Data is a firms' primary asset. Applications are merely a way to access and update data. We all know this, and we all espouse this, but almost no one lives it.

When a business unit wants new functionality the first thing they do is buy or build an application. The second thing they do is ask for help "converting" their data to the form that the new application needs. The third thing they do is ask for help in integrating this new application (with its own APIs) and this new data set (with its own data model) to the already existing information ecosystem.

This isn't "a" prescription, this is "the" prescription for the deplorable state of enterprise information systems in the early 21st century. In this talk we outline the data centric revolution, discuss the key enabling technologies and describe some case studies from firms who have begun this journey.

After attending this session, you will be able to :

• Clearly articulate the cause of information system diseconomy and project overrun
• Explain why past efforts in this area have not been successful
• Outline the essential characteristics of next generation data architectures and platforms