Data cloud definition
A data cloud is an integrated cloud-based platform that enables organizations to manage data from various sources. Data clouds serve as central hubs for storing, sharing, and processing information across an organization.
See also: public cloud infrastructure, cloud attack, cloud sandboxing, platform security
How data clouds work
A data cloud provides a single platform where organizations can bring together data from different sources, such as databases and streaming platforms. Using the tools of the data cloud, this information can be easily moved across systems, analyzed, or transformed.
By providing a centralized data platform, data clouds help organizations break down data silos that may exist within different teams. To promote cross-functional insights, data clouds give different departments self-service access to data — they don’t need to petition IT to see what the other arms of the organization are doing.
Finally, because data clouds are based on cloud computing infrastructure, they are inherently scalable — organizations can adjust their data storage and processing resources based on demand.
Data cloud use cases
- Centralizing data sources helps business analysts and decision-makers to access key data for insights.
- By integrating customer data from various sources, a data cloud provides a holistic view of customer behavior — useful for building customer profiles and aiming marketing campaigns.
- In financial services, a data cloud can analyze transaction data, user behaviors, and historical patterns to detect fraudulent activities.
- Data clouds can aggregate data from suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to provide a real-time overview of supply chains.
