It’s easy to get into a heated discussion over what’s most important when it comes to data analytics. But according to David Blaszkowsky, former senior VP and head of data governance at State Street Bank, what’s most important is something easily overlooked in the hustle and bustle of everyday work life: the data culture within your organization. You can instill and try to enforce as many rules regarding the collection of data as you like, but if you don’t have a culture within the organization that truly believes in the importance of data, it will eventually fall by the wayside.

Analytics that identify risk

When asked how to predict future financial disasters, Blaszkowsky emphasized that you can’t predict such a thing with any certainty, but you can identify when risk factors are emerging.

“First, identify the types of analytics required to identify risk, then standardize the data needed to populate those analytics,” he said. However, cleaning up effectively after a disaster is something learned over time, he added. Using Blaszkowsky’s strategy is a great way to prepare for such a disaster, as well as having systems in place if there is an unfortunate event.

The evolution of the MIT CDOIQ Symposium

As someone who’s attended many of the MIT CDOIQ Symposiums over the years, Blaszkowsky has seen it grow, as the questions changed from ‘How do we find our data?’ to evaluating use cases.

Another reason he really enjoys the conference each year is the sharing of information and best practices between public, private and academic sectors alike. “It’s phenomenal,” he added.

Watch the full interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of the MIT CDOIQ Symposium.

Photo by SiliconANGLE