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Data fabric is an increasingly popular term in the digitally transforming world. The phrase refers to a specific architecture that aligns a set of data services and streams within your organisation. According to Dan DeMers, CEO of Cinchy, data fabric is "the first real evolution of data since the relational database appeared in the 1970s." Using a data fabric solution, you can essentially stitch together various data tools with a consistent set of capabilities and functionality, allowing you to empower your data modelling process.

A leading data fabric offering can simplify and integrate data management on a massive scale, covering both on-premises and cloud environments. The consistent and reliable access to scalable, hybrid cloud data services allows for better business visibility and insights, stronger access controls, improved security, and enhanced data access. It also can be deployed to develop an enterprise-wide data modelling process. Here are some of the top data fabric software options available in 2021.

SAP Data Intelligence

Named a leader among Enterprise Data Fabric solutions by reports like the Forrester Wave, SAP promises a reliable way for companies to align and leverage all of their dynamic data environments. The SAP system can pull your insights from multiple cloud and on-premises environments, as well as distributed graph engines and memory systems. Once integrated, your data environment can lead the way to better team decisions, governance, security, and digital transformation.

Presented by SAP is a single solution to data transformation, SAP’s intelligent data fabric offering takes your data strategy to the next level. You can even use the same environment to automate processes, accelerate growth and inform analytics or IoT initiatives.

Atlan

Named a “Cool Vendor” by Gartner in DataOps, Atlan is an innovating data management and control company, offering modern cataloguing, fast discovery, and efficient information controls. Atlan combines data environments through out-of-the-box integrations with tools like Looker, Snowflake, Tableau, MySQL, Google BigQuery, and many others. 

This data management solution offers a Google-like search interface, which makes it easier to find the information you need at speed. There’s also automatic data profiling, searchable business glossaries, automated data quality profiling, impact analysis, and comprehensive data governance.

Denodo

Offering “big data fabric,” Denodo is an analytics-driven company, committed to helping businesses discover all the biggest benefits of data virtualization and management. Denodo’s data fabric solution is an aligned platform which brings big data, business insights, analytics, and master data management together in one environment. Companies can use this solution for a complete, integrated view of business transformation.

Aside from master data management tools that allow for better control and alignment of critical data, the Denodo data fabric also comes with various tools for governance, security, privacy, and compliance purposes. The platform is provisioned as a virtual image with Amazon AWS marketplace.

Cinchy

Promising to make “integration” an obsolete term, Cinchy is a unique approach to data fabric built on the concept of “Dataware.” The solution is a secure tool for solving challenges with access to data and real-time synchronization between tools. Cinchy works by connected fragmented sources of data on the network architecture level. 

A unique design, which aims to align and simplify all the threads of data you have in your business, makes it much easier to get a single, aligned view of your entire environment. The company also offers autonomous data management, which means that the data in the platform is self-protecting, self-describing, and even self-managing.

Talend

Talend data fabric is a tool for managing your entire ecosystem of enterprise data. The extensive environment promises to help businesses access clean, uncompromised data for a full picture of the business landscape. Data integration, integrity, and governance are all included in a unified platform. The Talent trust score also highlights the health and reliability of your data. 

Recognized as one of the most valuable data fabric solutions available, Talend can assist with everything from integrating data streams to connecting applications and APIs. Companies can also rest assured that their data will be thoroughly protected and evaluated for data integrity purposes.

IBM

Provided by one of the better-known data and technology companies in the world, IBM data fabric provides business leaders with a trusted foundation for data alignment. The IBM solution delivers synchronized, accurate, and business-ready data, ideal for driving stronger decisions and reducing costs. Multi-cloud data integration is support, along with on-premises alignment. 

The intelligent data fabric also comes with access to AI initiatives, automations, and governance. Included as part of the IBM Cloud Pak experience, IBM data fabric yields fantastic privacy, security, and business development opportunities, by eliminating the need for manually integrating various separate data tools. There’s also access to self-service data consumption.

NetApp

NetApp is a well-known company in the data and IT management environment. The NetApp data fabric solution promises to connect streams of data wherever they are. You can link information in public and private clouds, on-premise, and through various apps. Easier access to a single point of data truth makes it easier for your employees to perform at their best. 

The high-performance NetApp data fabric solution can deal with all kinds of unstructured, structured, and semi-structured data, improving operational agility and streamlining the protection of your information. There’s also plenty of control and options for business managers who need to make important decisions about securing their cloud landscapes.

TIBCO

Intended to bring companies easier, faster, and reduced-cost access to data innovations, TIBCO says it can help brands lay the foundation for better decision-making. This innovative data virtualization and alignment solution orchestrates access to various data sources. The fabric environment pulls the data sets, and IT curated services together for almost any solution or landscape. The result is a more advanced single-point-of-truth, ideal for making intelligent business decisions. 

The TIBCO data fabric offering provides instant access to all data solutions for the analysts and business leaders that need it. The agile and flexible solution is up to 10 times faster than traditional data warehousing, with a self-service directory, search function, and a range of other tools to help you leverage your aligned data.

K2View

Committed to bringing excellent data fabric to the Enterprise, K2View is a company with sensational solutions in holistic, secure, and trusted data control. If you want an all-in-one, open, and scalable solution for data control, then K2View has you covered. The Operational data fabric service comes with support for data integration, enrichment, transformation, orchestration, and delivery, all in the same extensible platform. 

By bringing countless environments in the business together in a single space, K2View can support faster, more informed real-time operations. Even companies can benefit from granular data insights for each business entity, unified into its own mini database.

CluedIn

A more recent addition to the data management environment than some of the companies mentioned here, CluedIn advertises itself as a “master data management” platform. The CluedIn data fabric technology aims to connect all of the tools, data streams, and solutions within the digital landscape of a business to help keep customers updated on what’s happening in the organisation. 

Trusted by companies like Ticketmaster, ISS, Coca-Cola, and Citrix, CluedIn is quickly gaining attention from market leaders around the world. The environment is easy to use, with zero modelling required, and you can implement it faster than most tools thanks to a streamlined provisioning process.