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Business Data Strategy
A business data strategy defines which data supports which business decisions, who is accountable for it, and in what order to invest.
It is derived from the corporate strategy and is a boardroom matter, not an IT task. You receive a data strategy of a few pages, a governance model with clear roles, and a roadmap with target metrics.
45 minutes, free of charge, by video.
How ready is your initiative for a decision? Find out in 3 minutes.
What it is about
From the strategy to the data that supports it
A data strategy starts with the question of which decisions your company has to make over the coming years. Where do we invest, which markets do we serve, which risks do we take? For each of these decisions, we clarify what data it needs, at what quality, and how current.
From this we derive which data really matters for your business. Not every data source deserves the same attention. A good data strategy sets priorities and says openly what will not be tackled for now.
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Governance is part of the strategy: who is accountable for which data, which rules apply, and how decisions about data are made. In companies covered by NIS2 or DORA, the management body carries personal responsibility for parts of this. That is why we develop the data strategy together with the executive team and do not delegate it to IT.
The result is a strategy of a few pages and a roadmap with investment areas. We state the expected benefit as a target that you can review later.
What you gain
A management tool that guides and safeguards
Data that supports decisions
The strategy links your most important decisions to the data they need. Effort on data quality goes where it counts for the business.
Accountability you can prove
A data governance framework defines roles, accountability, and decision paths. You can show auditors and regulators how your company handles data.
Compliance as an architectural principle
The GDPR, the EU AI Act, and industry-specific rules are built into the data architecture from the start rather than checked after the fact. That saves late rework.
A plan management owns
The roadmap fits on a few pages and names targets you can review. It stays a leadership tool instead of gathering dust on a shelf.
What we analyze
The full picture
- Goals of the corporate strategy
- Decisions and the data they need
- Governance: roles, rules, and accountability
- Priorities and investment areas
- Regulatory requirements for data
What you receive
Results that belong to you
- A data strategy of a few pages
- A governance model with clear roles
- A roadmap with target metrics
How we work
Four steps, each with a result
- Step 1
Translate the goals
From your corporate goals, we derive the decisions that data has to support.
Result: The decisions that data has to support.
- Step 2
Clarify the need
We record what data each decision needs and where it is missing today.
Result: For each decision, the data it needs and where it is missing.
- Step 3
Define governance
We describe roles such as data owner and the rules they work by.
Result: A governance model with roles and rules.
- Step 4
Prioritize the roadmap
We rank investment areas by impact and effort and set target metrics.
Result: A roadmap with target metrics.
In practice
Where do the figures in the risk report come from?
A financial services provider has to prove to its regulator where the data in its risk reports comes from. The data exists, but nobody is accountable for it, and changes are not documented. Together with the executive team, we define the business-critical data domains, appoint data owners, and describe the evidence paths. The next audit request can be answered with existing documents instead of days of ad hoc research.
A typical scenario as we encounter it in engagements, not a single client case.
Tested in the SIMOSphere AI Lab
What we recommend, we test first. Field reports from our lab on simosphereai.com:
When it pays off
Typical triggers
- Data exists but is not used
- Management carries personal responsibility under NIS2 or DORA
- Before investing in AI or new platforms
How it fits your path. Part of the Architect phase (target state and architecture). It builds on Management Clarity, the result of the BISA baseline assessment or the BEIA enterprise assessment: current state, risks, gaps, opportunities, target, priorities, and plan. It always starts with a free 45-minute initial call.
Questions executives ask
Questions executives ask about it
How long does a data strategy take?
That depends on size and starting point. We agree on the scope with you after the on-site entry engagement, based on the Management Clarity results.
Why is data strategy a boardroom matter?
Because it decides on investments, accountability, and risks. With NIS2 and DORA, management’s responsibility for information security and ICT risk is also set out in law.
Who from our company does a business data strategy need?
Above all, the executive board, because the strategy decides on investments, accountability, and risks. Add the future data owners from the business units, whose roles and rules we describe together.
What is a data owner?
The person in a business unit who is accountable for specific data: for its meaning, its quality, and the rules for its use. Data owners are at the core of the governance model we agree with you.
Why SIMO
Advice that is on your side
Independent
We are not tied to any vendor. Our recommendation follows the outcome of the engagement.
As peers
Every engagement is led personally by one Managing Partner, from the initial call to handover: Thomas Wassum or Andreas O. Schwan.
Results-driven
Every phase delivers a result that stands on its own. No lock-in, no obligation to continue.
Sovereign
“Ihre Daten bleiben Ihre Daten.” Your data stays under your control. For sovereignty-critical data, we do not recommend US hyperscalers.
Read on
Why is data strategy a boardroom matter?
Read the answer: Why is data strategy a boardroom matter?
Your next step
45 minutes, and you will know whether it fits.
The initial call is free of charge and without obligation. You speak directly with one of our two Managing Partners, by video.
45 minutes, free of charge, by video.
Prefer to assess your position first? Twelve questions, about 3 minutes.
Prefer to call? +49 6021 625 63 40
Note: the 3D visualizations on this page were created with AI.