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An Effective Culture to Underpin Your Strategy

A business that looks to become truly data-driven knows that employees are more likely to back the wider strategy if they have access to data that helps them do their jobs better. Data democratization and the positive culture it can create is, therefore, critical to the long-term success of any organization.

According to a recent report, Data Strategy and Culture: Paving the Way to the Cloud, senior decision-makers are confident that they’re opening up access to data sufficiently.

So do your employees at all levels actually have adequate access to data to boost their decision-making? Does the data at their disposal and how they work with it turn employees into strong advocates for your organization’s Data Strategy? I seek to address these questions.

This blog focuses on the crossover between Data Strategy and deployment decisions. It covers:

• Why data democratization is critical to developing a positive data culture
• What are the main barriers to this
• What else you can learn?

Data Democratization: Room for Improvement

Successful organizations identify the key capabilities that are required to execute their Data Strategy effectively. Infrastructure decisions are an important part of this as any limitations can cause frustration and poor engagement — ultimately, the wrong choice can restrict how well an employee can perform in their role.

Almost four out of five respondents to our survey say their current IT infrastructure makes it challenging to democratize data in their organization. This is a significant obstacle to be overcome. There are additional barriers, too, such as a lack of relevant data skills or too many new data sources.

At this point, businesses have to focus on which deployment model best meets their needs. On the topic of data democratization, many will naturally think of the benefits the cloud can bring. The right deployment model allows for data sharing in a secure and cost-effective manner across all levels and departments. It allows people, and therefore the company, to perform at their best.

Don’t Limit Your Potential

Despite the importance of this, almost half (46 percent) of respondents to our latest research believe that the democratization of data isn’t feasible for them.

This could be a big risk. If your technology infrastructure doesn’t allow you to open up access to data across the whole business, you’re stopping your organization from becoming truly data-driven. This could ultimately mean that insights can’t be gathered quickly enough, projects could be stalled, and a competitive edge on competitors can be lost.

Make the Data Work

There is a clear need for organizations to carefully consider which deployment option gives them the freedom needed to effectively open up access to data. Yet, the story doesn’t end once a decision has been made.

Teams must constantly monitor whether employees are able to work with the data at their disposal effectively. Can they get the insights they need from the data? Is there an ambition to increase the spread of data democratization within the organization?

So when it comes to optimizing the success of your Data Strategy, data democratization is an important and key step in the process — and your company needs to get it right.

The report investigates all of the key points raised in this blog and explains how developing a positive data culture starts with data democratization. This is the point when you secure your employees’ backing of the project. Only then are you truly ready to choose the right deployment model.