Data, Like Air: Ubiquitous Immediacy

Data, Like Air:  Ubiquitous Immediacy
You don't want to think about data, you just want it to be there when you need it.

A CIO to whom I formerly reported once told me, "Mike, to me data is like air. I don't want to think about it. I expect it to be there when I need it."

This has stuck with me for more than 15 years and driven my approach to providing data delivery services for my clients, customers, stakeholders, and consumers.

None of these folks give a rat's hairy ass how I get them the data they need to engage with - at all levels of the enterprise. They don't want to think about it. They just expect it to be there.

Now that's not totally accurate. What consumers of data want is a bit more involved than the contents of the atmosphere. They want something more refined, processed for purpose, and stored in a manner that it's ready on demand for a variety of uses.

What they want is what I've taken to calling ubiquitous immediacy, and the modern parallels that best fit are more akin to utilities such as running water, electricity, and HVAC in our homes, offices, and public access areas.

Unlike breathing, you think about them a little, and they are readily available to the point where you are oblivious to the amount of infrastructure, architecture, and engineering that goes into putting these modern conveniences at your fingertips.

So whether I want to boil noodles, get a drink of water, watch my favorite shows, or adjust the ambient temperature to make me more comfortable - the means to achieve those ends is immediately available, pretty much everywhere I go.

With so much infrastructure and commoditization of basic data capabilities, there is little justification for the amount of time it seems to take many data teams to deliver ubiquitous immediacy to their consumers.

However, it's also necessary to understand that there is a line to be drawn between the raw utility and a curated experience. For example, the water company can't be expected to provide the stove or pot needed to boil your water. The electric company doesn't provide the TV, streaming services, or make the selections of content that YOU consider entertaining. And the gas company and HVAC technicians can't possibly determine the thermostat settings YOU consider comfortable - or frugal.

The data profession needs to become more delineated along the variations of the data supply chain, starting with drawing distinctions between providing data ingredients as raw commodities and utilities versus delivering enhanced services such as data curation, integration, and visualization.

If you don't want to prepare your own meals, you have to hire a chef or join a meal service. You have to buy the appliances needed to consume online content, and if you don't want to get up to manually adjust the thermostat, you have to invest in smart home tech.

All of these elevated experiences are choices, and there's a premium for not having to do some things for yourself.

However, if you don't have the basic utilities in place to the point of ubiquitous immediacy, you certainly can't expect an enhanced experience regardless of how much you spend on cool things.