Governing the strategic alignment of big data with the use of the COBIT 5 control framework

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The rapid increase in data, whether in a traditionally structured or unstructured format,has prompted the inception of a new technology trend, namely big data. In order forcompanies to gain value from their investment, big data must be governed properly.One of the main contributing factors as to why companies that have invested in thistrend cannot gain value from big data, is misalignment between their businessstrategies (business model), the information that has the potential to generate value;i.e. big data (information drivers), and IT (data model).This research focuses on strategic alignment as an IT governance objective anddevelops a best practices guide to help companies who have invested in this trend togovern strategic alignment. A three-step methodology is developed to help build thebest practices guide.The benefits of big data are used to identify business imperatives (selected at strategiclevel) as part of step 1 of the methodology. Step 2 sets out to identify the risksassociated with big data. These risks are then rephrased to represent strategic risks.Step 3 provides an understanding of COBIT 5, a comprehensive control framework, inorder to identify those COBIT 5 processes which support strategic alignment.The best practices guide is built by mapping the strategic big data risks (step 2) tothose COBIT 5 processes that support strategic alignment (step 3). Companies thathave invested in big data and that wish to govern strategic alignment successfully areadvised to implement these COBIT 5 processes to address the risks associated withbig data at a strategic level.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University