TDWI Research has released its newest Best Practices Report, Cloud Data Management: Integrating and Processing Data in Modern Cloud and Hybrid Environments. This original, survey-based report looks at the many dimensions of cloud data management (CDM) so data professionals and their business counterparts can understand the benefits of CDM and how they can organize a successful program.
The author of the report, Philip Russom, Ph.D., is senior director of TDWI Research for data management. He explains that technical users are lured to the cloud because of its speed, scale, elasticity, and low level of maintenance; business people are drawn to its agility, low cost, and ability to support new data-driven business practices. Cloud data management is about managing old and new data in hybrid data architectures that span on-premises and cloud systems so enterprises have data they can trust, govern, and leverage for business value with the latest in business analytics and data-driven operational innovations.
CDM involves working with database management systems, data integration tools, related platforms, and the numerous best practices users perform with them. Modernizing this complex environment -- especially consolidating traditional enterprise data and modern big data using on-premises and cloud-based tools and platforms -- is challenging in part because clouds are making data more heavily distributed than it has ever been. For example, the report identifies key barriers to successful CDM, including issues in governance, data migration, data quality, and tool maturity.
The report examines the many dimensions of CDM (which is also known as cloud data warehousing, data-as-a-service, and hybrid data management), explores who owns and maintains CDM projects, and looks at how enterprises are currently addressing CDM issues.
Report Highlights
This comprehensive report reveals:
- CDM provides valuable support for a wide range of business functions, including analytics (64%), data warehousing (52%), and reporting (47%)
- Respondents see top CDM benefits in scalability for data storage and integration workloads (51%), automatic and elastic resource management (44%), and enabling advanced analytics at scale but inexpensively (35%)
- Barriers to successful CDM include data privacy concerns (40%), modern data governance issues, (38%), and replatforming tasks (38%)
- More than 3 in 4 respondents say implementing CDM is important to the success of their organization’s data strategy
- Absolute “must haves” for CDM include core data management functions for data integration (70%), data prep (57%), and data quality (55%)
- Respondents see CDM as allowing them to get more business value from their data, capture and leverage emerging data types and sources, and embrace new systems architectures
Russom includes real-world use cases and comments from survey respondents about best practices for success and what mistakes they made. The author also discusses how to design and implement CDM solutions, and how to address the worker skills gap.
The report offers ideas for developing a reader’s own multiphase plan for migrating data to the cloud and encourages the reader to examine all aspects of CDM, from platforms and tools to user features, performance issues, and interfaces as well as the role of data virtualization and the complexities of hybrid data architectures. Russom includes specific, actionable steps so readers can be successful in their own environments including a Top Ten list of priorities for cloud data management.
This research was sponsored by Actian, Couchbase, Datameer, Denodo, Hitachi, SAP, Snowflake, and Trifacta.
- Download the report
- Watch the webinar on June 19, 9:00 a.m. PT, 12:00 p.m. ET
About the Author
Philip Russom, Ph.D., is senior director of TDWI Research for data management and is a well-known figure in data warehousing, integration, and quality. He has published more than 600 research reports, magazine articles, opinion columns, and speeches over a 20-year period. Before joining TDWI in 2005, Russom was an industry analyst covering data management at Forrester Research and Giga Information Group. He also ran his own business as an independent industry analyst and consultant, was a contributing editor with leading IT magazines, and a product manager at database vendors. His Ph.D. is from Yale. You can reach him at prussom@tdwi.org, @prussom on Twitter, and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/philiprussom
About TDWI
For more than 20 years, TDWI has provided individuals and teams with a comprehensive portfolio of business and technical education and research about all things data. TDWI’s in-depth, best-practices-based knowledge can be quickly applied to develop world-class talent across your organization’s business and IT functions to enhance analytical, data-driven decision making. TDWI offers four major conferences as well as topical seminars, onsite education, membership, certification, live webinars, resource-filled publications, industry news, and in-depth research. See tdwi.org or follow us on Twitter @TDWI.
About 1105 Media
1105 Media, Inc., is a leading provider of integrated information and media in targeted business-to-business markets, including specialized sectors of the information technology community; industrial health, safety, and compliance; security; environmental protection; and home healthcare. 1105's offerings span print and online magazines, journals, and newsletters; seminars, conferences, and trade shows; training courseware; and web-based services. 1105 Media is based in Chatsworth, California, with offices throughout the U.S.
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