Demystifying data accessibility: Unlocking the power of data for everyone

While most businesses today invest substantially in customer data, most don’t feel like they are a data-driven organization. And research backs this up. According to a survey conducted by NewVantage Partners, only 24% of businesses feel like they are data-driven.

We believe that if you’re investing in customer data but you aren’t reaching your data goals, data accessibility is the missing piece of the puzzle. In short, data accessibility refers to when employees can access all the data they need to complete their job responsibilities. As the NewVantage Partners survey proves, most businesses aren’t on that level yet. So in an effort to help you unlock the power of data for everyone, let’s dig a little deeper into the principles behind data accessibility.

Legal considerations for data accessibility

With governments creating stricter data security regulations every day, it’s important for businesses to keep up. 

If you can’t, you can expect hefty fines. This is exactly what happened to Meta, when the Irish government fined them €265 million for failing to meet data security standards.

Here’s an example of a government regulation that you’re probably breaking: The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) says that if a customer asks you to delete their data and you don’t delete it (maybe because it’s scattered everywhere and you can’t find it), you’re breaking GDPR regulations.

This is why data accessibility is so important. If you store your data in a way that’s secure and employees can find and use it without fuss, it’s easier to meet these standards.Strategies for enhancing data accessibility

Here’s our four-step plan that’ll turn you into a data-driven organization in no time:

1. Open data initiatives
2. Create data standards
3. Make data easy to visualize
4. Enroll employees in data literacy programs

Step 1: Open data initiatives

If you want to open data to everyone, the first thing we recommend doing is implementing a Customer Data Platform (CDP).

This will act as a centralized depository that anyone can use to find data points.

But it’s no use having a centralized CDP if nobody is using it. So in your next meeting, notify everyone about your CDP and ask them to put all their organizational data inside this CDP.

Step 2: Create data standards

But it’s also essential that employees don’t just put anything they can find into your centralized depository. Your CDP should be a place of order, not a platform containing cluttered information that everyone hates using.

So create rules for your employees to follow when handling data.

Step 3: Make data easy to visualize

In the past, teams relied on Excel spreadsheets to structure data, and this made it impossible to visualize information. 

Fortunately, new CDPs have emerged that automatically convert boring data into easy-to-understand pie charts, tables, and graphs.

Step 4: Enroll employees in data literacy programs

Only 24 percent of employees are data literate. The rest don’t understand how data is benefiting their day-to-day lives. So once you’ve introduced an open data movement, enroll your teams in data literacy classes since it’ll teach them the basics of communicating with data.

Addressing data accessibility in different sectors

Here’s how data availability can benefit various industries:

Healthcare and medical research

When teams of scientists are working together to develop vaccines, they’ll need to share their findings with each other. Any siloed data can lead to inefficiencies, delaying the development of life-saving vaccines.

Education and learning

Educational institutions store an abundance of data on each student. This often includes test results, course progress, and attendance records. The only problem is that all this information is rarely available at once. But if everyone uses a data platform, it enhances data interoperability, allowing professors to gain a holistic view of student strengths and weaknesses.

Government and public administration

Nobody is immune to data inaccessibility, not even the government. In fact, silos can often prevent governments from learning about the needs of the public. Data silos can also cause data privacy and security risks, as sensitive information is scattered everywhere. This is why public administrations must give their employees access to essential information while securing it with end-to-end encryption.

Business and industry

Data silos can eat into 30 percent of your annual revenue per year. This is due to a drop in productivity and collaboration. So if you find it difficult for employees to access the data they need, consider a CDP.

Non-profit organizations and social impact

When data is isolated inside a non-profit, it harms everyday work processes. For example, if someone already donated to your fund but your marketing team doesn’t know this, they might prompt the donor again, and this can come across as pushy and unprofessional.

Risks and challenges of data accessibility

However, not everything is smooth sailing. Here are a few data usability challenges you’ll likely face:

1. Data security and regulatory challenges

Many startups with limited budgets will use a one-size-fits-all, low-cost CDP. And while it’s a good starting point, these applications have limited security, making it easy for cybercriminals to access your customers’ data.

So opt for a CDP with end-to-end encryption. It secures your customer data, ensuring you won’t have to deal with data breaches or government fines.

2. Bias and discrimination in data accessibility

Only giving a select few people access to your company database, say, managers and executives, can cause selection and confirmation bias. Instead, consider data collected by all employees before making a business decision. By collecting data from a more diverse group of people, you improve data accuracy.

3. Ethical implications of data accessibility

Before customers give you their data, you want to tell them exactly what you’re using it for, who has access to it, and how long it’ll take you to delete their data if they cancel their subscription.

How Lytics CDP simplifies data transparency and accessibility

The Lytics CDP allows you to import data from almost anywhere into a centralized repository that everyone within your organization can access. This transforms you from a company that has data sitting inside a warehouse, collecting dust, into a data-driven organization.

From here, you can build unified, reliable, and context-rich customer profiles – marketing teams can create personalized campaigns, sales can use it to fine-tune pipelines, and customer support can identify common customer problems.

Say goodbye to data silos with Lytics. By emphasizing data accessibility solutions, you’re improving productivity as employees no longer have to hunt for data. You’re also more likely to meet government regulations because your data is structured, secure, and easy-to-find. So if you’re thinking about using a CDP to improve data openness, consider the Lytics CDP. It’s protected with end-to-end encryption, so you can have peace of mind knowing your data is safe. Lytics also integrates with countless platforms, so feel free to import data from anywhere and sort them into individual customer profile.