Our latest podcast episode explores Data for Good—the application of data management and analytics for the betterment of society. 

To help us understand the capacity of data and analytics to “do good,” we speak with Kevin Petrie, Vice President of Research at Eckerson Group. He runs the research division, and researches, writes, and speaks on various topics, notably data integration, cloud data platforms, observability, and MLOps. Before arriving at Eckerson Group, Kevin ran field training at Attunity and led a data services team for EMC Pivotal. He's also the co-author of two books on data streaming. 

Last winter, Kevin wrote a one-of-a-kind report titled "Data for Good: Corporate Initiatives to Improve Social and Economic Well-Being". The report has been well received and has stimulated a lot of conversations among practitioners and vendors in our space.

Key takeaways:

• Data for Good is the group of corporate, non-profit and individual activities that seek to advance social and economic well being using data analytics expertise. 

• The events of 2020 catalysed many Data for Good endeavours. Organizations, individuals, and non-profits got creative to advance the common good, and solve thorny problems related to public health, racial inequality, and environmental issues. 

• Statistics Without Borders and DataKind are two great examples of not-for-profits that bring together volunteers to apply data analytics to various causes. 

• Splunk has a Splunk For Good program that includes a number of different initiatives. These include offering free or discounted software to not-for-profit organizations, and enabling their employees to put in volunteer time as part of their work day. 

• Statistics show that younger consumers view social causes such as environmentalism as a primary reason to buy a product or choose an employer. This has created a shift in the priorities of C-level executives and has led to a rise in ESG initiatives at responsible organizations. 

• Motivated individuals should propose Data for Good ideas to their employers. Managers at many companies increasingly understand why Data for Good is good for business.