79% of UAE businesses identify a data-savvy workforce

Inayat-ur-Rahman

Alteryx, revolutionising business through data science and analytics, has  revealed critical challenges in the journey towards becoming a data-driven enterprise. The new Alteryx-commissioned research uncovers the benefits and impact of data analytics in digitisation projects across six of the most digitally advanced countries in the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia-Pacific (APAC), and Europe. In the UAE, Alteryx surveyed 500 UAE businesses to understand how data and analytics are driving their businesses to thrive in this data-led world.

Data insights are seen as key to delivering better customer experiences through deeper relationships and helping to propel businesses to new heights. With more than three-quarters of the UAE survey respondents (79%) agreeing that data is a critical corporate asset for driving the business forward it’s clear that businesses are taking advantage of what seems to be insurmountable data sources across industries and internal functions. When it comes to where businesses are in their analytical journey, almost two thirds (62%) of the UAE businesses class themselves in the advanced stages of their journeys. For those companies leveraging data for insights over two fifths (41%) report the major business benefit as increased productivity. Highlighting its status as one of the most advanced digital economies, nearly three quarters (70%) of the UAE businesses believe that data has become so valuable it’s equivalent to a new currency.

As the shortage of data scientists continues to persist, businesses are asking those in analytics and line-of-business roles to do more, to know more and to answer pressing business questions with data. With digital skills classed as a major priority for businesses, over four in five (83%) agree that everything they are investing in data and analytics is useless without people who understand it. Proving that businesses simply cannot tackle the existing technical challenges in a data-driven industry without the right workforce, more than two fifths (41%) reported that it was easier to access the talent needed to manage analytics than last year, while almost one in three (32%) have a team of dedicated data scientists for all their analytics work. The trend is apparent with nearly half of (40%) the UAE businesses prioritizing a focus on employee data skills and talent to avoid being left behind as the world of data-driven analytics heats up around them.

Creating and maintaining a data literate organisation requires the right technology, people and culture in place. Proving data will always be at the forefront and one of the most important drivers of success and true digital disruption, businesses across the UAE reported the top three technology enablers having the greatest impact on their business today as data and analytics (42%), artificial intelligence/machine learning (36%) and blockchain (33%).  UAE businesses anticipate the biggest technology game-changers for data analytics success within the next five years to include: self-service analytics (31%), augmented data discovery (27%) and explainable AI (27%).

 Commenting on the findings of the research, Alan Jacobson, chief data and analytics officer at Alteryx, said: “The business case for analytics has truly been acknowledged. While many are still balancing data inefficiencies with the challenge of a shortage of skilled data workers, this latest research from Alteryx underscores that investing in data and analytics technology alone won’t deliver real business-altering results. In order to Digitally Transform an organization, a smart approach to delivering the right culture that can embrace the change is equally if not more important in achieving success.”

 Abboud Ghanem, senior director – Middle East and Africa at Alteryx, added: “There is no doubt that data is key in driving business success in the minds of businesses across the UAE. Every data worker, regardless of technical acumen, wants to be able to easily find and understand what information is at their disposal; have the flexibility to prep, blend, enhance and analyse data from more sources; and easily operationalise analytic models through a collaborative and governed platform. At Alteryx, we will continue to make the Alteryx Platform easier to use for all data workers, while extending its ability to handle more sophisticated data science outcomes for trained data statisticians in order to create an analytics-centric culture across almost every industry and functional areas of business.”