Democratization of Data: Why Apollo is a Data-First Company

What used to take hours now takes seconds. What used to take dozens of manual computations can now be solved at a click of a button. Millions of pages of documents, reports, webpages, and records now fit in the palm of your hand.

We’re living in the Age of Information.

Information and data have never been more easily accessible and, as a result, our society has grown like never before.

But, despite this undeniable growth, too many companies are still relying on “data gatekeepers” - IT specialists, data analysts, system administrators, company higher-ups - the select few who are allowed to access and unlock the power of data.

And that’s the farthest thing from a data-driven organization.

According to Google data, data-driven organizations are 3x more likely to report significant improvement in decision-making.

To reap these kinds of benefits, data democratization needs to happen - from top to bottom.

In this article we’ll go over the importance of democratizing your data and how Apollo can support this transition, helping make your data shareable and interpretable for all.

What is Data Democratization?

When you democratize your data, the average non-technical user is able to gather and analyze company data and information without the involvement of IT or other data stewards. Data democratization is when you make your company’s digital information accessible to everyone. 

It’s the foundation of self-service analytics.

The whole goal of data democratization is to eliminate barriers of access to and understanding of your databases and make it open to everybody so they can use data at any time to make informed decisions.

But, why is it important to open this gateway to data?

In the past, data has been “owned” by IT departments. Marketing and sales teams, customer service representatives, development teams, even business analysts, all had to go through IT departments to get the data they needed.

But organizations are quickly realizing that it’s imperative to their success and competitive advantage that data and information is distributed across all teams. 

Giving all levels of employees access to data is empowering. It encourages employees to have ownership and responsibility over their choices and make best-practice decisions in their work.

Now that’s how you create a data-driven organization!

How to Democratize Your Data

Ok, so how do you accomplish it?

Well, the first thing to understand is that becoming a data-driven organization requires more than just granting users access.

It requires that business leaders implement ways that make it easy for people to understand and apply data, so they can use it to expedite decision-making and make improvements across the entire organization.

Data democratization really doesn’t require a massive amount of time and resources. You can achieve data democratization with the implementation of just a few new practices and data tools! 

Let’s look at some ways you can start democratizing your data, today!

Start Breaking Down Data Silos

Data (or Information) silos is a term that refers to the phenomenon of information getting trapped within specific areas, departments, or teams. While some data silos might be built intentionally, oftentimes they only hinder transparency, harm company culture, and threaten data accuracy.

Start eliminating data silos by first, gathering and sorting through outdated information. Then you’ll want to find and invest in an integration software to unify your compiled information into an all-in-one platform where all team members can access it.

(Keep reading to find out how Apollo can help you sort and compile your relevant data!)

Determine your Data Governance

All democracies need built-in checks and balances.

While your goal is to spread out access to data and information, you still have data privacy and safeguards to consider.

Develop a data governance strategy in light of how your data is accessed within your organization. Who needs to see what data and what level of security need to be put in place considering the data you have stored?

Weed out data that can or should be hidden from group to group. This will help you minimize security issues and help your data democratization goals stay on track!

Keep Your Processes Simple

Creating a data-based organization does not mean opening up the data gateway from day one. Remember: helping users understand and apply the data is key!

Start by implementing a simple and navigable dashboard. Once users start to get the simple reports and can use them efficiently, your organization can start to scale up the sophistication.

Train Users on How to Use Data and Data Software

In a recent study, 75% of C-level executives thought that most or all of their employees could proficiently work with data, but only 21% of their employees reported being comfortable with their data literacy skills.

Many non-technical employees don’t have the extensive data experience they need to thrive in a data-driven environment.

Before you get too ahead of yourself, make sure that your employees have the necessary data literacy skills! Make sure to offer the training they need to successfully use your data tools.

Invest in a Data Platform

Most importantly, you need to choose the right data platform to support you.

Democratizing your data is only possible with data and analytics software that helps you scale for any volume of data for any number of users.

Gone are the days of massive, unusable spreadsheets and large datasets…

Look for an all-in-one data platform that can not only store your data all in one place, but supports customizable reports and analytics for any number of business objectives. This way anyone from content marketers to product developers can log-in and customize their data view to the exact information they are looking for. 

And, you guessed it, this is how Apollo can support you on the road to data democratization!

How Apollo Supports Data Democratization

No one knows data like Apollo.

In fact, we pride ourselves in being a data-first platform above all else! We believe the key to unlocking unlimited sales potential lies in the quality of your data and the tool you use alongside it.

The ways you can use Apollo to democratize your data across your organization are endless! But here are a few that you just can’t live without..

Our Database

Our database supports advanced filtering, accurate sales prospecting, and user transparency like no other. 

With an Apollo account, all of your users will have access to the highest quality data, with millions of verified emails and phone numbers! And, better yet, they can search through these contacts for ideal prospects based on company-wide buyer personas (that’s all stored and accessed within the app!).

When your teams use Apollo’s database, you never have to worry about issues of accessibility or transparency!

Integration Capabilities

We learned that democratizing data means keeping your information nice, tidy, and accessible.

Apollo helps you keep all your data in one place by working with and around your existing tools. Our platform integrates with LinkedIn, Gmail, Outlook, Salesforce, HubSpot, SendGrid, Marketo, and more! All that your users need to do is log into their Apollo account to have instant access to the information stored in dozens of platforms!

Learn how to integrate Apollo with the data in your CRM here!

Real-Time Reporting

Oftentimes, you don’t have days to make decisions. The business cycle is speeding up and data analysis needs to keep up.

That’s why Apollo has real-time reporting tools, replacing the outdated methods of scanning through data silos across dozens of different platforms.

Our Analytics feature provides you with both customizable and pre-built reports. You can measure anything within the Apollo app, from individual and team performance to message effectiveness and ROI. Display related reports in fully customizable dashboards and share reports among team members for total transparency!

Businesses wanting to pursue a culture of democratized data need actionable reporting and Apollo Analytics provides the best there is.

Team and Governance Rulesets

Just because you want your data democratized doesn’t mean you should throw data safeguards out the window.

Apollo helps you democratize your data safely and securely. Using our Permission Profiles you control accessibility. 

Organize your users into teams and delegate permissions by groups or individuals. You can group users by:

• Geographical location (ie. New York office, Chicago office)
• Role (ie. SDRs, marketers, executives)
• Sales Leaders and their teams

Want to read more about Apollo's data protection? Check out our blog post on how we protect your data!

Unlearning the old business methods of data gatekeepers and information silos can be tricky. But buying into the idea of democratizing data across your entire organization will revolutionize the way you do business. All it takes is the right data tools, some new practices, and a little patience.

Let Apollo guide you through it. Give us a try for free today.