Published: Jun 25, 2025

Accelerating business value with data transformation

Q&A with Kevin Wilson, Director for Data and AI, NCS Australia

Kevin Wilson, NCS’ Practice Director for Data and AI, recently spoke about accelerating data transformation – which is front of mind for many organisations as they plan for the future – at Databricks Data + AI Summit in San Francisco. In this Q&A, he shares some best practices for governance, agility and innovation with data management.
 

What are some of the common challenges for Australian businesses and government clients with managing and using data? 

First up, data silos. This is a classic challenge that’s been around for decades and, believe it or not, it’s still one of the biggest hurdles today. Then there’s data quality –making sure your data is accurate, complete, and trusted by the business. 

Governance is another key area. Many organisations struggle to keep track of what data they have, who can access it, and where it’s stored, which increases the risk of data breaches and compliance issues. 

And finally, even with the right technology in place, many teams still find it difficult to demonstrate real business value from their data platform.
 

How can business and government clients successfully transform how they manage data? 

True data transformation starts with a clear vision, strong governance, and a culture that embraces change and innovation. It can help to start small, learn fast, and scale with confidence. Clarity of purpose, design discipline, and a roadmap that puts business value first – not starting with your technology – is also important.  

 Our clients value the deep technical expertise we bring, helping them move faster with ready-to-use solution accelerators and proven strategies.
 

How can Australian businesses and government clients maximise value from a data platform? 

To truly unlock business value from your data platform, it’s important to look beyond just the technology. We’ve found that success comes from focusing on five key areas that work together to drive real impact. 

1. First, value alignment. It’s all about making sure your data initiatives are tightly linked to your core business drivers and use cases. This way, you can clearly measure the benefits and show real outcomes that matter to the business. 
2. Next, data & AI culture. Embedding data and AI into the fabric of your organisation goes beyond just change management. It’s about creating a culture where data-driven decision making and innovation are part of everyday practice. 
3. Then, there’s data readiness. This means making sure your data is high quality, well governed, curated, and available when your users need it. Reliable data is the foundation for everything else. 
4. Ways of working are also crucial. Encouraging cross-functional collaboration and shared accountability helps break down silos and ensures everyone is working towards the same goals. 
5. And finally, it’s vital to remember to iterate & scale. Start small, experiment, and don’t be afraid to fail fast. By showing early wins, you can build momentum and scale up quickly, driving adoption and buy-in across your business or organisation.

By focusing on these five areas, you set yourself up not just for technical success, but for real, sustainable business value from your data platform. 

We have a strategic partnership with Databricks, empowering customers to leverage a unified data and AI platform that accelerates their data strategies while ensuring robust governance and security. Google, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft are also among our strategic technology partners. So, we can offer agility and flexibility with how we work with you to maximise value, based on your unique requirements.  

If you are curious about how our team can accelerate your data journey – reach out today.

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