Insights Tomorrow

Every data and analytics leader knows a simple but critical fact: your data is only as good as your governance. It’s essential to have data stewards and well-defined guidelines to keep your data clean, secure, organized, and compliant. But what does good governance look like in a world where data lives everywhere and is constantly changing?

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why you don't have to design the perfect governance system
• How companies should address data fatigue
• Microsoft's transformation in their governance journey

Some questions we ask:

• What is your definition of data governance?
• How do you envision the industry proceeding with governance as the culture shifts?
• Why do we need a governance strategy or implementation?

Guest bio

Erik Zwiefel, Chief Data and Analytics Officer for the Americas, and Cumarran Kaliyaperumal, Chief Data and AI Officer for APAC Sales, join Patrick LeBlanc on this week's episode of Insights Tomorrow.

Erik has spent 18+ years in and around data, including data entry, cleansing, analyzing, and everything in between. He partners with different companies on their data maturity journeys and solves their business problems by applying analytics, machine learning, and data engineering.

Cumarran and his team help transform enterprise clients into thriving, cloud-enabled, data-driven organizations. He partners with C-level and board members at various organizations to look at their data estates holistically and works with them to tackle business, technology, and organizational complexities.

Resources:

View Erik Zwiefel on LinkedIn

View Cumarran Kaliyaperumal on LinkedIn

View Patrick LeBlanc on LinkedIn

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

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Organizational alignment on a data strategy is essential to realizing the transformative impact of applying an organization’s data to its fullest potential. This is easier said than done, despite there being a general alignment amongst an organization’s leaders on the transformative opportunities to apply their data. Why is it hard for an organization to align on a data strategy? What are the top-line considerations for an organization’s leadership to avoid or break out of the deadlock states that hinder the acceleration of data value creation? What is the breakthrough path for ‘The Data Strategy Alignment Conundrum’?

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Should we centralize, de-centralize, or federate our data transformation investments?
• How Karthik built and bootstrapped Microsoft's internal data office
• The cultural alignment and how to think about connected data
• The challenges that come with being a data-driven organization

Some questions we ask:

• What is data strategy?
• What informs the compliance and security requirements that organizations work towards?
• How can you get data investments to evolve in most organizations?
• What do we need to do to responsibly accelerate our data value creation opportunities?

Guest bio

General Manager of Enterprise Data at Microsoft, Karthik Ravindran, has delivered a modern cloud-native data and analytics foundation on Microsoft Azure for Microsoft's own digital transformation. He also standardized and scaled enterprise data governance to democratize data and applications responsibly. Leading data transformation engagements with Microsoft, Karthik works with customers and partners on data modernization strategies, architecting a cloud-native data and analytics foundation, and scaling data governance for responsible data democratization.

Resources:

View Karthik Ravindran on LinkedIn

View Patrick LeBlanc on LinkedIn

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

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On this episode of Insights Tomorrow, Patrick LeBlanc is joined by James Serra, Data & AI Solution Architect at Microsoft. The conversation delves into data ingestion best practices, including documenting data sources, considering future needs, and addressing challenges in integrating data from disparate sources. James stresses the complexity of data warehousing and the absence of an "easy button" solution, emphasizing the need for thorough planning and understanding of the data landscape. James and Patrick’s discussion provides insights into the complexities of data architectures and the importance of strategic planning and knowledge in navigating them effectively.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• The importance of well-defined data architectures for organizations
• Different approaches to data processing and their impact on architecture
• Data governance and its role in ensuring data quality, security, and compliance

Some questions we ask:

• How do you stay updated with the latest trends and technologies in data architecture?
• What is your experience with data modeling and database design?
• Can you discuss a challenging data integration project you've worked on?

Resources:

View James Serra on LinkedIn

View Patrick LeBlanc on LinkedIn

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today's episode of Insights Tomorrow, Patrick LeBlanc and Bob Ward, Principal Architect for Microsoft SQL, join the show to discuss Bob's career journey. Starting from his college days, working on C programming against mainframe databases, and later specializing in database products like Ingress and Oracle, Bob shares his transition to Microsoft. He details joining the technical support team for SQL Server when internet and email were absent, relying on phone and fax communication. The conversation delves into the challenges of transitioning from on-premises databases to SQL and VM in Azure. Bob and Patrick touch on performance concerns and how the cloud has both eased and retained some challenges. They emphasize the importance of query tuning and performance monitoring in virtual machines or a platform-as-a-service environment, highlighting how certain classic SQL practices still apply.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Working in tech support for SQL Server in the absence of internet and email
• Insights into the evolution of SQL Server highlighting key changes and advancements
• Challenges transitioning from on-premises databases to SQL and VM in Azure

Some questions we ask:

• How do certain classic SQL practices still apply in the modern cloud environment?
• When did you transition from a developer to specializing in SQL Server at Microsoft?
• How did SQL Server's shift from on-premises to the cloud?

Resources:

View Bob Ward on LinkedIn

View Patrick LeBlanc on LinkedIn

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today's episode of Insights Tomorrow, Patrick LeBlanc and the Global Chief Technology Officer for Education at Microsoft, Serena Sacks-Mandel, discuss technology initiatives that empower organizations, students, and teachers to use Microsoft platforms and tools. The conversation delves into Serena's role as the CTO at Microsoft, where she discusses her function at the intersection of sales, marketing, and engineering, influencing product development and sales strategy. Patrick and Serena chat about the significance of data analytics in education, Microsoft's role in shaping global education, and the inclusive tools within Microsoft Teams for Education.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• The importance of data analytics and education solutions
• Global integration of Microsoft 365 and Teams in educational institutions
• Microsoft's three primary goals for AI in education

Some questions we ask:

• What products have been impactful in driving Microsoft's role in education?
• How has Microsoft made its technology more accessible to students?
• What do you see as the future of Microsoft influencing global education?

Resources:

View Serena Sacks-Mandel on LinkedIn

View Patrick LeBlanc on LinkedIn

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.