Brands Should Run Before They Walk: Teradata GM

Brands Should Run Before They Walk: Teradata GM
Emma Mackenzie
By Emma Mackenzie



When brands are trying a new bit of tech for the first time they should just plough ahead and get on with it, not dilly-dally around um-ing and ah-ing, according to Alec Gardner, general manager of data warehousing company Teradata.

As toddlers, Gardner said his kids didn’t try to walk first, they ran. And it’s the same approach brands should take, he believes, however many don’t.

Quoting one of his senior female colleagues who first made the analogy, Gardner said it’s fitting for what he believes should happen with brands.

“Too many people stumble around wondering what technology they should be applying and pontificating on some of the distracting new technologies that are around,” he told B&T.

“Actually if you just grab something and get on with it you should be quite successful. A lot of organisations get themselves stuck on technology conversations.

“A lot of organisations think they need to walk before they run.”

While admitting it’s a bit cheesy, Gardner said he is a big fan of the acronym ‘GOWIN’ – Get On With It Now.

“And that’s what organisations should do. They should just get on with it.”

Acknowledging the huge amounts of data available for brands now, the latest research coming out of Teradata showed 18 per cent of organisations have a heap of insights, but aren’t actually doing anything with them.

“That’s still a remarkably high number, which was a surprise,” said Gardner. “For nearly 20 per cent of organisations to not be acting on their insights that they’re getting, is frustrating.”

There are various reasons for that however, he explained, such as operational and siloed data sets.

Siloed data – data that isn’t integrated or accessible across the whole company – is a big obstacle 41 per cent of the 152 senior IT and management decision-makers in the survey cited as an issue.

Other key findings from the study when it comes to the barriers for companies implementing data analytics properly, was getting buy-in from management – funding the data – and the ability to demonstrate how the data will provide a decent amount of return-on-investment (ROI).




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