True Digital Transformation Requires Data Specialists

The two most critical components in an organisation’s journey to becoming digitally transformed are data and analytics.

According to Andreas Bartsch, Head of Service Delivery at PBT Group, it comes down to being able to leverage information as a critical asset that delivers business value.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of embracing a digital way of thinking especially given the normalisation of the distributed work environment. But more than the tools required to keep employees productive regardless of their physical location, decision-makers must reassess how they view their organisation in this new world,” says Bartsch.

Putting data first

Making the transition to become more digitally-led, requires examining the importance of using data-driven job functions in the business. This means organisations can no longer rely only on traditional roles and responsibilities but must understand the importance of using a skilled digital transformation team capable of defining the digital structure and processes of the business on its journey ahead.

“A data-driven organisation will require data specialists to architect, design and model a data platform for a more agile environment, and know-how to capitalise on the high-performance computing capabilities delivered through the cloud,” Bartsch indicates.

Different roles

Even though cloud service providers have a plethora of roles geared towards doing this, there is a central theme tying this together – the data function inside the organisation.

“Whether it is a cloud administrator or engineer, architect or analyst, it requires being technology agnostic and finding the best skills capable of optimising the data platform of a business. It is easy to get lost in the details of the cloud and the related technologies. However, it is critical to remain in tune with the data needs of the business and how to extract the required value to deliver insights needed for growth in this radically different world,” says Bartsch.

Specialist view

To this end, a data specialist has a good understanding of the different solutions and services in the market and remains key to best architect and optimise the organisation’s data platform. Beyond understanding the underlying technology, the data specialist must also come to terms with the cloud environment as well.

“This function links the cloud, the data, and the business structure in a way that enhances operational procedures. It is about more than business intelligence (BI) or enterprise resource planning (ERP). Instead, it is having sight of artificial intelligence, machine learning, establishing data lakes, and understanding how to get the most benefit out of those technologies to be truly digitally transformed,” says Bartsch.

Even though many organisations are struggling to evolve their traditional processes into ones that leverage data and analytics, data specialists can help ease this transition.

“The new business landscape will be driven by data and analytics. Having skilled people in place who understand how to organise and manage data will be essential if organisations are to remain competitive and thrive,” concludes Bartsch.