Real-time data availability, automated data analytics, data-centric culture and skillsets, as well as digital transformation hold the key to helping organisations overcome difficulties in the wake of the pandemic, say leading private and state organisations.
"Every business is a digital business that needs to have the ability to use data to react and adapt in a dynamic world," said Mark Nelson, chief executive of Tableau, a US-based data visualisation analytics platform.
The pandemic is driving a sense of urgency among businesses and state agencies for transformation to make decisions based on real-time data amid volatile situations, he said.
Cloud and software-as-a-service (SaaS), prebuilt solutions, customisation and analytics help organisations understand situations and take the right action, he said.
JY Pook, senior vice-president for Asia-Pacific of Tableau, said data-driven organisations are more resilient and confident during the pandemic.
Citing a YouGov survey, he said 82% of data-driven companies in the Asia-Pacific and Japan reported critical advantages during the pandemic. They are able to make business decisions 54% faster than before, he said, adding that they have also been able to increase cross-team collaboration by 51% and their businesses are 46% more agile.
Tableau held a virtual seminar titled "Thailand Data Stories: Surviving The Pandemic & Going Beyond" yesterday.
Speaking at the event, Yongjua Laosiritaworn, IT director for the Disease Control Department, pointed out that the use of data is imperative to prevent and control the spread of diseases as they can be easily assessed and understood.
He said data transformation has two challenges: how to gather as much information as possible and how to support staff to capitalise on data.
"All the data must be made available in as much real-time as possible," said Mr Yongjua. "If it is made available late by even one day, the number of infections could increase."
He said his department has a data-centric culture where all employees are encouraged to perform automated data analysis.
Fred Roteseree, managing director for Kasikorn Business Technology Group, said challenges in remote work driven by the pandemic include how to grant data access and relevant tools for employees to work effectively.
Banks now have to partner with other parties for new business ventures. For example, they can work with online travel booking agency Agoda to learn customer travel preferences to usher in offerings in line with demand. They can also work with e-marketplaces to provide loans for online merchants, he said.
Kajohnsak Thiawsawang, a senior business intelligence manager at Agoda, said the pandemic has reduced the volume of bookings and the impact has been huge.
"We normally use data to support hotel operators such as launching promotional campaigns to increase their sales volume," he said.