Welcome to Percipient Notes, a blog aimed at shining the spotlight on all aspects of data aggregation, architecture and analytics.

Connected data is the true opportunity of our modern times.  Until recently, data silos were a grudgingly accepted consequence of new technology, M&As, proprietary systems, and geographic expansion. But that was when data was growing at relatively manageable rates. Organisations could still turn to batch downloads and excel spreadsheets to piece together their fragmented datasets. 

Today and going forward, the actual and opportunity cost of disjointed data will be far more material. As organisations rush to launch their suite of new digital apps, so the data they are collecting is now growing faster, and at a higher cost of storage, than ever imagined. At the same, inability to tap this data for real time customer, sales and marketing use means falling drastically short on expected investment returns. 

However, the task is not just how to unify data, but how to extract value from it in as efficient, speedy and affordable a manner as possible. This requires organisations to also consider the processes that are keeping data apart, the tools to make sense of unified data, and the application of the insights that this data can bring. Cesare R. Mainardi, former CEO of Booz & Co, puts this task into perspective, “In spite of big data, we will still need to make informed judgments. Connecting the dots, or rather connecting the data, will remain key—in management, in business and in life.”