Customer Needs Have Changed with Changing Technology — Walgreens Boots Alliance Sr Director of Data Governance and Architecture

(US and Canada) Mike Jennings, Senior Director of Data Governance and Architecture at Walgreens Boots Alliance, speaks with David Zhao, Managing Director at Coda Strategy, in a video interview about balancing between legacy architecture and newer technology, overcoming the data challenges of on-prem vs. cloud, the strategy to bring in consulting firms’ expertise, and how it can help.

When it comes to balancing the need to maintain legacy data architecture with the need to invest in newer technology, Jennings focuses on business strategies. He maintains that it is critical to know the key business initiatives that are being taken to evaluate the data architectures in place.

Additionally, Jennings looks at the operational challenges that may come with the legacy systems. He notes that when the systems contribute to performance, business, or technical issues on a regular basis, that aspect is evaluated.

Again, Jennings stresses the need to understand how business responds to the applications and data used. For instance, a purchased application may not have all the capabilities and functions that a business strives for based on its strategies.

Walgreens evaluates new technologies and architectures first to see what is needed down the line. By doing this, the company can adapt and bring in new technologies at the right time.

Further, Jennings states that with changing technology, business and customer needs have also changed. To address those, Walgreens has made changes and adaptations for privacy laws and to facilitate customers and patients by bringing in new technologies or capabilities.

When asked about overcoming data challenges regarding on-premises versus cloud, Jennings states that it depends on business needs and customer or patient needs. On top of that, it depends on the type of organizational services provided and the requirements for those.

From the scalability perspective, the organization considers which kind of availability makes sense for scalability, especially if it has variable scalability. He notes that some things may be better suited on the cloud than they are on-prem.

On the other hand, there could be services or functions that are provided through a SAAS provider, says Jennings. In that case, one has to assess the data use cases and what can be put over there because, technically, it exits the organizational walls.

Therefore, the organization looks at these from a use case and data sensitivity perspective to strike a balance between risk and providing services to customer patients that meet their needs.

Moving forward, Jennings opines that there must be a balance between what goes on-prem and on-cloud. He believes that if an on-prem application is serving business needs and is operational, it need not be moved.

Moreover, there must be an upselling factor while moving things from on-premises to the cloud, says Jennings. He asserts that every action should either provide new business capability, save costs, provide a better customer-patient experience, or be done for regulatory purposes.

Speaking of utilizing consulting firms to develop data strategies, Jennings recommends doing the homework about the consulting company first. He suggests doing reference checks and online evaluations to understand if their actions align with the organizational goals.

After doing the due diligence, it depends on the organizational use case and the expertise required for that. Organizations must assess if the expertise is available internally or if it is a new service. Furthermore, organizations must evaluate if they need to augment their capabilities by involving consulting firms.

In conclusion, Jennings states that in most cases, an outside company can provide perspectives and wider insights on certain aspects where the organization may not have experience. That way, organizations can decide the direction going forward based on the strategies the firms produce.

CDO Magazine appreciates Mike Jennings for sharing his insights with our global data community.