A gap between business and data operations - Why does it matter?

I have over 10 years of experience working with companies that leverage data in business operations, decision-making, planning and offerings. From a technical perspective, the "data industry" has made significant strides and advancements over the years. We now have more sophisticated tools and processes for managing and delivering data, a notable improvement from when I first began my journey in this field.

Despite advancements in data technologies, a noticeable gap still exists between business and data operations in many organizations. The situation can be compared to the house-building business: Imagine using the best tools available to build a house, but doing so in the wrong location or with unsuitable materials. The result would be a house of little value and expensive to maintain. Of course, there will always be houses that are in more demand than others but some of them are doomed to fail from the start.

The same applies to data solutions - there must be complete alignment between business operations and your best-in-class new data (and AI) tools. Without this buy-in and a proper match between data supply and business demand, you risk ending up with yet another abandoned solution that few will even remember.

Bringing data closer to business — and business closer to data — should be a top priority for many organizations. In today's data-driven world, aligning these two areas is crucial to make more informed decisions, react swiftly to market changes, and to drive innovation.

It's important to recognize that you simply can't buy or build data solutions in the same way as traditional IT solutions. Alongside code, networks, and hardware, the content of the data itself varies greatly, making it unique to each business environment. A different approach is essential, one that takes into account your business, data, and people. While challenging, it's worth pursuing.

In the near future, I'll be writing posts focused on data-related topics, particularly where they intersect with business. My hope is that these posts will help bridge the gap between business and data organizations, even if only a little somewhere. Data is your business nowadays, whether you wanted it or not.

In my next post, I’ll dive into the key factors that need to be in place before a company can develop a successful data use case for business—and how to operate it effectively later on when deployed.

Have a nice autumn and stay tuned!

/Jarkko