ISG Research Insights into Data Intelligence and Self-Service Access

Matt Aslett, Director of Research, Analytics and Data at ISG Research, recently wrote about the importance of data catalogs, data intelligence, and the need for self-service access in an Analyst Perspective on the Actian Data Intelligence Platform. He notes that the “acquisition of Zeenea provides the company with much of the functionality to provide the data intelligence catalog and data product capabilities required to facilitate data democratization.” 

The Essential Role of Data Catalogs in Data Discovery

According to ISG Research, while multiple types of data catalogs address specific use cases and user roles, the data intelligence catalog is an emerging category. This type of catalog combines technical metadata, business metadata, and data governance capabilities with knowledge graph functionality to give users a holistic, business-level view of data production and usage. 

Aslett wrote, “Actian’s 2024 acquisition of Zeenea was designed to add these capabilities as a complement to its established data platform, data integration, and data quality functionality.” 

The Need for Data Intelligence

Aslett expects that through 2027, 75% of organizations will launch data intelligence strategies to gain a deeper understanding of when, how, and where data an organization’s data is being used.  

“As enterprises seek to increase data-driven decision-making, many are investing in strategic data democratization initiatives to provide business users and data analysts with self-service access to data across the enterprise,” Aslett explained.

Self-Service Data Access: A Long-Awaited Reality

Having self-service data access has been a long-standing goal for many companies. Yet only 15% of participants in ISG’s Analytics and Data Benchmark Research say their organization is very comfortable allowing business users to work with data that’s not been integrated or prepared for them by IT.

Aslett summarized his perspective by writing “I recommend that any enterprises engaged in data intelligence initiatives and exploring the potential for data products include Actian within their evaluations.”

Want to learn more about the Actian Data Intelligence Platform? Get a copy of the Analyst Perspective for additional insights or connect with one of our experts.

About Actian Corporation

Actian empowers enterprises to confidently manage and govern data at scale. Actian data intelligence solutions help streamline complex data environments and accelerate the delivery of AI-ready data. Designed to be flexible, Actian solutions integrate seamlessly and perform reliably across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments. Learn more about Actian, the data division of HCLSoftware, at actian.com.