Forrester Opportunity Snapshot: A Custom Study ... · online survey with data, analytics, and insights decision makers working at enterprises in the US and Western Europe. The custom

FORRESTER.COM

GET STARTED

Forrester Opportunity Snapshot: A Custom Study Commissioned By Waterline Data | August 2019

Machine Learning Data Catalogs Put The Entire Business

In Full View

Companies With MLDCs Put Regulatory Concerns To Bed And Unearth Insight

To Outmaneuver The Competition

FORRESTER.COM

OVERVIEW SITUATION CHALLENGE OPPORTUNITY CONCLUSIONS


Machine Learning Data Catalogs Put The Entire Business In Full View

Firms Must Unlock The Most Valuable Data Insights To Improve CX And Beat Competitors

As the variety and volume of data explode, business stakeholders are struggling to access the data they need to fuel decision making. Firms

seeking to modernize their data management environments need to overcome performance issues, manage costs, and democratize data across

the organization, all without introducing additional security, governance, and compliance challenges. A new generation of data management tools

has emerged to balance business and data strategy and speed time-to-insight.

In March 2019, Waterline Data commissioned Forrester Consulting to investigate what challenges face data decision makers today and how

machine learning data catalogs (MLDCs) can address their needs. To do this, Forrester conducted a custom study with 206 analytics and

insights decision makers in the US and Western Europe. Our study found that companies with MLDCs are 1.5x better positioned to outstrip

competitors in big data use.

Geography

› North America: 51%

› Western Europe (UK,

France, Germany,

Benelux): 49%

Annual Revenue

› $500M to $999M: 16%

› $1B to $5B: 51%

› More than $5B: 33%

Position

› C-level: 21%

› VP: 25%

› Director: 51%

› Manager: 2%

Top four industries

› Financial services/banking 21%

› Retail 18%

› Manufacturing and materials 17%

› Healthcare 13%

Note: Percentages may not total 100 because of rounding.

FORRESTER.COM


Customer Experience Is The No. 1 Priority For Data

Companies have an ambitious data agenda; they’re attempting to balance the need for speedier, more seamless customer experience with the

need to manage risk and stay compliant. Our study found that improving customer experience (CX) is the top priority related to data, but

improved governance and achieving security and privacy priorities also rank high. Regulatory compliance is a particularly high priority in Western

Europe (40% vs. 29% of US companies), as these firms now face unprecedented fines for noncompliance under GDPR. Meanwhile, the pressure

to accelerate insight is mounting: Firms need to analyze more data to stay competitive but agree that data is time-consuming to curate.

1 2



FORRESTER.COM


1 2

Security, Privacy, And Technology Complexity Get In The Way Of Data Insight

The most pervasive challenge to delivering data insights is setting proper security and access control — particularly in Western Europe (49%

vs. 37% in the US). In fact, security in general is top of mind: 65% of decision makers selected security-related concerns like access control,

reconciling policies across data use, and/or identifying personal and sensitive information as top challenges. These core data challenges are

all connected by the need to discover and then control access to sensitive data for security and compliance purposes. Organizational

disagreements and poorly connected legacy systems further obscure the path to insight. Data decision makers must improve compliance, yet

have significant difficulty navigating sensitive data discovery within siloed organizations.



FORRESTER.COM


1 2



Data Governance Tools Fall Short On Data

Security And Democratization

Firms have so far focused on data governance, data quality, and

data profiling technologies to support the business need for insight

(percent implemented today):

• Data governance — 68%

• Data quality — 64%

• Data profiling — 59%

• Data preparation — 58%

However, we found that common toolsets enable less than complete

compliance at half of all firms. Additionally, 51% say their tools fall

short on security and privacy capabilities. Meanwhile, capabilities that

help break down silos and smooth integrations are even less

effective. It’s no wonder that firms struggle to overcome security and

siloed data challenges in their quests for insight; common toolsets

don’t fully help firms understand what data is available, control data

properly, or enable self-service.

Only 50% of firms' current toolsets satisfy regulatory compliance,

security, and privacy concerns.

