When silos disappear: Building data teams for the connected enterprise

Data has become the foundation of enterprise intelligence, but its value depends on how well it is connected.

As organizations consolidate platforms and adopt lakehouse architectures, the way data teams are built is changing. Traditional structures that separated engineering, analytics, and governance functions no longer match the reality of modern systems. The rise of unified data environments means professionals must now collaborate across boundaries, combining platform depth with analytics fluency and compliance insight.

For business leaders, this evolution is not just technical. It is organizational. Building the right team structure determines whether data becomes a strategic asset or remains a fragmented resource that limits insight and innovation.

From fragmentation to connection

For years, enterprises managed data across separate ecosystems. Warehouses stored structured information, while data lakes handled unstructured or semi-structured inputs. Teams often worked in isolation, each using different tools, access protocols, and performance metrics.

Lakehouse technology has changed that. By combining the structured reliability of a warehouse with the flexibility of a lake, it allows enterprises to store, process, and analyze all types of data in one place. This unified foundation enables real-time analytics, supports AI workloads, and reduces data duplication.

But technical integration alone does not solve the human challenge. Teams that once worked independently now need shared frameworks and governance principles to keep systems efficient, compliant, and secure. That requires new skills and new ways of thinking.

The technology may be powerful, but success still depends on people. Tenth Revolution Group connects enterprises with data and analytics professionals who can design and manage lakehouse environments that deliver speed, quality, and strategic value.

The rise of the connected data professional

The shift to unified data systems is driving demand for professionals who can work across disciplines. Rather than hiring narrowly focused engineers or analysts, enterprises now seek hybrid expertise that blends architecture, analytics, and governance.

Some of the most in-demand roles include:

• Analytics engineers, who combine data modeling with business acumen to make insights usable and reliable
  
  
• Data platform specialists, who optimise storage, pipelines, and performance within modern architectures like Databricks or Snowflake
  
  
• Governance leads, who enforce data lineage, quality, and regulatory compliance
  
  
• AI data operations engineers, who maintain real-time data pipelines that feed machine learning systems
  
  

These professionals form the connective tissue between departments. They ensure that finance, marketing, operations, and leadership all work from the same accurate and accessible information.

As this ecosystem matures, enterprises are also expanding their hiring strategies. Tenth Revolution Group helps leaders source Cloud, Data, and AI talent who can operate effectively within collaborative, platform-driven environments.

Contracting for transformation

While permanent hiring remains essential for long-term stability, contracting has become a powerful option for businesses that need to move quickly. Many organizations are modernising their data ecosystems but lack the in-house expertise to design or deploy lakehouse architectures efficiently.

Contract professionals can accelerate those projects by providing specialised technical skills for short-term initiatives such as migrations, platform integrations, or data quality audits. Their experience enables businesses to move from planning to implementation without the delay of traditional recruitment cycles.

This model also supports agility. When project requirements or technologies shift, contracting allows enterprises to scale resources up or down based on current needs. It helps leaders maintain momentum, especially when dealing with complex multi-cloud or real-time data environments that evolve rapidly.

Contracting is not just a stopgap solution. It is a strategic way to combine flexibility with focus, ensuring transformation efforts stay on schedule while internal teams build long-term capability.

Why connected data teams matter

The impact of unified data environments goes beyond technology. When silos disappear, collaboration becomes measurable. Shared visibility drives faster decision-making, governance improves data trust, and analytics becomes embedded in everyday operations.

For executives, the benefits are tangible. Real-time insights enhance forecasting, customer understanding, and operational efficiency. Compliance improves as governance standards are enforced consistently across departments. Most importantly, the organization gains the agility to adapt to new opportunities and risks as data flows more freely between systems and teams.

The future of enterprise data

The most advanced data strategies are no longer defined by how much information an enterprise holds but by how effectively teams can use it together. Connected data teams are enabling a new level of intelligence that feels less like reporting and more like anticipation. They make it possible to see around corners, to identify trends and inefficiencies before they surface, and to act with confidence in moments of uncertainty.

When technology, governance, and collaboration converge, data stops being an asset to manage and becomes an environment to build within. That is where connected enterprises create real differentiation through decisions that are faster, smarter, and grounded in a single version of truth.

Build the team behind your data strategy 

Data maturity starts with people who can connect systems, governance, and insight. Tenth Revolution Group helps enterprises hire Cloud, Data, and AI professionals who design scalable, compliant, and high-performing data ecosystems.