Alation Releases State of Data Culture Maturity Research Report
Insights from data professionals demonstrate data culture is a fundamental necessity for organizations to thrive and drive business success in the digital age.
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Alation, Inc. has released The State of Data Culture Maturity: Research Report. The report is based on responses from 292 data professionals across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America to understand where data culture maturity stands today and where it’s going.
Alation’s research report highlights the pivotal role of data culture in business success. As organizations navigate a data-driven landscape, it’s critical for leaders to recognize that building a strong data culture is a strategic imperative. Strong data leaders who successfully nurture a data-centric mindset within their organizations will not only drive innovation and agility but also gain a competitive edge in the market. 89% of respondents with strong data leadership say their organizations met or exceeded revenue goals in the past year.
Modern organizations also have a heightened focus on data governance, with 70% of respondents reporting their organizations are focused on improving governance in the coming year. More than half of respondents (56%) describe the direction of their data governance strategy as “offensive” (enabling data usage to support business growth) rather than “defensive” (protecting the business from risk and preventing regulatory infringements). As data becomes more valuable, organizations invest in establishing comprehensive frameworks to ensure data integrity, privacy, and compliance -- not just to pass audits but to drive value.
The research also underscores the importance of data search and discovery, data literacy, and data leadership to support a thriving data culture. Survey respondents cite a lack of metadata and context (69%), knowledge localized to just a few experts (64%), data silos and data duplication issues (64%), and lack of user skills and training (51%) as challenges with data and analytics initiatives. Organizations that invest in empowering their employees to search and access relevant data efficiently, foster data literacy among their workforce, and cultivate strong data leadership at all levels of the organization are better positioned to extract maximum business value from the vast sea of available data.
"Data, increasingly the most valuable asset in many organizations today, gains its true worth within a culture that actively governs and manages it across functions,” said Dr. Jonathan Reichental, founder, professor, and author of Data Governance for Dummies. “Fostering a mature data culture is not just about managing data, but about integrating it as a central element in business operations and decision-making, a distinction that can mean the difference between success and failure.”
Download the full report, The State of Data Culture Maturity: Research Report or read the blog, Key Findings from the 2023 State of Data Culture Maturity Report, for additional insights into data culture maturity to drive business results and success globally.