In the age of Artificial Intelligence, organisations are increasingly using data, information and knowledge as a competitive weapon. Their data, information and knowledge are arguably their most valuable assets. Yet, this fourth asset is managed badly when compared to the other three assets, namely money, people and infrastructure with considerable risk to the organisation. Executives are accountable for the success of their organisations, and those who fail to manage this critical resource and business enabler effectively can be regarded as negligent.

Information Assets (IAs) carry enormous risk and value. Most boards and executives don’t know how to govern and manage IAs effectively and nobody is held accountable. Given this, organisations should govern and manage their Information Assets the way they govern and manage their Financial Assets. The benefits of managing IAs well are compelling. These benefits include increased efficiency, productivity, employee satisfaction, improved decision-making, mitigating business risk and improving product, protecting corporate reputation and service delivery. Drawing on ground-breaking research, this book explains why Information Assets are so important to organisations and the barriers to managing them well.

This book takes a uniquely fresh look at Information Assets. It is the result of experience and research, including the results of interviews with more than 70 industry leaders on three continents. In short, this book is written by executives for executives and explains where to start to significantly improve your business’ operations and productivity through disciplined management of your Fourth Asset.