This week, guest contributor Sean Farrington delved into the world of professional data scientists and chief data officers, looking to determine whether such roles were fact or fad. He ultimately concluded that data scientists and chief data officers are potentially very valuable to enterprises, but their value is limited if they’re not fully integrated into the workings of the business:

There is little doubt that in today’s business climate, organizations must establish data roles and responsibilities – who owns the data and who is accountable for realizing its value? While new “data” titles are rightly being introduced to help manage and analyze the abundance of the data which organizations are faced with, it is just as important to facilitate a conversation around the data with the wider business. By empowering all employees and nurturing data enthusiasts with intuitive, effective platforms and applications, businesses may gain more than they could ever realize by looking beyond one sole data employee to make a good decision.

Now, we want to hear from you- do you agree with Sean’s findings? Are Chief Data Officers Essential to Enterprises?

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(Image credit: Marco Bellucci)