Data ownership refers to who has legal ownership of the data. In the cloud computing perspective, roles are assumed to handle data ownership responsibilities.
Data Owner
Refers to the that has collected or created the data. From an organization perspective, data ownership is assigned to specific individuals who have rights & responsibilities of the data. This may include Department Heads or Business Unit Managers whom have collected or created a dataset. From a cloud computing perspective, the customer is the owner of the data
Data Custodian
Refers to a person or entity that is given the mandate to maintain & administer the data.
The data custodian is also responsible of administering adequate security controls & processes as directed by the data owner. An example of a data custodian is a database administrator.
Data Processor
Refers to a person or organization who manipulates, stores or moves data on behalf of the data owner. Data processing may include copying, printing, destroying & utilizing. From an international law perspective, the cloud provider is a data processor.
