Prioritize your data strategy

Applying data efficiently can mean the difference between success and failure for a business in today’s competitive environment.

But before you can even consider issues such as choosing the right deployment model, you need the backing of your employees when it comes to your organization’s data strategy.

Businesses of all sizes and every sector are taking note. 92% of respondents to our latest report Data strategy and culture: paving the way to the cloud believe that data strategy has a significant or moderate influence on IT infrastructure decisions. These are positive signs, but whether this rhetoric turns into positive action for employees is another question.

Is resistance holding your business back?

Our research has shown that 53% of respondents have experienced some resistance from employees to the adoption of data-driven methods in their organization.

This comes down to how employees and management understand their organization’s data strategy to be working. There’s also a more fundamental concern: whether employees believe that data-driven technology might make their jobs redundant. Both issues are explored in depth in the full report.

In short, everyone needs to understand their organization’s data strategy, how the chosen deployment option will suit their needs and why becoming data-driven is in everyone’s best interest.

At the heart of your data strategy: people

Success requires organizations to recognize employees’ concerns and place the human at the heart of any data strategy. This will help how they operate as a business, increase productivity and reduce costs.

Employees need reassurance that jobs aren’t threatened. According to McKinsey, an effective data strategy will create career opportunities and progression. Data-driven firms are able to remove menial processes, freeing up employees’ time for more rewarding and profitable tasks.

Keep your options open

While you need to plan your data strategy and communicate it to your team clearly, you also need to bear in mind that it might change. Many organizations spend time and resources choosing a deployment method that’s right for them at a specific point in time.

Deciding on a cloud, on-premises or a hybrid approach depends on your specific requirements and the data workloads you are dealing with. Our CTO Mathias Golombek explains that there isn’t just one cloud solution for your data in this video.

So you need to keep your options open to get the maximum value out of your data now and in the future.

Find out more

There are many factors to consider when deciding on a data strategy that everyone in the organization can support. Our report shares peer insights to help you choose the right data strategy and deployment model for your organization.

To find out what your peers are thinking about these core issues, download ‘Data strategy and culture: paving the way to the cloud’ here.