Data governance is having a moment — and it’s long overdue. As artificial intelligence accelerates and platforms multiply, enterprise leaders are shifting from experimentation to execution. At Boomi World, theCUBE’s keynote analysis spotlighted why data governance is no longer a backend concern, but a strategic pillar for scaling innovation, enforcing accountability and building platforms that actually work.

Ensuring that data is accurate, secure and well-managed is no longer just about compliance — it’s the foundation for scaling innovation, integrating platforms and enabling responsible automation. As enterprises move beyond hype to real-world execution, leaders are recognizing that without governance, the promise of tools such as integration platforms and AI agents can quickly unravel. The conversation is shifting toward trust, accountability and building the right partnerships to support dependable data ecosystems, according to Savannah Peterson (pictured, right), principal analyst, consumer tech devices, developers, edge at theCUBE Research.

TheCUBE’s Savannah Peterson speaks about AI and data governance.

“If you’re not doing it right now and you unleash those agents on all your data sets across your organization, you’re going to be in a serious situation and potentially getting fined or a lot of different things that could happen as a result,” Peterson said.

Peterson spoke with Paul Nashawaty (left), principal analyst, application development and modernization, cloud-native at theCUBE Research, as a part of the keynote analysis at Boomi World. During an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio, they discussed how data governance is becoming a critical foundation for enterprise digital transformation, platform integration and responsible innovation. (* Disclosure below.)

Building with data governance at the center of platform strategy

As organizations modernize their application infrastructure, many are confronting the issue of fragmented systems and poor data quality. With just 27% of enterprises rating their data as high quality, governance has become a key enabler of success, not just for compliance, but for driving value from integrations, analytics and emerging AI-powered tools, according to Nashawaty.

“One of the key announcements that came out was Boomi’s support of the Azure Key Vault,” he said. “We had this kind of phase a while ago about shadow IT, kind of going around it to get your job done well with shadow AI. That’s going to be a thing … because AI is not just about technology. It’s about not just the technologist, not just the practitioners, but the people that are in the lines of business to have that platform.”

The conversation also spotlighted the evolution of enterprise roles, from traditional IT practitioners to citizen developers within lines of business. As the number of data users expands, so does the need for clear controls. Data governance is now about more than data ownership; it’s about ensuring responsible usage across a diverse, distributed workforce, Nashawaty explained.

“The last thing we want to see is an organization put out code and go, ‘Well, that code went out the door and it wasn’t our fault. It was the AI that did it.’ You can’t be pointing fingers. That’s something that you built.” he added. “You’ve got to make sure whatever you’re building and deploying is working and working within the boundaries of what’s right and what’s legal.”

Ultimately, governance is no longer an afterthought, it’s being embedded directly into platform architectures. The shift from siloed tools to unified environments supports consistency and transparency. Organizations embracing this approach are better equipped to manage tech debt, scale integrations and maintain trust in a constantly evolving digital ecosystem, according to Nashawaty.

“The big challenge I hear from CIOs is the fact that there’s skill gap issues and complexity and the partner ecosystem,” he said. “That’s helping Boomi get this done. Those service delivery partners are going to help those organizations achieve their goals.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of Boomi World:

(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for Boomi World. Neither Boomi LP, the sponsor of theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE