Data Strategy

Transformation and data go hand in hand.

Data can drive digital insights, power new business models, refine and enhance products and services and generate true competitive advantage. It is the fuel for powerful transformative technologies, and the enabler of automation, as well as efficiency, personalisation and convenience. The potential of data to drive these shifts means that there is increasing recognition of the inherent value which it carries – and the resulting business opportunities. The richness of data as a raw material for driving strategic insight and powering progress has been highlighted by the coronavirus pandemic, as data boosts global efforts to master the virus itself, and underpins the acceleration of online ways of doing business.

As digitalisation grows in every sector, the need for businesses to implement effective, legally compliant data strategies has never been more important. Data strategies are essential business tools, whatever the sector – from gaming to healthcare, transport to telecoms – and whatever the data – personal data, metadata, machine learning datasets, or the digital "exhaust" constantly generated by our increasingly connected devices and networks. A data strategy will identify what data the business has, the regulatory and legal constraints on its use and exploitation, and the business' own governance and sovereignty policies around the data.

The collection, manipulation, commercialisation and retention of data need to be supported by the right legal framework, including a deep understanding of privacy laws, intellectual property rights, cybersecurity, sophisticated contractual protections, and wider sectoral and digital regulation. The ability of a legal team to understand interconnections between law, innovative technology and digital content and delivery methods is crucial – and an area where we draw on extensive experience and insight across all our clients' sectors.

Our breadth of understanding serves also as the foundation for our engagement in government and industry initiatives, dealing with the legal ramifications of data policy and regulation. We work with our clients to help shape future policies around data sharing structures and open data initiatives.

We appreciate that many data projects cross borders, and are adept at offering a cost-effective international approach, while navigating national complexities. Our cross-border data team acts on a broad range of data and related technology projects, and is often sought out for its expertise in handling the legal side of international data implementation and compliance projects.