Data democratization is the process of making data available and usable to everyone within your organization, regardless of their technical expertise or job function. This involves breaking down organizational silos and empowering individuals to access, analyze and interpret data to drive informed decision-making.
Data democratization has the power to propel your business to new heights. As Bernard Marr, bestselling author of “Big Data in Practice”, explains:
“The goal [of data democratization] is to have anybody use data at any time to make decisions with no barriers to access or understanding.”
Here’s how you can improve your data accessibility (and understanding) so your business users can drive more informed business outcomes.
What is data democratization? How to make data accessible to business users more easilyImplementing data democratization
Only 27% of executives believe they have the right organizational culture to support a data democracy, according to a survey by MicroStrategy.
Data democratization doesn’t ‘just happen’. To make your data accessible to business users, you need to commit to making lasting organizational changes. But this shouldn’t be an excuse to delay your efforts — the most important thing is to get started.
In order to begin, ask yourself these two fundamental questions:
- Does your current tech stack support data democratization?
- Is your organizational culture ready to embrace this democratization?
Implementing data democratization requires a combination of new tools and the right culture. Business users must feel empowered to access and engage with data. But they also need the right tools, properly implemented, in order to make this a reality.
Here are three ways you can make your data more accessible to business users:
1. Enable self-service access to trustworthy data
To reduce the volume of support requests your IT team receives, it’s critical you find ways to empower business users to self-serve their data needs. This means employing a powerful, user-friendly data platform.
Your data platform should allow non-technical users to access and analyze data without the need for further support from data experts. They should be able to do so safe in the knowledge that the IT team has validated this data and remains in control of managing access and reliability.
A flexible and easy-to-use data platform can provide a strong foundation for business users to interpret data as required. This will help them make smarter and faster decisions that contribute to growth.
2. Educate business users and develop a data-driven culture
Just 11% of global employees feel confident in their data literacy skills, according to a recent survey from Qlik. But, the appetite to learn how to access, analyze and act on data is more prevalent than ever. In fact, with recent innovations in artificial intelligence (AI), 58% of the same respondents believe data literacy will help keep them remain relevant in their role.
Becoming data literate requires practice. This means supporting business users to engage with and analyze data more frequently and ensuring that data is accessible to those who need it. As the experts, you can use the CloverDX platform to give business users the power to conduct risk-free data transformations. Not only does this educate users on data handling best practices, but it also teaches them to interpret data in a way that provides the most value to your organization.
3. Break down data silos to improve collaboration
Thirty-eight percent of decision-makers see data silos as one of the biggest challenges in delivering a good customer experience. Silos restrict data access and limit productivity. As well as impacting your customer experience, they also harm an organization’s ability to remain competitive and grow.
Data democratization abolishes silos. It gives autonomy to business users across all departments. This way, they can seek out, analyze and use accurate data to inform the decisions that contribute value to the organization.
Achieving data democratization with CloverDX
Improving data democratization is arguably the only way to stay competitive. But to achieve this, you need to integrate trustworthy data into the everyday working practices of your business. This means deploying a tool that empowers business users to self-serve their data needs. It also means educating business users on data literacy and finding ways to abolish data silos to improve collaboration.
A powerful data platform like CloverDX provides this solution. It gives everyone, regardless of technical skill, the chance to turn data-driven insights into immediate actions. With tools like Data Catalog and Wrangler, you can provide business users with open access to your data, while ensuring your IT team retains centralized control over source data sets.
To see CloverDX in action, book a demo with us today.
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