Across all industries, and in businesses of all sizes, one thing holds true: The more you know about your customers, the greater your organization’s chances for success. This makes data your company’s most valuable non-human asset. As the revenue potential of data increases, the job of protecting that data becomes more important and more challenging. […]
Beyond Data Access: Enabling the Data-Driven Journey (Part 2)
Building on Part 1’s assessment and alignment foundation, we now focus on transforming momentum into sustainable data capabilities. Having established stakeholder buy-in and identified pitfalls, the journey continues with practical implementation that delivers measurable value. Success requires advancing three parallel tracks simultaneously: By progressing these tracks in concert rather than sequentially, organizations can maintain momentum, […]
How Data Will Reshape Industries in 2025
Data has become a driving force behind change and innovation in 2025, fundamentally altering how businesses operate. Across sectors, organizations are using advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and data-sharing technologies to improve decision-making, foster collaboration, and uncover new opportunities. In the upcoming year, the focus is on making data more accessible, protecting […]
Making the Complex Simple: Breaking Down Silos
We are no longer living in a security-first world: It’s a data-centric one. With data breaches reaching record levels, regulatory frameworks lagging and companies scrambling to keep up, it’s no wonder enterprises struggle with controlling access to data. Limited controls and inconsistent security measures only add to the challenge, making it harder than ever for organizations […]
Dark Data Explained
Dark data often resides in the hidden recesses of a metaphorical jungle: It comprises unstructured and unused data accumulated over years of digital transactions, interactions, and operations. Dark data is information that has been collected but not actively used or analyzed, leaving its potential benefits to remain speculative. Unlike structured data, which fits neatly into databases […]
Identity, Security, Access: Three Reasons Why Enterprises Need Zero Trust
Zero trust is taking the enterprise by storm. About two-thirds (63%) of organizations worldwide have fully or partially implemented the cybersecurity posture, Gartner reports, following the motto of “never trust, always verify.” This rush to zero trust makes sense in the remote age. The proliferation of anywhere users means it’s harder than ever to lock down […]
How Not to Put Data Governance into Practice: Four Common Mistakes
There’s a fair amount of high-level advice on the internet about implementing data governance, which means the practices an organization uses to ensure its data is available, usable, complete, and secure. But what you won’t find, at least not in abundance, is guidance about what not to do when establishing a data governance practice. That’s unfortunate, because […]
Data Logistics Mandates: Devising a Plan to Ensure Long-Term Data Access
Microsoft 365 has become the nucleus for many organizations for centralized communication and collaboration, especially large organizations with more than 1,000 full-time employees. One million companies globally use 365 and create 1.6 billion documents each day on the platform and in the next two years, that is expected to grow by 4.4 times, according to a […]
Taming Access Creep: Strategies to Rein in Unnecessary Privileges
One of the most pervasive cybersecurity challenges is “access creep” – the gradual, often unnoticed accumulation of access privileges by employees beyond what their current role requires. This phenomenon occurs when initial access rights granted for specific roles are not revoked as employees change positions or their job duties evolve. Over time, this unchecked accrual […]
Why Is a Data-Driven Culture Important?
Many modern organizations are recognizing how important it is to develop a data-driven culture. A data-driven culture typically describes a workplace environment and involves making information readily available to staff. The general idea in promoting a data-driven workplace culture is to increase profits by developing a business that functions in a streamlined, efficient, and friendly […]