While the role of a chief data officers (CDOs) was traditionally focused on regulatory compliance, it has now expanded to empowering the consistent and effective use of data across organizations to improve business outcomes. One of the most effective ways for CDOs to demonstrate their value is by developing a data strategy that is closely aligned with business goals, processes, and outcomes.

In the latest episode of Tech Transformed, host Kevin Petrie, VP of Research at BARC, speaks with Brett Roscoe, Senior Vice President and GM of Cloud Data Governance and Cloud Ops at Informatica, about the evolving role of CDOs. Their conversation explores how CDOs are transitioning from data stewards to strategic leaders, the importance of data governance, and the challenges of managing unstructured data.

The Role of the CDO in the Agentic Era

As Roscoe notes, “CDOs are now pivotal in AI strategy,” reflecting how the role has grown from compliance oversight to guiding enterprise initiatives that directly support organizational goals.

In this day and age, CDOs are tasked with ensuring that data is both accessible and reliable, providing a foundation for informed decision-making across business units. This includes establishing policies for data quality, access, and governance, which Roscoe highlights as essential: “data governance is foundational for AI.” At the same time, unstructured data ranging from documents and emails to multimedia adds complexity that requires careful management to make it useful while minimizing risk. “Unstructured data presents challenges,” he adds, emphasizing the need for structured oversight to fully leverage these assets.

AI Strategy

Although technology and analytics are evolving rapidly, the CDO’s role in aligning data with strategic initiatives is critical. By connecting data assets to business processes, CDOs help ensure that initiatives are informed by reliable, well-governed information and can deliver measurable results.

For anyone looking to understand the evolving responsibilities of CDOs, the importance of governance, and strategies for handling unstructured data, this episode of Tech Transformed provides a detailed and practical discussion.

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Takeaways

  • CDOs are now central to shaping AI strategies and driving business growth.
  • Robust data governance is crucial for the successful deployment of AI technologies.
  • Unstructured data presents unique challenges and opportunities for AI development.
  • A balance between centralized governance and federated operations is essential.
  • Securing executive support is vital for the success of CDO-led initiatives.
  • Engaging business stakeholders enhances the impact of AI projects.
  • Demonstrating ROI through clear metrics is key to sustaining AI investments.
  • AI governance must extend beyond data to include models and agents.
  • New measures are needed to ensure the quality and governance of unstructured data.
  • CDOs must navigate the tension between fostering innovation and maintaining governance standards.

Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Guests

00:03:00 Brett Roscoe's Background and Role

00:06:00 The Evolving Role of CDOs

00:09:00 Data Governance as a Foundation for AI

00:12:00 Challenges with Unstructured Data

00:15:00 Governance Frameworks for AI and Data

00:18:00 Centralization vs. Decentralization in Data Governance

00:21:00 CDO Strategies for Success

00:24:00 Conclusion and Future Outlook

About Informatica

Informatica, founded in 1993, is an enterprise data management company headquartered in Redwood City, California. The company provides software products for data integration, data quality, master data management, and data governance. With approximately 9,000 global customers across various industries, Informatica has positioned itself as a significant player in the data management market.