We’re talking Data. Data, means Data means Nothing... Talk Information
Eddie Short
Chief Digital Officer. I work with People and harness Digital, Data & AI to consistently deliver a step change in results!
The problem for CDOs, CDAOs… We’re talking Data. Data, means Data means Nothing
Data is meaningless, we should be talking information. Information has Context!
There is a big difference between Data and Information, as well articulated by my friend GPT4o below
👉 Information means Business... The architecture of a business is the flow of information in, out and around it. When I set-up the Global Business Information Management (now Data and Insights) practice for Capgemini 20 years ago, I personally led the way selling 'Information Strategy' to clients. My clients liked Information Strategy - Information has context. (GPT agrees) The Information Strategy concept was blown up by Big Data in 2010, as everyone wanted a (Big) Data Strategy. They were wrong - they still needed an Information Strategy. But the terms Data Strategy and CDO stuck and that my friends is where it all went wrong!!!
We can get into intellectual w%%king about information vs insight vs knowledge, wisdom, and analytical, predictive, description, Decisions and Actions.....
BUT If we think about it, our primary purpose in life is to help the organisation do something Valuable with its Data. Collecting, Storing, Managing, Enriching and giving the Data Context to make it Information, that’s in our Gift and actually useful.
Of course this opens the debate of CDO vs CIO.
I don't know about you, but I'm a real Chief INFORMATION Officer!
Recommended by LinkedIn
Data vs Information
The distinction between data and information is fundamental in fields such as data science, information technology, and communication:
Data:
Information:
Key Differences:
In essence, data is like the raw ingredients, and information is the prepared dish that you can consume and use.
CDO | Data Strategy | Analytics | Data Governance & Quality | Building successful teams
2moI see where you’re going with this, but my view is that data lays the foundation, it’s the transformation of data into information that builds understanding, and from that understanding comes the insight that drives action. I’ve also never really bought into the CIO title. Like you say, it’s about systems and tech.
● Data Product Management ● Identity focussed ● Story Teller ● Dad and Husband ● Musician 🎼
3moI think we are dancing around the name but unfortunately it has been stolen and repurposed in some kind of cruel trick. All we are trying to do is provide ‘intelligence’ to the organization. That can be consumed in various methods. The human intelligence system is collect, consume, augument and apply ‘model’. Repeat. Nature does it best. Of course I have summed this up simply because the audience is contextually aware of this subject (you guys). We are all in this to facilitate the above.
Data and Technology | Financial Crime, Sanctions, AML & KYC SME | Harvard Business Review Advisory Council member
3moMoving data to information is essential - otherwise, it's useless. It does not help when many organisations (and certification bodies) use the terms data and information interchangeably. Data without context has no use. It's the context which allows us to value the information. I suspect a lot of this was done as the CIOs were not doing the "D"->"I" part of the role and some not doing the "I" part (as per prior comments on one of your previous posts), so the CDO was born. For those organisations where Data and Information meanings are interchangeable is the CDO=CIO and vice versa and why do you have two of them?
Chief Data Officer at Tempcover
3moI’ve stopped (trying) using the word data to describe my teams activity
Fantastic insights, Eddie! I completely agree with your take on the data vs. information debate. Too often, organisations get lost in the race for "Big Data" without realising that data, without context, is just noise. It's the transformation of data into information that gives it value. In my experience, the focus should be on building an 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 that emphasises context, decision-driven analytics, and meaningful insights for the business. As you pointed out, CDOs must evolve beyond just data management—CDO's role is to architect the flow of information throughout the organisation, ensuring it’s enriched, relevant, and actionable. It’s time CDOs shift the narrative back to 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 and make that the heart of our digital strategies. Only then can CDOs truly unlock the potential of the data collected. Looking forward to continuing this dialogue, and if anyone else does too reach out to us at Intelligent Enterprise Partners LLP