Many organizations struggle to fully leverage their data, which remains an underutilized asset despite being a primary end goal of enterprise digitization and transformation. Companies have made progress in opening up data silos and automating processes with data, but significant gaps remain between potential value and actual achievement. The reasons for this include the creation of new data silos through platforms and tools, proliferation of IT systems, and difficulty accessing data rapidly enough to support digital business processes. To compete today, it's not enough to capture and store data; organizations must tap into real-time data streams directly as they move. Businesses that can use real-time data will offer compelling digital experiences and better automate operational decisions. Technology leaders should adopt new real-time data architectures in the cloud to break assets out of silos, create open and shared operational capabilities, and unlock their full potential.