What is a Data Owner's main responsibility?

The primary responsibility of a Data Owner is to oversee the confidentiality and integrity of data. This includes ensuring that all access to the data is appropriately managed and that sensitive information is kept secure from unauthorized access or breaches. The Data Owner also establishes policies regarding how the data should be protected and who is permitted to access it. This role is crucial in maintaining the overall security posture of an organization, as the Data Owner must align data handling practices with the organization's security policies and compliance requirements.

While handling data storage management, maintaining the quality of data and metadata, and ensuring compliance with regulations are critical tasks within data management, they are generally the responsibilities of other roles within the organization. For instance, data storage and management might fall under database administrators or IT personnel, whereas compliance is often handled by compliance officers or legal teams. The Data Owner's focus is more on ensuring that data remains trustworthy and accessible to authorized users while being protected against risks.