94% of Australian Leaders Want More Value From Data – Here’s How to Get It
Leaders in Australia are focused on aligning data with business goals. Here’s where they’re succeeding and the challenges they’re overcoming as they unite data and business strategies, enhance data quality, and unlock AI’s full potential through data maturity.
Data maturity: Where data meets value. It’s how Australian and New Zealand organisations can gain their edge to harness AI, make smarter decisions, and stay competitive.
In my conversations with leaders across Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), one thing keeps coming up: businesses are eager to unlock more value from their data. We all know how important data is, but with artificial intelligence reshaping entire industries, having quality, trusted data is no longer just beneficial — it’s essential.
In Australia, 94% of business leaders feel their data holds untapped potential, yet many are struggling to translate this into meaningful business outcomes.
To explore how ANZ businesses are overcoming hurdles and blazing new trails for an AI-driven future, Salesforce gathered insights from hundreds of Australian analytics, IT, and business leaders. Their perspectives, alongside those from 10,000 global leaders, are featured in our State of Data and Analytics Report.
Here are key takeaways from Australia’s leaders — including practical tips on how you can make the most of your data and seize the AI opportunity.
The State of Data and Analytics Report
See what 10,000 global leaders have to say about unlocking value from data in the AI era.
Takeaway #1: Without trusted data, your AI can’t deliver
It’s no surprise that 9 in 10 analytics and IT decision-makers in Australia agree that trustworthy data is more important than ever. Every AI use case — from predictive analytics to IT management — runs on data. But your AI solutions won’t produce the results you’re looking for if you aren’t working with quality, trusted data. Simply put: flawed data leads to flawed results.
Yet, only 49% of analytics and IT leaders in Australia are fully confident in the accuracy of their data. This gap shows there’s still plenty of work to do, with difficulty ensuring data accuracy and quality the top challenge for Australian IT leaders.
So, how do you make sure your data is “trustworthy”? As data volumes grow, what are the best practices to ensure quality and consistency? Here are a few things to ask yourself:
- Do you have a clear and consistent data collection and data entry process?
- Has your data been cleaned and normalised?
- Is your data protected and secure?
- Do you have a governance framework addressing all aspects of the data life cycle, including access and control, management, privacy, security, compliance and regulatory requirements?
- Is the data fit for the purpose? Does it follow ethics and integrity expectations?
Do More with Your Data
See how Tableau makes it easy to understand and act on your data
Takeaway #2: Getting more value from your data is easier when your data and business strategies are aligned
Data generation is exploding worldwide, and Australia is no exception. 69% of Australian analytics and IT leaders anticipate a surge in data over the next 12 months, expecting overall data volumes to grow by an average of 23%.
Amid all this growth, 96% of Australian business leaders agree that data and analytics improve decision-making. However, one major challenge is holding many back: the lack of a single source of truth.
Our survey found that 81% of analytics and IT leaders in Australia say their organisations struggle to drive business priorities — and with data fragmentation as a top challenge, it’s no surprise. Only 57% feel their data strategy is fully aligned with business goals, making it clear why their second-highest priority — after strengthening security and compliance — is improving alignment with business units.
Understanding your business objectives is crucial when planning your data strategy. Start by clearly defining your goals, then map out the specific data needed to achieve them. With high volumes of data, it’s even more important to be selective — focus on the data that will have the greatest impact, and ensure you have the right tools in place to leverage it effectively. This targeted approach helps to drive much-needed insights across the organisation and reduce data silos that impede collaboration and decision-making.
The results? Better financial performance, higher productivity, and a stronger competitive edge. Research from McKinsey Global Institute shows that data-driven companies are 23 times more likely to acquire customers, 6 times more likely to retain them, and 19 times more likely to be profitable.
Takeaway #3: Higher data maturity opens doors to growth
When an organisation is data mature, we mean it’s well advanced on its data transformation journey — using data to drive decisions, fuel innovation, and plan for the future. But according to our research, only 30% of Australian businesses describe their data maturity as best-in-class.
Why does this matter? Because data maturity brings clear rewards. McKinsey’s research shows that data-driven companies achieve goals faster and see at least 20% higher contributions to earnings before income taxes.
Australian IT and analytics leaders report that a well-developed data culture — where everyone has the insights needed to be data-driven — leads to outcomes like more confident and faster decision-making, greater productivity, increased innovation, and improved customer service.
And as AI becomes more integral to business strategies, data maturity is also a key indicator of AI success. Globally, organisations with higher data maturity are twice as likely to have the quality data needed to use AI effectively and recognise the growth benefits that come with a well-executed AI strategy.
Unified data is the foundation that enables AI — first predictive, then generative, and now agentic — to work intelligently and autonomously. Grounded in your organisational data and metadata, Agentforce, the agentic layer of the Salesforce platform, can deploy autonomous agents to work with your team across business functions.
Powered by Tableau’s rich insights and analytics around important shared metrics like KPIs, AI agents can provide accurate, business context-rich answers and deliver measurable results — from improving retention to scaling operations and driving revenue growth efficiently. For example, Agentforce can help you make better, data-driven decisions by generating Tableau visualisations.
Humans with AI agents can transform business growth, and it all starts with data maturity.
AI and Data Transformation in ANZ
Businesses that thrive are the ones that adapt, and today, data transformation is one of the most important adaptations a company can make. With AI poised to be as pervasive as the internet, companies must be ready to unlock its potential — but great AI starts with great data.
Yet, 86% of Australian business leaders are worried about missing out on the opportunities that generative AI presents. With AI set to revolutionise industries, ANZ businesses that focus on improving data maturity, strengthening governance, and aligning data strategies with business goals will be the ones best positioned to succeed in the AI era.
Your Data, Your Advantage
Discover how business leaders are aligning data strategies with business goals and unlocking AI-driven growth.
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