Although most people agree that data is a corporate asset, there is little discussion about how companies are ensuring that data is being managed and used effectively. The technology team has an application architecture, a platform architecture, standard tools, and a scrum-based development method. The business has application plans, DevOps teams, iterative development, and terabytes of hidden data copies. Every activity is an individual project, a single-point solution, independent of everything else. There are no economies of scale, no plan ensuring team members can use and share data or that business users can become self-sufficient with data.

We’re buried in data and everyone’s discussing the power of analytics, the single version of the truth, and self-service. Unfortunately, your current approach is to react to the latest challenge, problem, or surprise. You need a plan—and you need to learn how to build one quickly.

Our analytics environment is a collection of data, tools, and technologies. We’ve not enabled business analysis; we’re training everyone to become a data developer. We need an environment that has a cohesive plan that delivers easy-to-find data, enables self-service, aligns with the company’s strategy, and supports the individual’s responsibilities.

The frequent occurrence of data misuse and theft has caused companies to reexamine their approach to data protection and privacy. Most business people think little about their responsibilities when using data to support business decision making. The evolution of laws around the world focused on data protection and privacy has established a new set of responsibilities in the world of data usage and business analytics. The day is quickly approaching where companies will need to be able to manage and track data usage, data location, and customer consent.