Getting the most from your company’s data requires thinking about it as an asset — but not the way you’re used to. Assets typically imply something of value that is scarce and nonrenewable. The difference with data is that it sustains. Keeping your data siloed and separate from others in your company is not only unnecessary, it could be counterproductive. In fact, sharing data freely across your company is one way to increase its value.

Bill Schmarzo, CTO of EMC’s Global Services Big Data Practice, said this is another area where Big Data demands an adjustment in companies’ mindsets. He told Peter Burris (@plburris), cohost of theCUBE, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, “Data has this network effect — the more data I can share, the more valuable it becomes.”

Schmarzo said that some companies still cling to the siloed model, and he must make an effort to convince them it’s against their interests. “The value of data is knocking down those data silos, which is a huge cultural issue,” he explained.

Tech is disposable

Schmarzo also teaches companies to master the practical application of data without relying on a faddish technological tool.

“If you think the value in the Big Data conversation is in the technology, you will forever be chasing your tail,” he said, adding that many companies run themselves ragged implementing new technologies, thinking that is the way to win. But, “The technology may come and go,” he said, so companies should view it as disposable.

Data frameworks like date lakes, on the other hand, have greater utility over the long haul, he said. “What’s the intellectual capital of the Big Data world? Well, it’s the data, the analytic models, and the decisions your making. I didn’t say technology anywhere.”

Watch the full interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s Wikibon Weekly segments.

Photo by SiliconANGLE