Ataccama: From chaos to collaboration, the death of the data dashboard

Ataccama: From chaos to collaboration, the death of the data dashboard

Ataccama is a data quality company that helps organisations organise, understand and improve their data. The company recently laid down a selection of key identifying factors that could shape the way firms in all industries approach data management in the face of new AI toolkits and platforms that aim to accelerate and automate our information workflows. Among the areas to watch out for are changing roles, a change in the way we use basic data tools (are dashboards almost legacy now?) and a change in the wau we develop the foundational capabilities of our enterprise data architectures.

Death by data dashboard

The data team at Ataccama (only one C in Atacama desert, but two in the IT platform) suggest that we can now move from a point where information management is suffering from “death by dashboards” into a new more living space where employees start to enjoy “conversations with data” through natural language interfaces.

According to Krishna Cheriath, CDAO at Thermo Fisher Scientific and Ataccama advisory board member, static dashboards are on the way out and conversational analytics will make data feel less like a static tool for analysis and more like a dynamic collaborator.

“Invest in AI-driven tools with natural language capabilities [while also] focusing on tools that integrate with your existing data ecosystem and provide access to real-time information that will empower non-technical users to extract value from data,” said Cheriath. He also calls for firms to nurture a culture of data literacy among all employees to democratise data and reduce reliance on specialists.

Changing (data) leadership roles

With AI initiatives now landing squarely on the desks of chief data officers (CDOs), Randy Bean, strategic advisor for data & AI on the Ataccama advisory board says that CDOs are no longer just the keepers of data governance. It’s an enormous opportunity for them to redefine their roles and make a tangible impact.

“But CDOs don’t have to reinvent the wheel – the secret to winning at AI starts with trust in your data. No matter how advanced your AI models are, if the underlying data isn’t accurate and reliable, those efforts will fail,” said Bean. “Firms should focus on data quality first i.e. a [simple] data catalog won’t cut it for offensive use cases. Start by building trust in your data to lay the groundwork for innovation.”

Recent advancements in data and technology are widely argued to have the potential to reshape how businesses operate, the experience they are able to offer to their customers and lower their operational expenses. However agrees Bean and team, the key to using these advanced approaches requires a stable and trusted foundation, which more organisations will begin to focus on this year.

The end of experimentation

Akhil Lalwani, former chief data officer at Convex Insurance suggests that there will also be a shift in investment in generative AI across organisations as they move from experimentation to customer-impacting outcomes. A number of organisations have spent the last 18-24 months experimenting with generative and will now start to narrow down the specific areas in which this technology can make a significant impact.

“Move beyond experimentation by pinpointing areas where generative AI and insights can create significant value – whether through enhanced customer experiences, operational efficiencies, or innovative products. Target investments to where they will make the most tangible impact,” advised Lalwani.

From chaos to collaboration

His words are echoed by Jay Limburn in his role as chief product officer at Ataccama who says we’re moving from “chaos to collaboration” as we witness the rise of federated governance.

“For years, companies struggled to find the right data governance model. First, centralisation seemed like the answer: one team to fix all data issues. But this quickly failed – without business context, the central team became a bottleneck. Then came decentralisation, giving business teams full control over their data. While this solved some problems, it created new ones, like auditability headaches, duplicated efforts, and skyrocketing costs,” said Limburn. “Enter federated governance, the ‘Goldilocks’ solution.”

Why is he a fan? Because he thinks federated governance is the middle way (porridge not too hot, not too cold) and that it strikes the perfect balance i.e. a centralised team sets up the technology foundation, processes and guardrails, while business teams retain their own data experts to manage domain-specific needs. This collaboration – structured but flexible – is said to ensure that governance efforts are scalable, auditable and still deeply connected to the business.

“But make no mistake: federated governance isn’t just a tool or a tech fix- it’s a people-first approach. It requires strong communication, clear roles, and alignment across the entire organization to work effectively,” warned Limburn, “Federated governance is 80% about people and processes and only 20% about software. Speak with stakeholders to co-create an environment that actually works for everyone. Find your ambassadors. There are people in your organisation who love – identify them, empower them and let them advocate for governance within their business units.”

It might feel strange to call data quality a trend in 2025, but for years, the focus has been on defensive use cases like governing, documenting and protecting data… so says Jessie Smith, vice president for (you guessed it) data quality at Ataccama.

“The more mature organisations added monitoring, using dashboards to expose just how bad their data quality was. Then came the handoff: pointing fingers at source system owners to fix their data. But that approach doesn’t cut it anymore,” said Smith. “It’s time to fix the problem, not just measure it, and this shift is putting data quality squarely in the spotlight. It’s no longer a behind-the-scenes hygiene task; it’s foundational to driving innovation, creating value, and staying competitive. Companies are realising how important it is to have trust in data and that prioritising data quality solutions is an investment in their future by enabling innovation, improving decision-making, and delivering business impact.”

Don’t boil the ocean

The Ataccama board and team suggest that these trends represent the evolving priorities in data management for 2025: driving business value, improving operational efficiency and building smarter, more scalable systems. 

The key takeaway? They tell us not to get overwhelmed i.e. focus on what matters most to an organisation, whether it’s improving data quality, streamlining costs, or setting up a governance model that works. Take deliberate, strategic steps – and don’t forget to think ahead.