From data silos to actionable insights: Innovating within legacy constraints for the digital enterprise
MARKET VIEW REPORT
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Empowering the Organisation: Access and Skills
As organisations establish stronger data foundations and integration capabilities, attention turns to making information accessible and useful across the workforce. Our research reveals how leading organisations balance accessibility with control while building essential skills.
Democratising Access
Pedro Rente Lourenço from Laing O'Rourke shares their success story: "We've implemented a Data Academy program that has already trained upwards of 300 people through apprenticeships. This initiative helps employees who handle large amounts of data develop better data skills, making our business more self-sufficient. Projects can now self-serve from both legacy and modern systems."
Kate Jones from Coventry Building Society emphasises the importance of structured learning: "We've launched an award-winning data academy that's putting colleagues through an eight-month programme of data fluency and literacy training. This initiative is crucial because investing in new tools and infrastructure won't deliver value if the wider organisation isn't ready to utilise them effectively."
We've implemented a Data Academy program that has already trained upwards of 300 people through apprenticeships. This initiative helps employees who handle large amounts of data develop better data skills, making our business more self-sufficient. Projects can now self-serve from both legacy and modern systems.
Kate Jones
Head of Data Product & Strategy at Coventry Building Society
Balancing Access with Control
Nikos Balanis describes their vision at CFC: "My ultimate goal is to democratise data access across the organisation, enabling everyone to directly access the information they need for their job without depending on a central data team. This vision requires careful balance between accessibility and governance."
This balance proves crucial. Stephen Warner from Arriva explains their approach: "We provide the framework for the businesses to self-serve, but within our governance and guidance and architectural principles. We are training people up to be the champions within each of the businesses to drive further insight and development and best practice."
We provide the framework for the businesses to self-serve, but within our governance and guidance and architectural principles. We are training people up to be the champions within each of the businesses to drive further insight and development and best practice.
Stephen Warner
Head of Business Intelligence at Arriva Group UK Trains Division
Visualising Success
Looking ahead, organisations see significant potential in spatial visualisation. James Maunder of Unite Students envisions: "The ability to have a control room and see a 3D representation and visualization of my building... Just see at a glance which rooms are ready for occupation, which rooms aren't, which rooms have unresolved maintenance queries would be hugely transformational for us." This demonstrates how location-based insights can transform daily operations when made accessible to front-line teams.
This approach resonates with other leaders. Jamie Worthington from Anglian Water emphasizes how visualisation supports better decision-making: "What we need to do is make it easy for people to do the right thing with the right insights, and visualisation is the window through which we do that." This demonstrates how location-based insights can assist daily operations when made accessible to front-line teams.
What we need to do is make it easy for people to do the right thing with the right insights, and visualisation is the window through which we do that.
Jamie Worthington
Head of Strategy and Transformation at Anglian Water
Building Data Literacy
Asif Aziz from Cadent Gas highlights a common challenge: "Data literacy exists in pockets within our organisation. Whilst the asset management community clearly recognises that good data is fundamental to effective decision-making, operational delivery teams might not see its immediate value. Our core challenge is helping people across all levels understand the broader business importance of data."
Sara Butt, a thought leader in data strategy, reinforces this perspective: "It's about changing the culture and mindset, helping people understand what data can do for them and how it can lead to better decision-making. At the same time, we need to acknowledge the limitations of legacy systems and find ways to work around them." This balance between cultural change and practical constraints emerges as a common theme across organisations.
It's about changing the culture and mindset, helping people understand what data can do for them and how it can lead to better decision-making. At the same time, we need to acknowledge the limitations of legacy systems and find ways to work around them.
Sara Butt
Thought Leader in Data Strategy & Team Development
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