marketing@xentity.com

All industries and subjects have their own ‘keywords’. These are words and phrases that are a great way to gauge what is currently trending in the industry. The big reason for this subject’s existence is that Xentity is all about innovation. Part of being innovative means being aware of what’s trending and responding accordingly. The hope is that through this list, all parties can leave with a sense of awareness of the current “trends”. Also, an idea of WHY they are trending.

Much like any company in the internet/digital age, keywords for the sake of search engine optimization (SEO) have become critical for Xentity. They are the kinds of phrases that can take a company and its website to the top of the search engines. The question now is, how does a list like this get put together? A good place to start is by polling a few keyword listing sites. Also, look at some categories used for past blogs (and there were quite a few). Furthermore, poll a few employees for their opinions on what keywords came to mind when they thought of data solutions and data.

So, with that in mind, here are some of the bigger keywords that come up after thinking: “data” and “data solutions”. Each entry will have a brief explanation of what it is and why it is arguably a trending keyword at the moment. It was discovered that these “keywords” were simply topical because of the past tumultuous years. Also, they are relevant because of new advancements, and interesting trends and because they will always be relevant when it comes to data management.

Our Keywords

Data Lake

  • A data lake is a system or repository of data stored in its natural/raw format, usually object blobs or files.
  • https://www.qubole.com/blog/five-data-lake-trends-to-watch-out-for-in-2021/ – This blog notes five particular data lake trends we can expect to see throughout 2021. Namely, new directions in focus for organizations. Data security, governance, and ROI-driven approaches.
  • https://towardsdatascience.com/the-top-5-data-trends-for-cdos-to-watch-out-for-in-2021-e230817bcb16 – This blog notes that one of the biggest trends in 2021 is the merging of data lakes with data warehouses.
  • A new data solution may emerge that combines the storage of a data lake with the data management of a data warehouse.
  • Some circles refer to this as a “data lakehouse”. If this “data lakehouse” does become more popular, we will see a new form of data management. One that offers both great storage and management, acting as the next point in the “evolution” for data lakes.
  • This innovation/version of a data lake offers a more simplified and efficient form of its previous self.

Data Virtualization

  • Data virtualization is an approach to data management that allows an application to retrieve and manipulate data without requiring technical details about the data.
  • https://solutionsreview.com/data-integration/the-best-data-virtualization-tools/ – There are a lot of fantastic data virtualization tools that are being offered in 2021, such as Oracle.
  • For data solutions companies, data management is an extremely important subject to consider, so we’re happy to see it proverbially ‘trending’.
  • This one’s an obvious one. As long as there are current, still viable tools and new, even better tools, data virtualization will always be a very relevant topic.

Enterprise Data Management

  • Enterprise Data Management is the ability of an organization to precisely define, easily integrate, and effectively retrieve data for both internal applications and external communication.
  • A lot of Xentity’s projects involve helping manage data so that companies can apply this knowledge internally. In doing so, they can improve external activities.
  • Enterprise data management originally arose in response to organizations independently sourcing, managing, and storing data. As more data is created and therefore requires storage and management, the concept becomes more relevant.

Dashboards

  • A data dashboard is an information management tool that visually tracks, analyzes, and displays key performance indicators.
  • Many health organizations, government agencies, counties, and school boards have taken to using data dashboards to manage data on COVID-19, making dashboards a very current tool for determining data-driven solutions.
  • This is a more topical ‘keyword’, considering the aforementioned statement.
  • Xentity has worked with a few dashboards, so it’s great that this is topical. Can confirm that dashboards are great at putting data in order, by the way.

Machine Learning

  • Machine learning is the study of computer algorithms that improve automatically through experience and the use of data. 
  • https://dotdata.com/blog/2021-top-5-ai-ml-trends/ – This article points to five major trends in AI and Machine Learning. What sticks out the most is the trend towards Augmented and Real-Time Analytics to transform Business Intelligence. Augmented analytics will assist with data preparation and insight generation. Real-time analytics will help in planning.
  • https://www.analyticsinsight.net/in-2021-machine-learning-is-set-to-transform-these-5-industries/ – This article talks about 5 industries that are being transformed by machine learning. It points to COVID-19 as one big reason for this shift. The industries include retail, media, finance, and more.
  • This subject is trending due to it being topical (thanks to COVID). However, if some past pieces on machine learning and AI are of any indication, it’s nice the topics are playing a part in data solutions.

Artificial Intelligence

Data Supply Chains

  • The data supply chain is a lifecycle for data that propagates and procures data on behalf of the corporation.
  • A couple of pieces on data supply chains from Xentity.
  • For companies focused on data, the lifecycle of data will always be important. Therefore, the data supply chain is always going to be a ‘key’ keyword.
  • When it comes to data solution companies, knowing where data is within their ‘supply chain’ can be very crucial.

Data Visualization

Data Platforms

  • A data management platform is a software platform used for collecting and managing data. 
  • https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/dynamics365/bdm/2021/02/16/top-3-customer-data-platform-trends-for-2021/ – This piece points out three particular trends for customer-centered data platform trends.
  • https://www.blastanalytics.com/blog/customer-data-platform-trends-2021 – This article points to the same as the article mentioned before.
  • Both articles talk about the importance of ‘customer experience’ in their way. This means that as far as data platforms are concerned, an organization requires a data solution that organizes data for customer experience.
  • Xentity has done quite a few projects and pieces on data platforms, namely in the CARTO data platform.
  • As more data is created, data platforms to manage them are probably the proverbial lifeblood of data solutions. What better way to get complex and disconnected data in order than a platform designed for just that?

Data Analytics/Analysis

  • Data analysis is a process of inspecting, cleansing, transforming, and modeling data to discover useful information, inform conclusions, and support decision-making.
  • https://www.forbes.com/sites/alteryx/2021/05/13/5-leading-data-analytics-trends-you-should-know-about/ – An article that discusses some major data analytics trends. Much like the articles on data platforms, one trend this article loves to talk about is customer experience.
  • 2020 was a year of information and misinformation, so the idea of wanting to avoid a repeat could very well be the reason why this particular keyword is trending.

What Can We Take Away From This?

“Keywords” are such, mainly because they’re topical (during the current climate and period). Let’s not go too much into it, but 2020 was an extremely tumultuous year, and it’s led to some changes. They are also considered keywords because there is a growing need for them, like a classic supply-and-demand deal in economics. Another reason is that they are simply so ingrained in the subject itself. Therefore, they will always be a “key” to properly understanding the topic. Regardless, this was a wide variety of keywords in data and data solutions we were happy to share. We hope you all came away with some interesting reads from other great articles that talk about current trends. Also, a new understanding of just how Xentity thinks.