Getting started with Inter-Agency "Silo Breaker" Data Bridge

The Data Bridge is a secure gateway that lets one agency ask another a specific question, such as whether a record exists or what a permitted field contains, and receive only the fields the inter-agency agreement allows. Data stays in the providing agency's systems; the Bridge applies the agreement's rules to every query and logs who asked what, why and what was returned. Privacy officers and data stewards can see every exchange and show that sharing stayed within the agreement and the law.

What it is for

When one agency needs to verify something held by another, the usual options are a bulk extract sent on a schedule, a direct connection into the other agency's database, or a manual request by email. Bulk copies go stale and spread personal information further than needed, direct connections give more access than the agreement intends, and manual requests are slow and hard to audit. Privacy officers are asked to sign off on sharing they cannot easily see, and when an inspector general or oversight body asks what was shared and why, the answer has to be reconstructed.

• Bulk extracts copy more personal information than the purpose needs
• Direct database access goes beyond what agreements intend
• Agreement terms are not enforced by the systems that share the data
• There is no single record of who asked for what, and why

Who uses it

• Program offices that need to verify information held by another agency
• Data stewards and system owners at providing agencies
• Senior agency officials for privacy and privacy offices
• Chief data officers and interagency agreement managers
• Inspectors general and auditors reviewing data sharing

Before you start

• Your organization licenses Inter-Agency "Silo Breaker" Data Bridge from Moraph.
• A Moraph client account in that organization, signed in.
• Access to Inter-Agency "Silo Breaker" Data Bridge in Moraph Apps, given by an administrator in the Moraph Portal under People and access.
• For setup: the product administrator role.

Steps to get started

1. Sign in at app.moraph.com with your Moraph account.

2. Open Inter-Agency "Silo Breaker" Data Bridge from the launcher. The first time anyone opens it, its workspace is created from the default described in Workspace reference.

3. Check your role: what you can see and do depends on it. See Roles and permissions.

4. Product administrators: work through Set up Inter-Agency "Silo Breaker" Data Bridge before your team starts.

5. Everyone else: start with Everyday tasks.

Where to go next

• Set up Inter-Agency "Silo Breaker" Data Bridge
• Everyday tasks
• Connect your systems
• Security, data and compliance
• Troubleshooting and the support guide
• Product overview on moraph.com