by Kim Kaluba | March 22, 2022

Frequent Questions About CData Connect Cloud

We recently announced our latest Cloud connectivity service: CData Connect Cloud. To answer some of your most asked questions, we hosted a fireside chat with the product leaders behind Connect Cloud.

This session was hosted by CData technical evangelist Jerod Johnson, who was joined by Chief Product Officer Manish Patel and Senior Vice President, Cloud, Mike Albritton.

Watch the webinar on-demand

Let's recap some of the highlights from the event and allow you to hear our vision for CData Connect Cloud straight from the team.

What is CData Connect Cloud?

CData Connect Cloud is a cloud-native, no-code data connectivity solution that provides real-time access to all your data from anywhere.

Real-time data feeds from all your key data sources through CData Connect Cloud to support better and faster decision-making across BI and analytics, customer success, accounting, operations, and other business initiatives.

This next-generation SaaS offering unleashes the power of your cloud data regardless of location, structure, or system. Our simple, easy-to-use interface empowers your teams to derive insights and value from their data without relying on IT for custom-built connections to disparate cloud applications. We call this Data Connectivity as a Service.

What is Data Connectivity as a Service?

You heard it here first: Data Connectivity as a Service is a brand-new term that we at CData are carving out to meet the needs of an emerging market.

Data Connectivity as a Service provides direct, real-time access to the data you need - without having to process the data through an integration platform. It's straightforward, straight-through connectivity from client to source via a central hub.

Data Connectivity as a Service is built on the idea that there is a better way to connect your disparate data. We believe you should not have to install multiple connections, move data, rely on complex ETL transformations, or risk data security in the process. The costs and inefficiencies of these traditional solutions are a symptom of a market that has not evolved with your modern use cases. Until now.

"The world has migrated away from having a desktop that has all your applications downloaded and running locally," said Mike Albritton, CData SVP, Cloud. "The world is changing, and people need to be able to access their data from anywhere. Now, you have one login and your data is all centralized in one place that is accessible from your home, your office, the airport. Wherever you are, your data follows."

What is the vision for the product?

We've built CData Connect Cloud around a bold vision to eliminate barriers around data-driven decisions.

"We're doing something here that really disrupts the space," said Manish Patel, CData CPO. "It comes down to one thing: we want really make data accessible to anyone who wants it, when they want it, and how they want it."

Data democratization is facing multiple challenges: Data silos, limited access, and poor tooling among them. Our vision is to tear down the silos, unlock access, and power the tools allowing you to perform much deeper analytics.

"The key here isn't around the data connectivity itself - it's around the output of that data," said Manish. "With CData Connect Cloud, we're limiting the technology barriers that are traditionally associated with connecting data to help businesses across the globe drive their businesses forward and use their data in a more efficient manner."

What are some challenges CData Connect Cloud solves for customers?

As organizations move to the cloud, connectivity becomes a larger problem.

1. Too many disparate digital tools: Lines of business are adopting SaaS applications at a staggering rate, leveraging dozens to hundreds of tools to improve operations.
2. Custom IT solutions not sustainable: As the volume of their data increases, business users can't keep relying on IT to build custom connectivity across apps and data sources - it's not scalable.
3. Rigid data pipelines bottleneck progress: If cloud-based tools don't support connectivity natively and users can't install connectors, they can't adapt workflows to match the pace of market changes.

CData Connect Cloud bridges hundreds of cloud tools to popular data sources - whether your data is local or cloud-based. Ultimately, our Data Connectivity as a Service platform unites your data islands and allows for real-time data transparency.

"The question transforms from, 'How can I get access to my data?' to 'What can I do with my data?' and that really opens up a world of possibilities for businesses," said Manish. "That can be monitoring metrics, looking for the next market opportunity, looking for a new customer segment to go after - all of those things are now realized by having access to the platforms and sources that hold those answers."

Who can use CData Connect Cloud and who was it built for?

CData Connect Cloud is built for everyone because its main goal is making data accessible to anyone.

CData Connect cloud grants this technical power to non-technical business users who need an easy way to access data from all the different systems their team is using today. Now, business users can build new data connections as easily as they can use tools like PowerApps, Tableau, and Qlik.

"We want business users to be able to use tools they're familiar with and have access to the data they need within those tools to build dashboards and reports that help push their business forward," said Mike.

What are some capabilities offered in the next generation of CData Connect Cloud?

CData Connect Cloud not only aims to solve your existing business challenges, but also unlocks new opportunities. Benefits include:

• Universal data connectivity: Enable your team to connect to whatever system they need to streamline operations, derive valuable insights, and keep the business running smoothly.
• Real-time data access: Do away with data replication, movement, and storage. With real-time connectivity, you're getting live access to your data so you can move at the speed of modern business.
• Data governance: With CData Connect Cloud, businesses can define and regulate user permissions around data at a granular level. When you can limit and trace exactly what data gets accessed by whom, you ensure that your data remains secure in the cloud.

What are key differentiators?

CData Connect Cloud elevates your workflows above other market solutions in two key aspects:

Real-time data access

CData Connect Cloud differs from other solutions as it provides real-time data access in one centralized place, across a wide range of data sources. Other solutions in the market involve moving data into a data warehouse or database using a complex ETL pipeline. These solutions require additional data warehouse infrastructure, storage costs, and lengthy development processes.

Connect Cloud eliminates those headaches by allowing applications and systems to talk directly to each other in real-time. Without lag time querying data, business users get insights faster and easier than ever before.

No-code Data Access

CData Connect Cloud makes data accessible to anyone. Since business users typically lack the skill and authorization to introduce integrations themselves, IT queues are jammed with custom data integration requests. Business users inevitably fall into shadow IT workarounds and untidy data relocation to access data scattered around the organization.

We make it easy for non-technical users to connect the data they want with the familiar applications they already use. Meanwhile, managed permissions ensure these users stay safely within a sanctioned environment with access only to the data they require – keeping operations secure and functional.

How does CData Connect Cloud work?

The fireside chat concluded with a live demonstration of CData Connect Cloud and other insightful questions from the audience. To watch the full event and hear directly from our product leaders, access the recording here.

If you're curious about CData Connect Cloud and what Data Connectivity as a Service can do for you, get started today with a free trial:

Sign up for a Free Trial