FORRESTER.COM


1 2



Companies With MLDCs Are 2x+ Better At Democratizing Data Use And Self-Service

While still relatively uncommon (implemented at 35% of firms today), MLDCs are set to expand quickly: 50% of firms plan to implement them

in the next 12 months. Through machine learning, MLDCs profile and maintain data traits within a data fabric for rapid activation by systems

of insight. Early adopters of MLDCs have seen impressive results overcoming the most difficult challenges: They are more likely to report

enhanced security and privacy, optimized use of disparate data sources, and improved data self-service.

FORRESTER.COM


1 2



MLDCs Overcome Compliance Woes

And Surface The Upside Of Data

Survey respondents say that success with any data catalog is

measured by its ability to improve:

• Data security and access.

• Efficiency and effectiveness to create new data flows.

• Productivity and time savings for analysts and data scientists.

• Regulatory compliance.

• Visibility across the data ecosystem.

Likely due to GDPR, regulatory compliance is a much more

important measure of success in Europe than in the US (35% versus

23%). European firms that implement MLDCs can expect to improve

regulatory compliance with capabilities like rationalizing and

simplifying data management and improving understanding of data

utilization for security and support. MLDCs can also enable a better

understanding of the data — unlocking the insight that will deliver an

improved customer experience.

96% of respondents whose firms are using MLDCs are satisfied with

their ability to deliver on top data priorities.

FORRESTER.COM


1 2



Companies With MLDCs Are 1.5x Better Positioned To Outstrip Competitors

In Big Data Use

Not only do MLDCs overcome key compliance challenges and deliver on customer experience priorities, but they also support a broader big

data strategy and boost competitiveness. We found that respondents whose firms have implemented an MLDC are 1.5x more likely to say

their big data projects perform above expectations and 1.5x more likely to describe their use of big data as ahead of their competitors.

FORRESTER.COM


Project Director:

Emma Van Pelt, Market

Impact Consultant

Contributing Research:

Forrester’s Enterprise

Architecture research group



Machine Learning Data Catalogs Bring Data Insights To Light

The race is on for companies to leverage insights within their data and use it to outmaneuver the

competition. To do this, they need to have a better understanding of what data they have, how it is

relevant, and how it can add value.

Our investigation found:

• Security and privacy concerns, data silos, and systems integrations pose the greatest barriers to

actionable insight.

• Today, firms have adopted tools that fall short on satisfying security, privacy, and compliance

requirements. Firms are even less equipped to help break down silos or smooth integrations.

• Machine learning data catalogs have emerged as key to a modern data strategy. Firms that have

adopted MDLCs have not only improved their security and compliance mandates, but they’ve also

gained a better understanding of the datasets that can drive insights and actions.

MLDCs support the business’ need for data self-service without undermining security or governance

requirements — more important than ever in Europe. Therefore, companies using MLDCs are better

equipped to outpace competitors in their leveraging of big data to accelerate time to insights.

METHODOLOGY

This Opportunity Snapshot was

commissioned by Waterline Data.

To create this profile, Forrester

Consulting conducted a custom

online survey with data, analytics,

and insights decision makers

working at enterprises in the US

and Western Europe. The

custom survey began and was

completed in April 2019.

ABOUT FORRESTER CONSULTING

Forrester Consulting provides independent and objective research-based consulting to help leaders succeed in their

organizations. Ranging in scope from a short strategy session to custom projects, Forrester’s Consulting services connect you

directly with research analysts who apply expert insight to your specific business challenges. For more information, visit

forrester.com/consulting.

© 2019, Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. Information is based on

best available resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change. Forrester®, Technographics®,

Forrester Wave, RoleView, TechRadar, and Total Economic Impact are trademarks of Forrester Research, Inc. All other

trademarks are the property of their respective companies. For additional information, go to forrester.com. [E-42313]

Documents

Forrester Opportunity Snapshot: A Custom Study ... · online survey with data, analytics, and insights decision makers working at enterprises in the US and Western Europe. The custom