It’s Time to Develop a Cloud Exit Strategy by Martin Hosken via @VMware

Multi-cloud is emerging as a strategy for many organizations looking to innovate and build a competitive edge. However, just because “everyone is doing it” doesn’t mean they’re doing it right.

I hadn't thought about a need to always have an exit strategy for whatever you are planning to implement but if you think about it some more, it does make sense. Plan to leave before you are actually already there. Then you are covered for the future of your organisation.

The Best Data Science Certification You’ve Never Heard Of by Nicole Janeway Bills via @kdnuggets

The CDMP is the best data strategy certification you’ve never heard of. (And honestly, when you consider the fact that you’re probably working a job that didn’t exist ten years ago, it’s not surprising that this certification isn’t widespread just yet.)

Certainly, a certification to investigate - you might surprise yourself at how close you are to gaining this qualification and yet have not known about it.

Why is a data governance business case hard to get approved? by Nicola Askham via @infomgmt

It can be a real struggle to get your data governance initiative approved in the first place. So I wanted to have a look at the reasons why this might be the case so that you can both plan for and mitigate them.

I agree - it is actually very important BUT it is almost like a last resort if, and only if, there is time or there is enough of a benefit that can be clearly shown.

9 key rules for transitioning a data and analytics strategy to the cloud by Pandian Muneeswara via @Infomgmt

Following are the nine key rules to be considered in getting an on-premises data and analytics environment successfully transformed into the cloud.

I really liked rule 6 and the comment that you should incrementally grow the cloud roadmap which I think is the right way to go - start small and grow it over time.

The good, the bad, and the ugly of becoming data driven by Cindi Howson via @infomgmt

It seems for all the investments that organizations make in gathering and generating data, few are actually able to turn that data into actionable insights.

Can they connect all of these different datasets, in many different formats, and can they then make sense of it - this is not simple nor is it quick.

As FTC cracks down, data ethics is now a strategic business weapon by Daniel Wu via @TechCrunch

Five billion dollars may not be much for a behemoth like Facebook, but it’s still the largest amount the Federal Trade Commission has ever levied for violating data privacy. With the FTC cracking down, many companies are taking a new look at their privacy protections.

This is a well thought out article that makes some very good points. I certainly think very hard about sharing any of my own personal data and don't trust Facebook as far as I could throw them (nowhere).

Lack of digital standards making data management increasingly complicated by Bob Violino via @infomgmt

With no international alignment on how to regulate the digital environment, organizations are managing an increasingly complicated set of conflicting rules in key markets.

This is definitely going to get worse as I spent much of my working life creating standard data models and mapping data from systems to the data model. Not always easy to achieve data available and easy to understand.

Cloud savings, simplicity and data insights still elude most firms by Bob Viola via @infomgmt

A major expectation gap exists between what IT managers hoped the public cloud would deliver for their organizations and what has actually transpired, according to a new report.

This is interesting and could give some kudos to those who are currently resisting making the move the Cloud.

BSA releases new Software Security Framework to guide developers by David Weldon via @infomgmt

Tommy Ross, BSA’s cybersecurity expert, talks with Information Management about the new Framework and how it will impact software development.

I found this interesting and it is always good to have an idea of how things are going to change in the future so you can plan for it now.

The 5 key elements for successful digital transformation by Alex Shegda via @infomgmt

Companies are tempted to view transformation as a predominately organizational journey, but they need to think much more holistically in order to achieve success.

Some really good points that should be incorporated into any plans and internal documents around digital transformation.

4 best practices for improving governance strategies by Larry Alton via @infomgmt

A failure to articulate the correct approach to IT governance could result in costly mistakes that prevent the organization from being successful.

Larry is absolutely right - I would suggest you use these 4 points as a way of checking your own strategies to make sure that you are following best practice or if you need to go and make a change. It might seem like a waste of time to go back and double check but the cost of not doing it is going to compound over time.

Steps organisations can take to quantify qualitative experiences by Anna Johansson via @infomgmt

Subjective experience tends to produce qualitative data if they produce data at all, which makes it notoriously hard to form the same calibre and a number of conclusions from those data.

I really like the three steps she suggests - numerical values for qualitative data is very important - it is efficient to create fields in the table or database, is a very efficient key for anything (be it a primary key or a foreign key) and can help you if you want to modularise code so that you can share it.

6 steps to creating data management as its own business department by Robert Vane via @infomgmt

Despite the repeated and justified calls from data governance and management practitioners to take a more holistic view, businesses generally still view data as a project.

Some great points and observations in this article which help to explain why this is really important.

Success with the IoT starts with understanding 'Thing Management' by Timothy Chou via @infomgmt

Most organizations think of asset management as the practice of tracking and managing IT devices such as routers, switches, laptops and smartphones. But that’s now only part of the picture.

Great opinion piece by Timothy that gives some great examples and good advice.

Democratisation: The future of data management, with caveats by Rohit Mahajan via @infomgmt

Tracking, correlating and putting all of the data to good use requires a firm commitment to technologies such as AI and machine learning for both smart data discovery and cataloguing purposes.

Good article by Rohit which I found very interesting and worth reading and reminding yourself.

8 trends that will impact data management strategies in 2019 by Satyen Sangani and Aaron Kalb via @infomgmt

As organisations continued to see data volumes explode and an increasing number of employees need access to critical information, data cataloguing considerations shifted from being a department level concern to an enterprise critical issue.

A great list of trends in this article.

Mastering the 12 agile software development principles by Anthony Coggine via @infomgmt

We explore the 12 core principles of agile software development outlined in the Agile Manifesto to help you make sense of the sometimes esoteric text.

Interesting thoughts and well worth a read to check you are following all of the principles.

3 key elements to make data demonetisation possible by Matt Maccaux via @infomgmt

Businesses that are not realising the full potential value of data are leaving untapped opportunities on the table and are at real risk of being disrupted by companies that are driving forward with an analytics agenda.

I find it bizarre that a company can recognise the importance of their data by don't have a strategy for it. Data is an asset for a company as much as any physical object and it therefore deserves the time, attention and strategy as much as anything else.

8 ways agile methodologies can improve a firm’s culture by Greg Robinson via @infomgmt

Agile project management is becoming hugely popular. It's no wonder. Agile teams are proving that traditional project management strategies fall short. Startups and large corporations are adopting agile principles to stay competitive.

Seems Agile is the way to go if you want to have a more cohesive team that works better together and is happier while they are doing it. 

5 mistakes even the best organizations make with product and customer data by Grant Emison via @infomgmt

CIOs are responsible for the lifeblood of the enterprise, its information, and their purview reaches every corner of the organisation. Mistakes can lead to a loss in productivity, a damaged corporate reputation, security breaches, lawsuits and more.

I have to agree with Grant's last point. We can read it, work hard and try to not make any mistakes, but the chances are we WILL make a mistake - the important thing is to LEARN from the mistake so we don't keep making the same one over and over again.