I recommend this very insightful article on Data Strategy written by Andrew Horne: Time to replace ‘corral and control’ with a digital data strategy

Below are some selected quotes from the article with some comments from me (italics)

With a “data-first” approach companies takes to long focusing solely on the data, withholding valuable data from the business:

“First, while enterprise-wide data initiatives are comprehensive, they become increasingly ineffective as data volumes explode. They either take years to complete or collapse due to the effort required. Second, more than a few companies restrict access to data that is valuable yet not pristine. This inhibits the test- and-learn experimentation that is often the best way to discover new uses for data.”

Technology and data only serves the purpose of enabling better business. 

“A good data strategy starts with clear identification of potential business outcomes and works back from there — not just to the technologies and data, but to the people and processes needed to achieve those outcomes.”

…and IT is not the ones who best understands the business: 

“…progressive organizations recognize that the best ideas for using data come from the frontlines.”

There is usually never the case that one size fits all. Again; go for what the business needs to do better business:

“Some types of data and certain groups of users create much more value than others and should be treated differently. As such, data strategies should support a range of tools and let more mature analytics teams choose those that suit their needs.”

The role of CDO (Chief Data Officer) is on the rise:

“Our 2016 survey of 146 companies globally found that 39% expect to have a CDO by the end of 2017.”

“Some CDOs are responsible for all aspects of data (e.g., quality, governance, technology), but others — in the spirit of focusing on business outcomes rather than trying to manage all of the data all of the time — act as evangelists to help business leaders see the possibilities.”