5 Proven Strategies to Break Through the Data Silos

In 2016, when Dell announced a major merger with EMC and VMware, their biggest challenge was to break through the organization silos. All three giants had their legacy systems and data management platforms. Integrating the networks and creating a collaborative work environment posed an immediate call to action.

Silos exist both internally and externally. Different departments use different software that generates data in their formats, which are not necessarily compatible with other software or applications.

Today, while organizations seek AI initiatives to improve productivity and operational efficiency, siloed data from legacy systems pose constrictive barriers to achieving the expected outcomes.

Data is fodder for any AI-based system. Even in a connected ecosystem, siloed data is extremely difficult to repurpose. To maintain a competitive edge, organizations need to embrace data-driven transformation. And to achieve this, there’s a dire need to break through the data silos.

5 Strategies to break through the data silos

We produce over 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day. However, a recent study reveals that individual organizations own nearly 80% of the data and are not searchable by others.

Edd Wilder James of Silicon Valley Data Science says that just like data analysis, which requires 80% of efforts in data preparation, breaking through data silos will require 80% of work in becoming data-driven. The data-driven approach corresponds to integrating all the data sources and making them available across the organization as a whole.

1. Data democratization

The pressure to use data for fact-based decisions is immense on organizations. However, the organizations lack a clear strategy to make the data accessible to every accounted stakeholder. So far, the IT department of any organization owned the data supporting the silo culture.

Data Democratization aligns with the goal of making data available to use for decision making with no barriers to understanding or accessing them. Backing up with smart technologies and solutions, it’s simpler to achieve data democracy. For example-

Data Federation: A technique that uses metadata to compile data from a variety of sources into a unified virtual database.
Data Virtualization: A system that retrieves and manipulates data cleaning up data inconsistencies (e.g. file formats).
Self-service BI Applications: Tedious data preparation is involved in powerful analytical insights. Gathering all useful data and presenting insights in a way that even a non-technical person understands is a way through the data silos.

2. Cloud-based approach

To achieve the initial levels of BI, it’s crucial to organize all the data in a reusable format. The best way is to aggregate data into a cloud-based warehouse or Data Lake. However, it is important to maintain data lakes strategically with useful data because every business is unique and one just can’t pull a unique advantage off the shelf.

Cloud has benefited many global financial organizations in breaking through the data silos. AllianceBernstein, one of the US leading asset management firms, is an early adopter of the cloud-based approach (2009) to empower its sales, marketing and support teams with proactive and real-time updates.

3. Representation Learning

Featured Learning or Representation Learning is a branch of Machine Learning to understand data at different levels. Especially real-world data comes in the form of images, audio, and video, which many current enterprise applications are not capable of using directly.

Representation learning provides process-ready (mathematically and computationally convenient to use) data to the applications, thus bridging the gap between real-world and internal data for deriving intelligent insights.

4. Creating a unified view of data management systems

Large enterprises and Government organizations are essentially the victims of siloed data. Ironically, these are the ones who need a composite knowledge about their customers from different touchpoints.

For example, NASA, for years, struggled to find a relation between its many tests, faults, experiments and designs. The organization partnered with Stardog to create a unified view of its data with real-world context. Unifying data from different sources is also known as data virtualization. It is a process of integrating all enterprise data siloed across the disparate systems, processing it and delivering to business users in real-time.

5. Embracing the omnichannel infrastructure

An omnichannel approach is famed for bringing exceptional customer experiences. But, from the data point of view, it is of great benefit for the organizations as well. Omnichannel infrastructure involves bringing together multiple (in fact, all) systems and applications that have different data formats.

Enterprises have started leveraging the omnichannel approach through point-to-point integration and APIs. For example, FlowMagic is a workflow automation platform used by some of the leading insurance companies in the world for end-to-end claims automation. The platform integrates all the digital touchpoints of any operational processes and creates a unified system for data collection, storage, and processing for decision-ready insights.

Bonus – Translation tools

It might seem insignificant to many, but languages and regional software also contribute to creating data silos. Combing through digital records becomes cumbersome for MNCs when the information is stored in an unfamiliar language to the stakeholders.

