The National Data Awareness Project has launched.  A joint initiative of thought leaders from within the business community, from local, state and federal governments, and from inside the information technology industry, the goals of the Project are both straightforward in principle and urgent in nature.

In the 21st Century, electronically stored information - data - has become the currency of US commerce, civil administration, and cultural and scientific innovation.  Virtually no task can be accomplished today without the use of electronic information and the technologies used to process, transport and store data itself. 

Acknowledging this first point leads inevitably to a second one.  The dependency of organizations upon reliable access to a valid set of data has also introduced vulnerability -- in the form of an interruption in authorized access to data and to the loss of data itself.  The nexus between dependency and vulnerability comes into sharp focus everytime an access interruption occurs, whether in the form of a natural disaster or some man-made calamity.  Once lost, data cannot be replaced.  Businesses that are denied access to mission critical data for more than 72 hours tend to be out of business within one year.

In addition to disastrous access interruptions, vulnerability also presents itself in the form of unauthorized disclosures of private information about US citizens.  The loss of a laptop computer holding detailed financial information about consumers, the exposure of privileged patient healthcare data, and the theft of confidential corporate or government secrets by hackers also place organization in jeopardy, providing more compelling evidence of the dependency/vulnerability nexus.    

The conclusion is simple:  effective data protection is critical for the operational efficiency and continuity of contemporary organizations and also for the preservation of the rights of consumers, patients and corporate innovators.   Recognizing these facts, the founders of NDAP have established this on-line forum to

1. Establish greater awareness of the need to protect and preserve data

2. Inform and educate decision-makers in business and government regarding necessary strategies for safeguarding information asset

3. Provide a clear-headed assessment of the capabilities (and limitations) of current technologies for data protection and reference profiles for their implementation 

4. Discuss technological and procedural components of data protection in order to promote the development of best practices in this important area of information asset management

5. Foster realistic business initiatives as well as sensible legislative and regulatory activity in the area of data management, data protection and information privacy

This site is completely free and open to anyone interested in the development of data protection capabilities for their organization.  It is maintained by the Data Management Institute, an organization founded in 2003 to facilitate the professional development of data management practitioners.  We welcome your participation and your input in these endeavors.