Amid rapid technological advancement, the buzzword playing on everyone’s lips is “data modernisation.” As companies grapple with the ever-increasing volume, variety, and velocity of data, the need to harness its power and derive meaningful insights has become paramount. Analytics India Magazine spoke to Deepak Kumar, senior director data engineering, at Publicis Sapient, who shares the company’s customer-centric data modernisation plans and its relevance in today’s industry.
“Data modernisation is crucial for building a customer-centric culture. And it’s not just about providing a good service to the customer but the ability to understand customer situations. Data management, essentially, is to give a platform that serves as a ‘one-stop-shop’ to everyone in the organisation or a stakeholder so they can easily access, manage and analyse the data for crucial insights that drive provide more data-driven outcomes,” he said.
Kumar further emphasised on the genAI pivot in today’s era. “Organisations need to prioritise and embrace a data-centric approach to move forward with agility. Gone are the days of relying on outdated data. For businesses to be able to leverage genAI, it’s crucial to have up-to-date and relevant data. Only when they do this is when they can benefit from advanced analytics and cutting-edge experiences powered by genAI. What organisations truly need to accomplish this, is dynamic and real-time data that can be seamlessly integrated into their existing platforms, catering to both their brand and their customers. This is why data modernisation plays a pivotal role in establishing a customer-centered business. By ensuring that data is constantly in motion, businesses can harness its full potential and stay ahead in today’s fast-paced world,” he added.
Today, several traditional companies hesitate at the thought of digitising their business. “They don’t have the resiliency because of legacy architectures and tools,” said Kumar highlighting the need for digital transformation. From traditional industries to cutting-edge startups, organisations are recognizing data as the new currency, and those who can effectively leverage it will gain a competitive edge in the marketplace.
“Businesses are facing an unprecedented level of volatility and disruptions that have occurred over the past few years. Staying competitive and resilient, requires companies to embrace digital transformation and modernization. These initiatives not only mitigate risks but also unlock newer opportunities for growth. While there may be some challenges to overcome, such as managing maintenance costs, it’s important to view them as stepping stones towards achieving long-term success. With the introduction of stricter data privacy and security regulations, organisations must also ensure they strike a balance between compliance and operational efficiency. Moreover, considering the impact on revenue and industry demand becomes crucial as businesses navigate through these transformative times,” he added.
Publicis Sapient helps its clients in every step while digitising their data but there are several hurdles which need to be overcome in the process. “One of the key challenges we tackle for our clients is bridging the gap between data modernisation and monetisation,” said Kumar.
“It’s not uncommon for organisations to struggle to effectively utilise their data, not realising the potential it holds. We believe that data can be leveraged both internally and externally, allowing organisations to generate value by sharing it with accelerators and other partners. Implementing robust data models lets organisations unlock the power of their data and gain greater visibility for various purposes,” he suggested.
Externally, there are massive shifts in terms of regulatory compliance and Publicis Sapient is helping customers with data privacy and data sharing because most of them are not ready or have slow and disjointed machine learning, he added. Most recently, the company was also named the market leader in Data Modernization Services by HFS Research.
Vision and Strategy
Being a renowned leader in digital business transformation software, Publicis Sapient has demonstrated a strong commitment to driving digital innovation for its clients over the years. The vision was inspired by Nigel Vaz, CEO of Publicis Sapient, and his book titled “Digital Business Transformation.” Vaz introduced a unique philosophy known as SPEED, which has since guided the organisation’s approach to transformation.
SPEED is an acronym for Strategy: developing and testing your hypothesis on priority value pools; Product: evolving at pace and speed; Experience: how you enable value for customers, Engineering: delivering on your promise, and Data: validating your hypotheses and uncovering insights for constant iteration.
“Another notable aspect is our internal solution isolators or IP. We have developed a comprehensive solution accelerator and toolkit, which we call the PS inner source This internal resource empowers our teams by expediting development in various data functions including integration, management, governance, and quality. These accelerators and toolkits provide a solid foundation and streamline the process of building necessary data foundations based on specific requirements. They play a crucial role in facilitating efficient and effective development within our organisation,” explained Kumar.
Training and Best Practices
The technology company holds many workshops and initiatives to upskill cross-skilled people. They also have a leadership development programme to make IT leaders shine, said Kumar. “A lot of internal initiatives that we have created talk about self-levelling C paths. We encourage them to become certified professionals in technology so we have a pre-approved list of technologies in the data space where people can see what they certainly want to do,” he added.
Suggesting the best practices for organisations in the industry, Kumar said, “Customer-centric guide is all about understanding customer expectations, perceptions and what we need to build Customer 360. If we talk about data models, our statement is interface-centric around data monetisation and production isolation, basically how an organisation can have more understanding and control of their data.”
In conclusion, Kumar said that personalisation, hyper-personalisation and security are the best practices to think of when offering customer-centric data models.
