Data & Architecture Strategist | Ecosystem Architect | Teradata Latin America
Sebastian Barreda is an enterprise architect with many years’ experience in data and analytics solutions. As a consultant, Sebastian has worked in many roles, from ETL and BI development to requirements gathering and logical data modeling, gaining significant practical experience. As a solution architect, he analyzed customers’ business and technical requirements to translate them into products, solutions, and services, understanding the key link between business needs and technology enablers, leveraging a variety of solutions. Sebastian delivered data strategy advice for several industries including retail, manufacturing, communications, media & entertainment, and banking. He’s been part of Teradata since 2007. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from UADE, Argentina and has been teaching data related subjects in different universities for the last couple of years.
What attracted you to data management or IT, and why did you choose to pursue this career?
I was interested in the computer world since I was a kid, that’s why I have mastered computer engineering. DBMS was the subject I’ve most enjoyed. Once I began working in the data business, I discovered my passion and what I wanted to do. Data management gives me the opportunity to work in many different industries with many different roles, from understanding the business to advanced performance tuning. Today, I can’t imagine doing something different.
What has been your greatest career accomplishment so far, and why has it been important to your career?
Each step in my career has been important, as it was the foundation for the next stage. I would name some milestones like the first time I conducted a strategic workshop, my first online publication, the first time speaking at a conference, and so on. Teaching a class has also been a great career accomplishment. I believe we must give back to others all that we have learned.
What are the two or three biggest challenges you face as a data management professional / CDO and how can we address them?
Enabling governance without losing agility. Defining the boundaries of how much control should be applied to data to guarantee its quality, security, and availability without compromising self-service is a tough task. We need to establish solid foundations and practices with both IT and businesspeople sitting at the same table to be sure we get the best of each world.
Separating data from technology. Too many discussions related to architecture and value are led by technology. The later should be an enabler of what needs to be accomplished and not the starting point of any plan or solution. But it’s hard to change this perception. I’m exposed to too many solutions that are inefficient or can’t deliver because technology has been the driver and not the business or the data. Again, solid practices with clear roadmaps should help. Focus on capabilities not technology.
Putting data into action. Many time times we face the challenge of bringing data into actionable insights and we fail because of the lack of an infrastructure to deliver (both IT and business infrastructure), or because there’s too much interest in “Analytics R&D” (using the latest technique or use case) instead of going after the analytics that are needed by the corporate initiatives. Again, having some experimentation is great but the focus should be on delivering insights for what’s going to bring value.
How do you see data management / the role of the CDO / IT changing in the next 2 – 3 years?
More and more functions are going to be aligned to data roles. There will be no CDO out of the decision board. We will see the role of the Chief Analytics Officer emerging also. More business functions are going to be aligned under the CDO/CAO roles. Digital transformation and data driven cultures will only be possible by leveraging these kinds of roles plus data democratization efforts.
Do you have any planned next steps for your career?
There’s always a next step, but sometimes that step isn’t planned. I hope I can continue growing my career in more strategic roles and educational roles. Maybe having a publication that can contribute to both fields would be a great next step.
What is the single best piece of advice you have received in your data management / IT career so far? Why has it been so important to you?
Focus on value, focus on business needs then look for the technology to enable that. It’s a great piece of advice, stick to the core concepts and learn how to leverage what new technologies make possible
Can you share something about yourself as a person that people wouldn’t know about you?
I’m a huge fan of music, both listening and playing. My favorite hobby is playing the guitar and the piano.
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