No matter how good you feel about the reliability of your company’s data operations, you can’t help wondering on occasion what the chances are that your firm will be one of the victims of the next data outage, malware scourge, or cyberattack. This is especially the case if your job entails ensuring the availability of your organization’s […]
How to Build a Data Governance Program in 90 Days
For many people in business, the mention of a data governance program evokes excessive red tape, bureaucratic drag, and, most of all, outsiders meddling in daily operations. “What is the preconceived notion about data governance? We are the police, we tell you no, we tell you to stop, we slow you down,” said Sherry Hidalgo, director of […]
Improving Data Quality with Data Stewardship
To get value from data, data stewards must understand and apply business requirements. When business ambiguity arises about how to best serve data stakeholders, data stewards need to know how to find out this information and with whom to speak. By doing so, stewards can align fit-for-purpose data with business needs and improve data quality. Data stewards understand […]
Evaluating Enterprise Data Literacy
Any organization that aims toward complete digital transformation must move toward enterprise data literacy. So, what exactly is data literacy? Gartner defines data literacy as: “The ability to read, write and communicate data in context, including an understanding of data sources and constructs, analytical methods and techniques applied – and the ability to describe the […]
The Changing Role of the Chief Data Officer
In a 2005 interview, Usama Fayyad described his recent appointment as Yahoo’s chief data officer (CDO), a role that had been introduced in the business world only a few years prior. He defined a CDO as: “Someone to lead all strategic data activities and to represent data as a strategic asset that DRIVES business and […]
Change Management Skills for Data Leaders
Change management skills have never been more crucial, given the ever-evolving business landscape. At the heart of effective leadership lies the ability to navigate through change, not only by adapting oneself but also by guiding teams and organizations toward successful transformation. The role of a leader transcends mere operational adjustments; it encompasses inspiring and motivating others […]
What Is Data Literacy and Why Does It Matter?
An international survey by technology company Accenture in 2020 found that 75% of C-suite executives believe that all or most of their employees are proficient at working with data. However, only 50% of middle managers felt the same way. And what about the employees themselves? Only 25% felt that they were fully prepared to use data effectively, […]
Women in Data: Meet Deloitte CDO Dr. Adita Karkera
The latest installment in our Q&A series with women leaders in data features Dr. Adita Karkera, chief data officer (CDO) of government and public services at Deloitte. (Read our previous Q&A here.) Dr. Adita Karkera discovered her love for data as a database administrator for the State of Arkansas. Over the next two decades, she dedicated […]
Case Study: Establishing a Data-Literate Culture
Imagine a rapidly expanding small business with a 20% yearly growth tasked with establishing and maintaining a data-literate culture. Then, add a new Data Architecture upgrade with considerable changes to the business logic to this situation, causing a full-on panic. This journey, marked by confusion over data definitions and anxiety over system changes, describes the situation that Brooke Gajownik, director of […]
Creating a Data Monetization Strategy
A data monetization strategy is an executable plan for extracting “value” from data and converting it into revenue-generating opportunities. It involves analyzing and leveraging data to uncover insights that can be used to drive business growth, enhance customer experiences, and create new revenue streams. Organizations collect large volumes of raw data from various sources such […]