Data access governance refers to the controls that govern who can see and query different sets of data. If you've ever been an IT manager, you know what a mess this can be. Most organizations assign access privileges by role and system, but quickly get tangled up with manual insertions, exceptions, and overrides. In the end, no one really knows who can see what data and whether the organization is in compliance with ever-changing privacy and security regulations. 

Fortunately, there are new products on the market that promise to simplify and standardize data access and authorization across an enterprise. And just in time! As data volumes rise, the number of cloud applications grows, and users seek data in every nook and corner of an enterprise, it's becoming harder to empower users with data while securing sensitive or personal data. 

To help us sort through options, we've invited an expert in data access governance technology. Sanjeev Mohan has 30 years of information management experience and has worked for Oracle, KPMG, and most recently Gartner, where he was VP of Research for data and analytics.