This is the last guest episode for our season question: “Why Can’t IT Keep Up With The Business?” Luke Komiskey is the founder of DataDrive, a managed analytics provider, with a cool approach to things. Seriously, go check out the website and scroll down to the On Your Own vs Growth Plan comparison. You’ll see what I think is true out there in the world — companies going it alone in [any!] tech space in which they’re not bona fide experts is probably a money pit situation. 

Go for a DataDrive, or a DataWalk up some stairs

• Put simply, Luke is a “data guy”
• Started work at Cargill after college (briefly on the same team as yours truly!)
• First Slalom analytics hire in the Twin Cities market
• In 2016, Luke and spouse quit jobs, sold everything, and traveled the world until the money ran out!
• In the world of data and analytics, the answer to this question has been to strive for self-service analytics
• Self-service has a scale of success — not many orgs have found the highest nirvana state

• DataDrive’s differentiator is an engagement model focused around the continued relationship with a client versus the consultant swoop-in/swoop-out model
• IT has to have more conversations with the business to be successful

Money Quotes

Luke

IT just has different responsibilities that conflict with having to move fast with the business…scale, security, process

How do you get a business user engaged enough with the data to ask [a question] all on their own, without having to go back to IT?

Self-service is a constant learning journey.

James

IT needs a more immersive perspective to keep up with the business.