If you want to convince your top management to get buy-in for your data modernization initiatives, you are in the right place.
Let’s brainstorm on how we can achieve this. When you want to convince someone of your idea to modernize, you must be prepared to answer all the questions the decision-makers may have. Here are some:
What is the scope of data modernization you are talking about?
When you say ‘modernization,’ you could be talking about:
Whatever your goal, it is essential to explain it clearly — the receiving end should know WHAT CHANGE you are trying to make for the betterment of your organization.
What are the problems your business faces with legacy systems?
Frame the problem statement. Since the Stone Age, necessity has been the mother of all inventions. So, build a strong case for why you need to modernize your organization’s data platform.
- Data security issues or compliance risks your company faces since your legacy platform is not designed to tackle modern-day problems.
- Your database/source might be incompatible with modern applications.
- Inability to address customer demands and ever-changing business requirements, which necessitates a modernized data environment.
- Troubleshooting legacy systems is not easy as the type of issues that old data setups have are difficult to tackle. Moreover, you may not have readymade solutions from the service provider handling your data.
- Another critical reason is finding the right talent pool — getting new-generation developers to work on legacy systems is challenging. Most developers look for a modernized tech stack to work.
Your business may have more biting problems by following traditional data systems & approaches — bring those challenges out on the table!
What benefits would your organization or business reap from data modernization?
Of course, the benefits depend on the nature of your business and what you’re trying to achieve through data modernization.
But, the expected benefits that any organization can count on receiving through data modernization would be:
- The enhanced support you get from the modernized platform
- Modernized databases and solutions are designed with data privacy, security & performance in mind and ensure higher efficiency
Get on-demand services at reduced costs, as you pay only for what you need. The data market is highly competitive, so solution providers ensure you get cost-effective solutions. You don’t have to pay for additional solutions that your business may not need. Find out which data solution your business needs and whether your solution provider can cater to the needs within your budget. Mention these factors as critical information during your meeting.
- You can even leverage more resources or cancel resources for specific data solutions. This kind of elasticity definitely will kindle the interest of your management .
- Organizational transformation
Are you talking the language of successful people?
Now, we’re not talking about using a new language. It’s about the universally known language — numbers and statistics to impact how others understand your business proposals.
Thats right! Numbers are critical in decision-making. It will be much better if you have data about how your competitor benefited from data modernization or even how your industry is benefiting. Many research organizations like Gartner and PWC publish free articles that you can use to substantiate your goals.
Also, when you explain your proposal to modernize your data setup, you must explain what the project will mean for your organization regarding numbers.
The best thing to do is to talk about how much you will save costs through data modernization. Any decision maker would need to know about your company’s return on investments (ROI) before they nod to anything new or consider the proposal brought to them.
How do you plan to achieve data modernization?
It’s time to talk about the crux of it.
- What data solution are you proposing?
- Delivery method – Is data modernization going to be achieved by your own company, or does it have to be outsourced?
- Get a full-length program plan if your company will do the data modernization.
For instance, if you are doing a database migration.
Done! Now that you have everything you need to get your top management interested in data modernization, you are all set to go!
