I am a firm believer that data is shaping the world around us, and so I constantly strive to drive awareness about the value of data and how it can bring great benefits to businesses and people. And, as I explained to Joe DosSantos in the latest episode of Data Brilliant, that means helping people identify the right data career path for them, and helping organizations understand the roles and skills they need within their business to help them succeed.

In 2020, in response to the pandemic, we saw an urgent shift to SaaS and various emerging technologies. It was covered at length in “Introducing Trends 2021 – 'The Great Digital Switch'.” Largely driven by necessity, organizations needed to make drastic moves “to keep the lights on” and cater to operations in a more virtual and remote style. This big leap forward drastically changed the IT landscape and infrastructure in a lot of organizations.

Data – the amount we create, how we create it, how it is accessed (think both people and Artificial Intelligence/machines), and how we use it to inform, propel and influence everyone and everything is one of the biggest challenges and opportunities we face in our lifetime. And it’s driving enormous change.

A favorite moment of mine is when I get to share Qlik’s vision for Active Intelligence with a customer for the first time. It usually goes like this: genuine excitement about the possibility – taking informed action in the moment from real-time data…invariably followed by many questions – where do I begin? What do I need? What about the tech stack I have already acquired?

Unless you’ve hidden under a rock for the past decade, you can’t have failed to notice that data in today’s enterprise is very much alive. It’s always moving, constantly changing, and we’re continually using it to create new business value. However, while data fluidity and visibility have blossomed, the opportunity to use that data to drive business actions seems to have withered in comparison.