A simple solution to overcome this kind of data silo is to opt for a platform with cognitive capabilities. KPMG, using Microsoft Azure’s built-in translation tools, is able to improve its analytics services and derive better outcomes.

The bottom line

Most organizations face challenges in collaboration, execution and measurement of their business goals due to siloed data. While data is the new oil for businesses, becoming a data-driven organization requires overcoming silos, which may be prevailing in several forms like structural, political, or maybe vendor lock-in.

In the world of AI, being data-driven is at the core. However, not everyone has the luxury of implementing data strategies (the way we need data now) from scratch. Thus, applying an incremental approach is feasible to anything and everything that creates silos and thus breaking through it.

Seeking an integrated platform for your organization’s operations? Or have thoughts and suggestions on this outlook? Please feel free to write to us at hello@mantralabsglobal.com.

In the world of product design, consistency is the cornerstone of delivering a seamless user experience. As digital products evolve and scale, the challenge of maintaining design consistency across multiple platforms, teams, and touchpoints becomes more complex. This is where design systems come in. A design system is a comprehensive set of guidelines, components, and tools that help designers and developers create a consistent and cohesive user interface (UI) and user experience (UX). From a designer’s perspective, building and maintaining a design system requires a strategic approach to ensure scalability, flexibility, and alignment with business goals.

Source: https://www.toptal.com/designers/ux/design-system)

Why Design Systems Matter?

Design systems are more than just style guides or pattern libraries. They offer a unified language for design and development, bridging the gap between creativity and functionality. Here are a few reasons why they are critical:

Consistency Across Products

One of the primary goals of a design system is to ensure uniformity across different platforms and devices. When users interact with a product, whether on a website or a mobile app, they expect a consistent experience. A well-implemented design system ensures that visual elements, interactions, and behaviors are aligned, offering a familiar and intuitive experience for users.

2. Faster Iteration

With a design system in place, teams can reuse components and patterns rather than reinventing the wheel for each new feature. This speeds up the design and development process, allowing teams to focus on solving new problems instead of reworking existing designs. For designers, it means less time spent on repetitive tasks and more time dedicated to innovation.

3. Scalability

As products grow and new features are added, maintaining a coherent UI/UX without a design system can become chaotic. A design system provides a scalable framework, enabling teams to add new elements or modules without compromising the overall consistency of the product.

4. Improved Collaboration

A design system fosters collaboration between designers, developers, and other stakeholders by providing a shared language and reference point. This ensures that design decisions are communicated effectively, reducing friction and misunderstandings between teams.

Building a Design System: A Designer’s Perspective

Designing a system from scratch can seem like a daunting task, but with a clear roadmap and understanding of core principles, it becomes a powerful tool for creating scalable and user-centered products.

1. Define the Core Principles

Before diving into visual components, it’s essential to establish the core principles of your design system. These principles serve as the foundation and guide decision-making throughout the process. Ask yourself:

• What are the key values of your brand?

• How should the design reflect the needs and emotions of users?

• What goals are you trying to achieve with your design system (e.g., accessibility, flexibility, innovation)?

For instance, if accessibility is a top priority, you’ll need to ensure that your design system accommodates users with different abilities, by providing color contrast guidelines, clear typographic hierarchies, and accessible components.

2. Create a Unified Visual Language

Once the principles are established, the next step is creating a cohesive visual language. This includes defining elements such as:

• Color Palette: A well-structured color palette ensures harmony across different UI components. It’s crucial to include primary, secondary, and accent colors, along with usage guidelines to avoid inconsistency.

• Typography: Define a typography system that establishes hierarchies and clarity, including font styles, sizes, line heights, and spacing. Consistent typography helps users navigate content effortlessly.

• Spacing and Grids: An established grid system ensures a balanced layout and harmony between different UI elements. Proper spacing guidelines prevent crowded or misaligned components.

• Iconography and Illustrations: Design guidelines for icons and illustrations help maintain visual consistency. Icons should follow a standard style (outlined, filled) and size, ensuring they align with the overall visual language.

Iconography and Illustrations: Design guidelines for icons and illustrations help maintain visual consistency. Icons should follow a standard style (outlined, filled) and size, ensuring they align with the overall visual language.

