The Four Main Characteristics Of A Great Data Platform
At its core, a data platform must be built on four key characteristics: self-service, security, scalability, and speed. A data platform must strike a balance between these four factors—too much emphasis on one to the detriment of the others simply won’t work, and a reliable platform will adequately monitor and control your data’s quality. Let’s take a closer look at each of these four essential characteristics.
Self-Service
One of the benefits of a self-service data platform is that users can access and transform data on their own. This eliminates the need to go through IT whenever they need data, which can Slow down the process. Instead, users can directly access the data they need and then use the tools provided by the data platform to transform it into the format they need. This also allows businesses to move faster since they don’t have to wait for IT to provide them with data or transform it. They can also make better decisions since they have direct access to all necessary data.
Another benefit of a self-service data platform is that it provides users with tools to visualize data. This is important because it allows businesses to see correlations and trends that they wouldn’t be able to see if they were just looking at raw data. Additionally, visualizations can help companies communicate their findings more effectively.
Security
A data platform must be secure to protect sensitive information. This means that the platform must have robust authentication and authorization controls. The platform should also have auditing capabilities so that administrators can track who is accessing what data and when.
Here are some of the critical components of a secure data platform:
Perimeter Security
The first line of defense for your data platform is perimeter security. This includes things like firewalls and intrusion detection/prevention systems. Perimeter security should be configured to allow only authorized traffic into your network.
Data Encryption
Data encryption is critical for protecting your data at rest and in transit. Encryption helps to ensure that even if data is stolen, it will be unreadable without the appropriate keys. When configuring encryption, it is essential to consider performance, key management, and recovery options.
User Access Control
Another critical component of data security is user access control. This ensures that only authorized users have access to sensitive data. User access control can be implemented in several ways, including role-based access controls and data masking.
Scalability
A data platform must be able to scale up or down as needed to meet the business’s changing needs and monitor and control your data’s quality. The platform should be able to handle an increase in data volume without compromising performance. Additionally, the platform should be able to support adding new users or concurrent users without issue.
There are two main types of scalability: vertical and horizontal. Vertical scalability refers to the ability of a system to scale up by adding more resources, such as CPU or memory. On the other hand, horizontal scalability allows a system to scale out by adding more nodes to the system.
The most scalable data platforms offer both vertical and horizontal scalability. This way, you can add more resources as needed to support increased volumes of data or add more nodes to the system to help increased concurrent users.
Speed
A data platform must be fast to provide users with the information they need promptly. The platform should be able to perform complex queries quickly and easily. Additionally, the platform should have real-time or near-real-time capabilities so that users can always access the most up-to-date information.
One of the best ways to ensure speed is to choose a platform that uses in-memory computing. In-memory computing stores data in RAM instead of on a hard drive. This allows for much faster processing because retrieving data from RAM is much faster than retrieving data from a hard drive.
Additionally, you’ll want to choose a platform that uses multiple cores for processing. A multi-core processor can handle more tasks simultaneously than a single-core processor, which means that your data will be processed more quickly.
Final Thoughts
An excellent data platform is built on four key characteristics: self-service, security, scalability, and speed. To be successful, a data platform must strike a balance between these four factors—too much emphasis on one to the detriment of the others simply won’t work. By keeping these four characteristics in mind, you can build a data platform that will meet the needs of your business now and in the future.
