The group, which was formed by IBM along with dozens of leading corporations, institutions and technology solution providers, makes a global effort to develop a "blueprint" of common solutions for challenges that apply to security, privacy, trust and corporate compliance issues.

Data governance is the process by which companies govern appropriate access to their critical data by measuring operational risk and controlling security exposures. The Data Governance Council is working to redefine the management of data governance policy, the impact of policy on business processes and practices, and the enforcement of policy in IT infrastructure, information management and organizational behavior. Members of the Council are collaborating on ways to address these issues using IBM and business partner solutions and concepts.

"Nowadays, companies store information inside technology silos such as databases, storage arrays and content management systems. To achieve success, organizations must provide employees, partners and customers continuous access to the critical information, especially when more and more companies do business online. The Council is working to find ways to manage and control access to this information without interrupting the business or compromising data integrity," said Steven Adler, Chair of the Data Governance Council and Program Director, IBM Data Governance Solutions.

Guardium addresses the growing need to provide database security, auditing and compliance solutions that were previously unavailable, costly or impractical. The Company fills the gap by delivering products that empower organizations to manage the complexities of auditing and protecting databases.

"We are very pleased to help drive the industry forward through the Data Governance Council," said Roy Barr, Director of Business Development at Guardium. "There is great synergy between the Council's efforts and Guardium's ability to help customers continuously monitor, audit and control database access activity throughout the enterprise. Guardium's technology helps simplify and automate adherence to corporate governance initiatives."