online repository that provides free information about the role of a CDO, including best practices for data governance and templates for data governance policies.
