BARC x Actian Research: Why Organizations are Investing in Data Products

Conclusiones del estudio global realizado en 2026 por BARC y Actian entre más de 300 responsables de datos en empresas

Organizaciones de todos los sectores están realizando importantes inversiones en inteligencia artificial. Sin embargo, muchas iniciativas siguen teniendo dificultades para ir más allá de la fase experimental y generar un valor empresarial constante.

Para comprender mejor qué diferencia a las iniciativas de IA que prosperan de las que se estancan, Actian se asoció con BARC, una firma líder mundial en análisis de datos, para llevar a cabo un estudio de investigación global entre los responsables de datos de las empresas.

Basándose en las opiniones de más de 300 encuestados de diversos sectores y regiones, el estudio analiza cómo las organizaciones adoptan y ponen en práctica los productos y contratos de datos, y cómo estos enfoques influyen en el éxito de las iniciativas de inteligencia artificial.

One of the most revealing insights from the research is why organizations are adopting data products in the first place.

Informe de investigación global de BARC × Actian (2026)

Trustworthy Data is the Primary Driver of Data Product Adoption

The research shows that organizations are not adopting data products primarily to increase data access. Instead, the strongest motivation is trust.

When respondents were asked about the main drivers for implementing data products, two factors clearly dominated:

• Trustworthy inputs for AI systems (60%).
• Trustworthy inputs for decision-making (59%).

These two drivers ranked significantly higher than traditional objectives such as improving data accessibility or enabling broader data democratization.

This finding reflects a shift in how organizations think about data management. Earlier waves of data modernization focused heavily on enabling data access across the organization. While accessibility remains important, enterprises increasingly recognize that reliable outcomes require reliable data foundations.

What are the main drivers for implementing data products? – © BARC 2026

AI is Raising the Stakes for Data Reliability

The growing importance of trustworthy data is closely linked to the rapid rise of AI initiatives.

AI systems are highly sensitive to the quality and consistency of their inputs. Inconsistent datasets, unclear ownership, or undocumented changes to data structures can quickly undermine model performance and erode trust in AI-driven decisions.

As organizations expand their AI initiatives, they increasingly require data environments that provide:

• Clear ownership and accountability.
• Defined data quality standards.
• Stable interfaces between data producers and consumers.

In many organizations, data contracts formalize these expectations between producers and consumers, helping ensure that changes to data structures or quality standards do not disrupt downstream AI and analytics systems.

Data products help provide this structure by organizing data assets as managed products with defined governance, quality expectations, and reusable interfaces.

These characteristics make data products particularly well-suited to support AI systems operating at enterprise scale.

Regulation is Accelerating Data Product Adoption

Another important factor influencing adoption is regulatory pressure.

Highly regulated industries—including financial services, healthcare, and energy—are among the earliest adopters of data product approaches. These sectors have long been required to maintain strong data governance, traceability, and compliance controls.

As regulatory requirements around data usage, privacy, and AI transparency continue to expand, many organizations are formalizing their data management practices. Data products provide a practical way to meet these expectations by introducing clearer ownership, standardized data definitions, and stronger governance mechanisms.

In this context, regulatory requirements often act as a catalyst for the adoption of structured data management approaches, such as data products.

Adoption of data products varies by industry – © BARC 2026

Descargar el informe completo de investigación

Este artículo presenta varias conclusiones clave del estudio de investigación global realizado por BARC y Actian.

El informe completo, Productos de datos y contratos de datos en 2026: la base del éxito de la IA, analiza cómo las organizaciones de distintos sectores y regiones están adoptando y poniendo en práctica los productos de datos y los contratos de datos, y cómo estas prácticas influyen en la madurez de la IA, la gobernanza y los resultados en el mundo real.

Consigue el informe completo para conocer los resultados y descubrir cómo las organizaciones líderes están ampliando el uso de la IA mediante productos de datos.

Acerca del autor

Acerca de Actian Corporation

Actian ayuda a las empresas a gestionar y gobernar sus datos con total confianza, incluso a gran escala. Las organizaciones confían en las soluciones de gestión e inteligencia de datos de Actian para simplificar entornos complejos y acelerar la entrega de datos listos para la IA. Diseñadas para ser flexibles, las soluciones de Actian se integran perfectamente, funcionan de forma fiable y se adaptan a entornos locales, en la nube o híbridos. Descubra más sobre Actian, la división de datos e IA de HCL Software, en actian.com.