This post is going to be a bit of a step back into the past. As Mork from Ork would say: “nanu nanu.”

Here’s one of the most memorable quotes I have heard from a customer here in Asia: “Every time they tell me it’s ‘not in the universe’, I feel like mine is collapsing.”

During the information age, and throughout the 4th industrial revolution, technology, data and information were in abundance. But, soon came the realization that technology and access to all of the data and information, by itself, was not the solution.

2021 demonstrated the precariousness of our global supply chains and the potential cost to business. The Suez Canal blockage held up around $9.6bn of trade each day, while the true impact of the pandemic won’t be known for years. Many of us have also felt it during our weekly shopping and the disappointment when one of our favorite items is replaced by cardboard cutouts instead of the foodstuff themselves.

During the holiday break, our family had to get tested for COVID. We got at-home tests, as they were available, and it was easier than having to wait in line at a testing center. This got me thinking of a recent article in the New York Times, which raises the notion that experts are questioning the importance/value of measuring COVID caseloads with the rise in the use of at home tests.

Most enterprises that have embarked on their digital business journey have quickly realized that data is the foundation of every digital business. No successful digital business has succeeded without a data strategy. So, when I joined Joe DosSantos, Chief Data Officer at Qlik, on the Data Brilliant podcast, we discussed how data has been democratized, why certain organizations have succeeded with digital transformation, and what factors are required to build the culture for success.

The 2021 holiday season is over, and, with a bump we’ve landed in 2022, with something of a repetitive tune playing. The COVID pandemic continues; we are a full two years post the first cases being reported; and the statistics are no less shocking today than they were at the outset.

I have written many a post about the importance of keeping your data moving. As Mathew Wilder sang in “Break My Stride,” it’s “got to keep on moving” to enable you to act within the business moment. Real-time data analytic pipelines are the solid foundation to achieving the state of Active Intelligence, and you can only start that when you work on the freshest data available to you.

When AI came on the scene in analytics, Qlik took a very different approach than ‘black box’ tools. We felt strongly that AI should be utilized to enhance human intuition, instead of replacing it. And of course, the term augmented analytics is now well known. That’s not a coincidence.

The start of a new year is a great time for reflection, and, when I look at the progress organizations are making on their data journey, I’m feeling quite positive as we welcome 2022.