(US and Canada) Alation CEO Satyen Sangani speaks with Davie Cochrane, Partner and Private Wealth Advisor at LiveWell Capital, in a video interview about the challenges of leveraging data, how Alation supports customers, and trends that CDOs need to be aware of.

Sangani says that while the world of data and data management tools has experienced extraordinary growth, it is now limited by human competency in understanding and managing data. For more people to make better decisions, data needs to be made more accessible and comprehensible, he adds. Regarding Alation’s approach to supporting customers, Sangani says a key goal is to make data easier to use and the consumption experience simpler. He points out that Alation needs to solve a number of technical problems to allow faster data source crawling and easier connection. He mentions there are other problems with describing data and bringing in more AI-ML adoption,

Sangani mentions two key emerging trends that CDOs need to be aware of, primarily driven by the downsizing of IT budgets in general. They are:

• Pressure to prove ROI and demonstrate real-world value to the business for data investments.
• Tool consolidation for use cases like managing, visualizing, storing, and computing data.

He says that CDOs should measure the results of data initiatives, understand how stakeholders evaluate them, and align them accordingly.

For businesses pursuing data management and control, Sangani recommends solving strategic problems tactically. Pick one, two, or at the most, three projects that showcase demonstrable success on the roadmap to building more extensive capabilities, he advises.

CDO Magazine appreciates Satyen Sangani for sharing his insights and data success stories with our global community.