Prioritizing data integration to discover the untapped potential of data

Many companies today are struggling to manage their data, overwhelmed by data volumes, velocity, and variety. On top of that, they are storing data in IT environments that are increasingly complex, including in the cloud and on mainframes, sometimes simultaneously, all while needing to ensure proper security and compliance.

All of this complexity creates a challenge. How do companies ensure their data landscape is ready for the future? Particularly when it comes to new and emerging opportunities with AI and analytics, an ill-equipped data environment could be leaving vast amounts of potential by the wayside. Not to mention the risk of errors or negligence that result from limited visibility which can affect compliance.

The longer it takes for companies to address their data challenges, the worse these problems become, and the further behind they might fall in the push for future innovations. One of the most important pathways to better data management, and maximizing its value, lies in discoverability.

Discovering data across a hybrid infrastructure

Harnessing the full potential of data in a hybrid environment starts with a thorough discovery process. Teams must first identify the information that’s crucial to the business and any associated regulatory requirements. Taking inventory of the data landscape helps when planning future modernizations or technology changes.

The next step is to map all dependencies between the company’s applications and data. This is especially useful for organizations that haven’t gone through an evaluation process like this in a long time. Dependency mapping can uncover where companies are generating incorrect, incomplete, or unnecessary data that only detract from sound decision-making. It can also be helpful to conduct a root cause analysis to identify why data quality may be slipping in certain areas.

Once an organization has that better understanding of how data is produced and stored, implementing an impact analysis sheds light on the operational effect of actions that can be taken to address weak points in data management. Before moving forward with any data migration or modernization project, executives should know what the business stands to gain as a result. This is also a good opportunity to build a data lineage capability if it doesn’t already exist.

Should the company make changes to improve data flows and infrastructure, there will be additional opportunities to optimize the data footprint. At this point, it’s easier to minimize data bloat, right-size infrastructure, and eliminate low-quality data that doesn’t add business value. This is also the right time to implement data monitoring to keep track of changes in data structure and data flows over time.

Of course, getting a handle on hybrid environments that span transactional, distributed, and cloud systems is far easier said than done. The steps described here can take months or even years to execute depending on the data needs of the business in question.

Invest in purpose-built data integration

Putting an emphasis on solutions that ease the data integration process can help uncover critical answers to many lingering data questions an organization might have. What’s needed here is a purpose-built set of capabilities, with the backing of a trusted, knowledgeable partner. Solution sets like those provided in Rocket® DataEdge help accomplish exactly that.

With solutions that provide greater visibility, an organization can quickly gain a comprehensive view of their data landscape and create a single source of truth for users that covers the company’s entire data footprint across distributed, cloud, and mainframe environments. The most sophisticated solutions enable all types of users to build compelling visualizations and reports. As a result, more people can understand and make decisions from higher-quality information.

Regardless of industry, businesses are contending with exponential growth of data in their IT systems. And as technologies like AI dominate, maximizing the value of that data without compromising security or falling victim to rising operational costs has become the mandate that will define success for the future.

Learn more about how Rocket Software can help you make the most of your data and fuel innovation.