How To Foster Outstanding Cross-Business Data Collaboration  

Collaboration is fundamental to establishing a solid data foundation within your organization—or at least it should be. Once established, mining insights and applying data has never been easier, thanks to user-friendly technology. This new-found accessibility has led many business functions to access and use data in their areas, so continued collaboration is essential to fostering cross-business success. Companies collaborating efficiently will see increased revenue opportunities and more immediate business outcomes because everyone works together. 

We believe in creating collaborative data strategies that ensure teams manage, share, and utilize data effectively. Here’s how we and other industry leaders achieve this: 

1. Say death to data silos  

Data silos are a collection of data that sits within a company department. For example, a company with nine departments each owns its own data set but never cross-collaborates or consults with each other. This is an extreme example, and today, data silos are a little less obvious. The perils of data silos include the obvious lack of shared information, a gap in the objectives and goals, a lack of proper security, duplication, and redundancy. Essentially, they are the absence of success and the antithesis of a data-driven culture.  

Data silos are the number one reason why many employees shun inter-department projects—it’s too hard! When data is kept in separate areas and not shared, the insights are only two-dimensional and limited in their scope. Collaborating with data should be a company-wide initiative.   

Anti-silo checklist:  

• Unify your data into one central location  

• Choose one vendor to centralize your data  

• Allow controlled access by all departments  

• Set regular meetings with other ‘heads of data’ 

• Share data insights and data wins  

• Document everything 

2. Enhance your data-driven culture  

Live, breathe, eat data! The success of data-sharing initiatives depends heavily on fostering a culture where data is central to decision-making. Encouraging a data-driven mindset across all levels of your organization ensures that everyone understands the value of data and is motivated to use it in their daily operations. This means telling overzealous Owen he can’t create a new TikTok campaign just because he read a cool article in Forrestor. He can, but first, he needs to refer to your company insights. 

Data-Driven Culture Checklist:  

• Prioritize data in every decision-making process.  

• Set up monthly training and education sessions 

• Allow each team member to access what they need 

• Promote transparency and open communication around data. 

• Share, share, share!  

3. Say yes to data governance 

You might be thinking, how is data governance part of cross-collaboration? It’s simple. When your organization prioritizes data governance, it sends customers and employees a message that it’s high on the agenda. Effective data management requires a robust governance framework that defines clear rules for data use, ownership, and quality standards. Adhering to recognized frameworks like DAMA-DMBOK or ISO/IEC 38500 helps maintain data integrity and security while ensuring effective use across departments. 

Pro-data governance checklist:  

• Focus on setting up structures that align with industry standards 

• Establish clear documentation 

• Set up roles for data stewardship 

• Enforce standardized data practices 

• Conduct regular data audits 

4. Put a better padlock on your data  

Your data is your most valuable IP, and protecting your customers’ data is non-negotiable as data sharing becomes more common between business functions. Implementing comprehensive security protocols, such as encryption, access controls, and regular security audits, is essential to protecting sensitive information. Additionally, adhering to regulatory standards like GDPR in the UK (General Data Protection Regulation) and CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) ensures that data handling practices meet legal requirements and protect user privacy.  

Security checklist:  

• Implement data encryption at rest and in transit 

• Set up role-based access controls  

• Comply with international data regulations.  

Final word  

From experience, we know the best way to facilitate cross-business data collaboration is to thoroughly examine your current setup and systems. By focusing on centralized data management, strong governance, seamless integration, a data-driven culture, and rigorous security, we ensure that organizations can harness the full potential of their data.  

These practices enable more effective collaboration across departments, leading to better decision-making and, ultimately, more successful business outcomes. Through our commitment to these principles, we help businesses break down silos and create a more integrated, data-driven approach to achieving their strategic goals. 

Talk to us about how we can help establish these systems with you, working to foster data collaboration and leading to outstanding business outcomes.