Data modernization marks a defining moment for any organization seeking to reinvent itself. With data becoming the new organizing principle—and the beating heart of successful, modern organizations—the individuals tasked with using data to make decisions and solve problems want to leverage it to become more agile, efficient, and innovative. Major market trends influencing technical investments indicate this next-level focus on data will continue for the foreseeable future. IDG's 2021 State of the CIO Executive Summary lists data and business analytics as the number-one initiative driving technology investments, a clear indication that the ability to collect, process, and understand data defines an organization’s capacity to adapt and thrive into the future.
While organizations understand the importance of data, they struggle with their existing on-premises data infrastructure, which has become increasingly complicated, requiring a large staff with additional investments that take time, money, and focus away from innovation and application development. Lowered expectations about data storage, management, and processing capabilities undermine competitiveness as well. Current market dynamics are all the motivation many leaders need to become data-driven; leaders bogged down with time-intensive on-premises administrative work get pushed further and further away from that drive.