Image Source: https://designerup.co/blog/10-best-design-systems-and-how-to-learn-and-steal-from-them/)

3. Design Reusable Components

A design system is incomplete without reusable UI components. These components include buttons, forms, modals, and navigation elements that can be used across various features and pages. Each component should be:

• Modular: Components should be flexible and adaptable for different contexts. For example, a button should have variations for different states (hover, active, disabled) and types (primary, secondary, destructive).

• Documented: Each component needs comprehensive documentation that explains how it should be used, its variants, and the rules governing its application. This ensures consistency when different team members use the same component.

4. Implement Accessibility Guidelines

Accessibility should be at the forefront of every design system. As a designer, consider:

• Color Contrast: Ensure sufficient contrast between text and background for readability.

• Keyboard Navigation: Ensure that interactive components are navigable via keyboard for users who rely on keyboard shortcuts.

• Responsive Design: Components should be responsive, adapting seamlessly across different screen sizes and devices.

• Assistive Technologies: Design components should be compatible with screen readers and other assistive technologies to provide an inclusive experience.

Maintaining a Design System: Evolving with the Product

Once a design system is in place, the work doesn’t stop there. Maintaining it requires ongoing effort as the product evolves and new design challenges emerge. Here’s how designers can ensure the design system remains relevant and effective:

1. Regular Audits and Updates

A design system should be treated as a living document that evolves with the product. Regular audits are necessary to identify outdated or unused components. Designers should collaborate with developers to ensure new features are aligned with the existing design system, and updates should be documented to avoid fragmentation.

2. Version Control and Documentation

Version control is essential for keeping track of changes in the design system. Documenting why and how changes are made ensures that the design system grows in an organized manner. It also helps onboard new team members quickly, as they can reference updated guidelines.

3. Foster Collaboration Across Teams

Designers need to maintain an open line of communication with developers and other teams using the design system. Tools like Figma, Sketch, and Zeplin allow designers to share components and guidelines in real-time, fostering collaboration and ensuring that everyone is aligned.

Some well-known examples of design systems that have set benchmarks in the industry:

1. Google Material Design

URL: Material Design
Overview: Google’s Material Design is one of the most comprehensive design systems available. It provides guidelines on how to create visual, motion, and interaction design across platforms and devices. Material Design is known for its grid-based layouts, responsive animations, and depth effects like shadows and lighting.
Features:
- Comprehensive color palettes, typography, and iconography.
- Extensive component library (buttons, cards, etc.).
- Customizable UI components for both web and mobile applications.

2. Salesforce Lightning Design System

URL: Salesforce Lightning
Overview: Salesforce’s Lightning Design System provides a comprehensive library of UI components and resources to help build applications on the Salesforce platform. It ensures a consistent experience across Salesforce products and enables developers to create custom apps easily.
Features:
- Ready-to-use components, design tokens, and code snippets.
- Comprehensive accessibility guidelines to ensure inclusivity.
- Detailed documentation for developers to integrate components into Salesforce applications.

3. Microsoft Fluent Design System

URL: Fluent Design
Overview: Fluent Design is Microsoft’s design system, created to provide an engaging and scalable UI across all Microsoft products. It is heavily focused on interaction, animation, and motion while ensuring accessibility across various device ecosystems.
Features:
- Focus on depth, motion, and light to create modern and interactive UIs.
- Cross-platform components supporting web, desktop, and mobile applications.
- Accessible components with detailed guidelines for developers.

Conclusion

Building and maintaining a design system is an investment that pays off in the long run. It ensures consistency across your product, improves collaboration between teams, and allows for faster iteration and scalability. For designers, a design system is more than a collection of reusable components — it’s a framework that enables you to create user-centric products with confidence and clarity. By embracing modularity, documentation, and accessibility, you’ll ensure that your design system remains a valuable asset as your product grows.

About the Author:

Shristi is a creative professional with a passion for visual storytelling. She recently transitioned from the world of video and motion graphics to the exciting field of product design at Mantra Labs. When she’s not designing, she enjoys watching movies, traveling, and sharing her experiences through vlogs.

5 Proven Strategies to Break Through the Data Silos