An enterprise approach to data

The shifting landscape of data management, data harmonization and the organizational culture that governs them remains a constant source of debate. At WatersTechnology’s inaugural Leaders’ Network in June, technology and data leaders explored the evolving dynamics of enterprise data management and the inherent challenges. The discussion also spotlighted the rising importance of data products, the cultural transformation needed to support true data ownership, and the growing impact of metadata and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI).

Key takeaways:

• Firms must shift from siloed, business-unit-owned data to a Netflix-style model—subscribe to trusted data at the source instead of duplicating it like Blockbuster DVDs.
• Transition from uncurated datasets to curated, governed “ready to eat” data products. This means applying product management principles to data—making it consistent, usable and reusable.
• Technology and data leaders emphasized standardization of reference data and aggregation practices at enterprise level to enable alignment across business lines and avoid a “telephone game” of misinterpreted data.
• Leaders highlighted cultural change as critical. Historically, each business unit was a custodian of its own data. Now, organizations must build a culture of ownership, clarity and accountability.
• Ownership must be clear; incentive structures must reinforce enterprise-level responsibility.
• Data quality should be managed as close to the source as possible. Real-time controls improve accuracy, reduce end-of-day error rates and satisfy regulatory expectations.
• Effective change relies on technical capabilities that allow seamless data consumption, strong data lineage and fewer downstream copies.
• GenAI highlights the need for high-quality metadata. With data becoming a commercial asset, organizations are investing more to structure, govern and extract value from it.