Today, every entrepreneur constantly asks the question: how do I improve my business using technology? Whether machine learning, robotics, artificial intelligence, or any other buzzing technology, almost every line of thought in digitopia leads to data. If data was an enabler before, today, data and analytics are increasingly becoming the cornerstone of business decision-making worldwide.

Not convinced yet? Netflix started with a humble beginning in Scotts Valley, a small city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States, with a business model akin to Blockbuster, the vintage US based movie & video

game rental company. But some thing that Netflix did differently was that it anticipated the revolutionary transformation in customer demand with rising digitalization and started providing online entertainment. In addition to the power of digital transformation, Netflix breathed data analytics and curated a database personalized for every user. You know the rest. Netflix wiped out Blockbuster and the movie rental industry - entirely.

From healthcare to marketing and customer experience across almost all industries, data is making a tangible difference. Investing in data has long become a matter for organizations. However, one of the vital aspects of data transformation is to believe in data and act upon the idea that data & analytics can make a massive difference in decision-making. It is often called the data analytics maturity of an organization. The organizations on the higher side of this maturity index act on the actionable information across the functional departments, organizational policies, and customer engagements. When it comes to data, trust is paramount. Borrowing the words of W. Edwards Deming, “In God we trust. All others must bring data.” This issue of CEO Insights is focusing on the country's business analytics academia. Do let us know your thoughts.