The recent digital event "Data Virtualization, Reimagined" covered the evolution of data virtualization, its challenges, and its future direction. Data virtualization is an approach to data management that allows applications to retrieve and manipulate data without creating copies or moving it, simplifying access to data and providing various extraction and transformation techniques behind the scenes. The event discussed how traditional ETL/ELT processes are being replaced by a combination of both approaches, with organizations needing access to live data when needed and replicated data for different use cases. Amit Sharma, co-founder and CEO of CData, emphasized the need for self-service access to data from a broader array of sources without technical rigmarole, while Will Davis, Chief Marketing Officer, highlighted the importance of combining data virtualization with ETL/ELT pipelines. The future of data virtualization involves innovations in technology and culture, including expanding access to data for more people and adopting a cultural shift toward data democratization.