Why Being a Data-First Leader Matters for Your Business

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Research reveals enterprises like yours can experience significant payoffs from addressing the complexities of data management. The research conducted by ESG for HPE reveals that becoming a data-first leader provides transformational benefits that accelerate operations, reduce risk, and empower innovation.

The digital era brings new data complexities

Data volumes are growing exponentially as your business creates and uses more data. You will likely face new threats of ransomware and cybercrime.

Meanwhile, business stakeholders rely on data to accelerate digital transformation initiatives. Can your data management capabilities keep pace?

Most organisations need help with a web of complexity that hinders innovation, inhibits agility, and increases risk. On average, companies leverage 23 tools to manage their data environment! We don’t think that’s in any way sustainable.

The key to becoming a data-first leader

The research found that achieving mature cloud operations on-premises is essential to eliminating complexity. Cloud operations create the experience and capabilities needed to unlock the value of your data.

Elements of a cloud operational experience include:

  • Delivering data infrastructure as-a-Service.
  • Integrating automation and AI/ML intelligence.
  • Providing comprehensive visibility and control.
  • Simplifying deployment with a pay-as-you-go model.

Data-first leaders transform their businesses

By creating this cloud operational experience, ESG’s research shows that data-first leaders achieve dramatic improvements:

  • They are 1.6x more likely to reduce the drag on innovation created by data management complexity.
  • They alleviate IT infrastructure selection challenges at a rate 1.7x higher than peers.
  • They are 1.8x more likely to reduce time spent supporting and managing infrastructure.
  • They report 1.5x higher rates of alleviating difficulty supporting all applications.
  • They exceed revenue goals by over 10% at 11.5x the rate of other companies.
  • They beat competitors to market by multiple quarters at a rate 20x higher than peers, achieving a higher ROI.

Becoming a data-first leader drives confidence

Data-first leaders are nearly twice as likely to be very confident in their capability to accelerate innovation. Simplifying their environment enables rapid experimentation and development of new ideas.

These leaders also have much higher confidence in their ability to get solutions to the market faster than competitors. Their datacentre agility empowers them to quickly mobilise the right data resources to deliver new products and services.

Where does this elevated confidence come from? It stems from measurable successes these data-first leaders have already achieved. They’ve exceeded revenue goals more frequently than peers and won on time-to-market against the competition.

Key takeaway

Be sure to address data management complexity. Take steps now to evaluate your environment and progress toward a cloud operational model. We recommend working with reputable partners who can steer your data-first journey.