Beyond data-driven: Key takeaways from the sessions at Gartner London

Last week, our experts – along with the Ataccama llama, dressed to the furry nines – attended the 2025 Gartner Data & Analytics Summit in London. We connected with some of the brightest minds in data management, strengthened our relationships with our existing customers, and sat in on a number of speaking sessions.

Here are some insights from each session, including a few of our own:

Value-driven is where it’s at

As we heard in the session “Top 5 Analytics & AI Challenges and How to Handle Them,” being data-driven is no longer enough. In fact, it’s never been enough. Data is only powerful when it solves real business problems. That also means changing your approach to data governance, from a model of control to one of enablement.

Solutions over tech, always

It’s time for us to move away from tech-first thinking, and towards a solution-first mentality. Going from value to data, as opposed to from data to value, as a journey, is far more impactful.

Metadata, reusability, and the rise of the data product

Data products and metadata are no longer optional – they’re foundational. This was a major focus of the event. At the same “Top 5 Challenges” session, the following points were made: 

• Data products should be contextual, and reusable.
• Multimodal data fabrics should reflect real-world complexity.
• Metadata management is the key enabler here.

Of all the examples shown, the BBC’s cultural transformation stood out the most. Click here to read more.

On MDM: Start small, think strategically

We were nodding along to the Profisee session in particular, which reinforced a widely-held belief at Ataccama: “Don’t start your MDM journey trying to boil the ocean.”

This is what we tell our customers instead: Begin with analytical MDM, focus on one use case, and deliver quick wins.

On Data Governance: It’s about processes, not tools

The session “Key Steps for Assessing Your D&A Governance Platform” drove home a key point: data platforms should enable. Even the most expensive tool, the most well-reviewed and sworn-by, is still just a tool if you haven’t figured out the best way to use it.

When it comes to prioritizing the right use cases, frameworks like WHAT / WHERE / WHY are a big help. That’s also where we see Ataccama ONE, our unified data trust platform, adding the most value; it helps organizations govern and trust the data that matters most.

Trust, after all, is emotional

In the Trust keynote and other sessions on data observability, one concept kept resurfacing: Data trust is as much emotional as it is technical.

People will always choose what they know – even if it’s flawed – unless we offer a safe, supported path to something better. That’s why our “cross the bridge” analogy resonates so strongly. It’s not about leaping into the unknown. It’s about walking with confidence, supported by automation, governance, and quality at every step.

And AI is in its reinventing era

AI isn’t just enhancing workflows anymore – it’s beginning to transform them.

In one Vodafone case study, the use of AI improved fraud detection by 50%, with models supporting 95% analyst accuracy. That’s not just improvement, it’s reinventing. And it’s exactly the kind of leap we believe Ataccama’s AI can and should support.

Final thoughts

There was a lot of talk of disruption at Gartner London this year – as there should’ve been. From governance models to metadata to AI, the data landscape is evolving fast.

But it’s not about chasing disruption for its own sake. It’s about asking, How can we make people’s lives easier? How can we get them to value faster? And crucially, how can we help them trust their data enough to act on it?