Singapore has established a triad of key focal points: firstly, cultivating exemplary research; secondly, ensuring the highest standards in education; and thirdly, upholding an unwavering commitment to innovation, solidifying its vanguard status in this pivotal domain. 

Amid the pervasive challenge of achieving greater results with fewer resources across all sectors, particularly within the realm of Information Technology (IT), the profound reliance of students on technology-driven applications underscores the paramount significance of guaranteeing their accessibility to uphold the benchmarks of quality education. 

Rapidly evolving educational institutions are transitioning toward a digitised model to enhance learning opportunities. This framework necessitates smooth access to personal data, course materials, research, and laboratory work – a substantial portion of which is currently being migrated to cloud platforms. Safeguarding the privacy of student and institutional information has perpetually posed challenges. 

To revolutionise educational paradigms and align with data, privacy, and security protocols, educational institutions must integrate contemporary technologies for enhanced data management and security, thereby supplanting outdated backup and recovery systems. 

A pertinent case study illustrates James Cook University’s (JCU) endeavour to handle a substantial volume of data. The university heavily relies on its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) team to oversee three prominent data centres situated in Townsville, Cairns, and Singapore. These centres host a multitude of virtual machines and house an extensive data repository exceeding 350 terabytes. 

Drawing from research, the following 7-step approach outlines how educational institutions can enhance their data quality management: 

1. Enhance availability and accessibility of data 
2. Implement comprehensive data governance at all levels of the organisation 
3. Improve the quality and veracity of data 
4. Drive the consistent use of decision-making data across the departments 
5. Ensure integrity, confidentiality and data security 
6. Improve the knowledge, education and behaviours of our people to ensure data is managed as a strategic asset 
7. Enable the exploitation of new data-driven technologies as a strategic asset

The education sector today must consider: 

Centralised and efficient data protection and management 

In the contemporary business landscape, the need for centralised and efficient data protection and management is paramount. Companies seek the assurance that their data remains safeguarded and retrievable irrespective of the applications they adopt during their ongoing platform enhancements. Cultivating trust in the accessibility and availability of their data assumes vital importance in the context of today’s perpetually connected economy. 

Drive the consistent use of decision-making data across the departments  

The operational intelligence of an educational institution can be compromised by unanalysed and inconsistent data access protocols. Therefore, it is imperative for systems to furnish dependable and centralised access to trustworthy data reservoirs, ensuring swift and efficient scrutiny of all data. 

Ensure integrity, confidentiality and data security 

Contemporary enterprises must place data protection at the forefront of their priorities. The reliability of data holds immense significance, as it can significantly shape the course of operations and profoundly impact the company’s standing. Educational institutions should extend the same level of security vigilance to backup, replication, and archival processes, in addition to fortifying the security measures for safeguarding and preserving all data. The procedures governing backup and restoration must alignwith the same protocols that manage individuals entrusted with and responsible for data oversight 

Data Governance: Implement data governance and uniformity 

Data governance is vital for educational institutions, particularly in the context of diverse partnerships and compliance demands. Strong tools are essential for maintaining data quality, performing audits, and upholding compliance. Transparent and consistent tools contribute to establishing efficient governance throughout the organisation. 

OpenGov Asia extends an invitation to join an exclusive OpenGov Breakfast Insight. This session will centre on the dissemination of invaluable insights concerning digital integration, cybersecurity, cloud computing, and data governance, uniquely tailored to the Singapore education sector. 

This session serves as a great peer-to-peer learning platform to gain insights and practical solutions that enable organisations to maximise data capability through improved education data systems and cost-effective and secure data-driven processes to adhere to the current data regulation and compliance.