2026 State of the Data Management Industry
Australia’s latest benchmark of data management maturity, revealing where organisations are succeeding, where they are falling behind, and what leaders should prioritise over the next 12 months.
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Whether you're a CIO, CDO, Head of Data, Executive, or Business Leader, this report provides valuable benchmarking to compare your organisation against the wider market.
Based on responses from Australian organisations across multiple industries, this report provides an independent snapshot of the current state of data strategy, governance, quality, AI readiness, analytics and organisational capability.
On-demand Webinar
Go deeper into the findings
What do the results mean for Australian organisations, and where should leaders focus next?
In this short on-demand webinar, Robinson Ryan Managing Director Lloyd Robinson explores some of the key findings from the 2026 State of the Data Management Industry Report, including AI readiness, data quality, governance, and the challenge of turning data investment into genuine business value.
Watch the discussion for Lloyd’s perspective on what the research tells us about the state of data management today, and what organisations can do to move forward.
Why Data Leaders Are Reading This Report
Data Strategy
Understand how organisations are aligning data initiatives with business goals and where strategic maturity remains limited.
Data Quality
Discover why data quality continues to undermine trust, decision making, and organisational performance across industries.
AI Readiness
See how organisations are adopting AI, where experimentation is succeeding, and where capability gaps remain.
Governance
Benchmark governance maturity and learn how organisations are managing accountability, ownership, and data standards.
Analytics
Explore why many organisations still struggle to convert insights into operational actions and measurable outcomes.
Leadership
Understand the cultural, organisational, and leadership factors that separate mature data organisations from the rest.
Sneak Peak
3%
Only 3% of organisations report deep, enterprise-wide collaboration on data.
89%
are still failing to realise the strategic value of their data warehouse.
54%
report inconsistent or reactive management of data defects.
46%
lack mature and consistently followed data security procedures.
44%
Only 44% report alignment between AI strategy and business outcomes.
67%
have little or no data lineage capability.
Who Should Read This Report?
CIOs, Chief Data Officers, Heads of Data, IT Executives, Analytics Leaders,
Digital Transformation Leaders, Data Governance Managers, and Business Executives
What You'll Learn
After reading the report you’ll understand:
- How your organisation compares with industry peers
- Where Australian organisations are investing
- The biggest capability gaps across data management
- Emerging AI trends
- Governance and quality priorities
- Practical opportunities to improve data maturity
- Executive insights to support strategic planning
About the Research
The State of the Data Management Industry Report is produced by Robinson Ryan as an independent research initiative to better understand the challenges, priorities and maturity of Australian organisations.
The report is designed to help executives benchmark their current capability while identifying opportunities for improvement.
