If information is increasingly important to the success of data-driven companies, the way they store, structure, and organize this data makes a big difference to their competitive potential. Have you heard of Data Mesh?
This new concept of information architecture has been gaining popularity in the market for further increasing business efficiency and intelligence in all sectors in the digital age.
If you want to understand its practical implications for the success of your company, read all about the concept and how to invest in it.
What is Data Mesh
It’s a type of architecture focused on decentralized corporate management, where the path between stakeholders and the information they need to perform tasks is the shortest possible.
The goal of the Mesh structure is to make the data bank more horizontal and democratic. Using modern IT solutions such as access control and Process Automation it is possible to level the priority of access for all employees of the company on demand.
Data Mesh is an evolution of Big Data consolidated in companies. The business has the same power of collection and Data Analytics in large volumes of data, but in this case, they are better distributed. Thus, the power of interpretation and reaction time of each professional connected to the system becomes more independent and effective within segmented insights directly related to their functions.
How it works in practice
The structure of a Data Mesh starts like any of the modern data architectures. The company starts to collect and store as much information as possible available on in-house production, People Analytics, competitors, and the market, using storage solutions such as dedicated servers or Cloud Computing.
This infrastructure differs from this point on. Instead of having centralized supervision and rigid layers of access, Data Mesh allows any employee to search, view and use the information they need to make relevant business decisions.
For example, if a sales professional has difficulty in converting customers, they may suspect that something in the customer journey created by the Marketing team is causing a bottleneck. To identify the problem, he can access the information collected by the other department directly, without the need to make a request and wait for a response.
This constant and direct exchange of information streamlines productive processes and increases proactivity. But it is important to remember that although decentralized, Data Mesh has its responsibilities.
In the case we gave as an example, Marketing is responsible for collecting and organizing the information related to the work. Similarly, these interactions with the sales sector must be recorded so that they can enrich everyone’s interpretations in the future.
The business becomes more dynamic and can fast-track the trends of the modern market, by taking care of data at the entrance and having the freedom to use it at the exit.
The difference between Data Mesh and other architectures
When we analyze the data collection and storage infrastructure, there is not much difference between Data Mesh and other popular architectures from the point of view of Data Science. Investing in a robust information system is critical for any company that wants to be competitive in the future.
The big difference lies on the other end: the way this information is used within the business routine. One of the biggest developments of Data Mesh is its organization of the already-known Data Lake. The way this data is handled when centralized in an information system is what sets it apart.
While Data Lake allows the interaction between all types of data, it does not have the same Data Mesh preprocessing, often causing this information to lose its context. As we said, Data Mesh presents the concept of ownership, that is, each department is responsible for giving context and significance to its assets.
Regarding silos or data warehouse, Data Mesh eliminates the barriers between different layers of credentials and departments. This separation could be interesting to focus on data management, but it is no longer so efficient for the modern market.
After all, a digitized company no longer has operational silos. Everything one department does reflects on the others, like a single large organism. That is why Data Mesh has been gaining so much relevance in recent years.
Data Mesh benefits
By defining the concept and characteristics of the Data Mesh, we can analyze its impact on the companies more objectively. These are the biggest advantages of this architecture for those who deploy it.
Information scalability
Data Mesh is the perfect spot between Data Lake and Data Warehouse. It allows you to scale the available amount of data indefinitely, but at the same time, brings context and consistency to this information.
Thus, the company can handle increasing amounts of data without having to increase costs or analysis efforts by a lot. Data Mesh always grows exponentially, both in amplitude and depth.
Fast data delivery
One of the great advantages of Data Mesh is to connect employees directly to the information they need. It is a horizontal approach that integrates all departments in a decentralized way.
Analysis agility
The indicator analysis becomes increasingly faster and more meaningful with the optimization of data access. As the example we gave, a sales professional can, in a short time, gather information about Marketing, Finance, and Operation to define the best approach in his sector
Data visibility
A very common question for those who begin their research on Data Mesh is if this freedom of access does not make the system unsafe. What happens is the opposite. As all employees can access all information, it also means that everybody can visualize and analyze all activities related to them.
That is, any anomaly is quickly identified, and most record conflicts cease to exist — since no scenario in which more than one department is working with the same indicator independently is created. Therefore, Data Mesh is quite safe.
Intense collaboration
Data Mesh also benefits the culture and identity of the company. With the end of information barriers, departments are naturally encouraged to collaborate. The space between decisions and actions is reduced, integrating your company with the current requirements of the market.
The 5 Data Mesh trends for companies
In addition to the advantages Data Mesh can bring to the business, how about analyzing how this architecture has been used to go beyond its direct results? Find out the trends enhanced by it!
1. Multidisciplinary operation
The era of companies with restricted departments is over. By focusing on the customer and consumer experiences, all the teams need to work together to offer products and services that relate to all expectations of the audience.
Data Mesh helps integrate departments with data decentralization. The more exchange there is between them, the more creative and innovative the operation becomes.
2. Internet of Things
The IoT is one of the major emerging trends in the corporate world. The use of stand-alone devices for monitoring and generating data began in the industry and is now part of all market sectors.
This great amount of rich information fits like a glove inside the Data Mesh. As they become their department, the sensors and wearables contribute to accurate and transformative insights into the company’s operation.
3. Customer experience
One of the reasons Data Mesh has become so popular is the growing demand for amazing consumer experiences. You can feed this mesh with the audience’s information and gain in scalability and depth with secure parameters consistent with the LGPD (General Data Protection Act). That is, to create experiences that reach more people and, at the same time, adapt to their individual preferences.
4. Performance in niches
Many companies are switching from generic reach to niche engagement. It is a trend that should continue to grow with the decentralization of communication channels and the socialization of the internet.
In this case, Data Mesh acts as a network of contextualized data that can be used by various departments to identify new opportunities.
5. Machine Learning
Machine Learning has become a great corporate tool: artificial intelligences capable of learning, identifying, and reporting points of evolution and transformation within companies, both internally and in the delivery to the audience.
Data Mesh allows more freedom and depth to this technology. With no cross-departmental obstacles, everyone can use the tool to segment different information and find straightforward answers to very specific questions – in fine-tuning with the market.
Today this is the great motivator to invest in data solutions. Having fast and universal access to information creates efficient and dynamic companies that identify opportunities and grab them long before their competitors.
Investing in Data Mesh is a great strategy. This can be the chance you were looking for to increase competitiveness, with the appropriate and safe platform and with a digital culture for your teams.
How about understanding more about using data as a strategic tool? See how to apply the data-driven culture to your business!
