Data is now more valuable than oil.

Data has become one of the most discussed topics in business. It drives more reliable, unified views of customers as they move through a brand’s ecosystem. It helps tell whether the visitor is a human or a bot. It is also now used to train AI systems. It is a valuable commodity, and many people say it is now more valuable than oil.

I read that line recently, and it has stuck with me. We all know what oil has become, yet many product teams still gather data without asking why they hold it, how long they keep it, or what it is for from the customer’s side.

At Product Economics’ recent Secure by Design webinar, I argued that trust in data is an output of how a team works, not just a policy document. Three questions I’d put to any data field:

Why do we hold it?
When does it expire?
What does the customer think it’s for?

The clip below is a short sneak peek of the full session. The complete recording can be viewed at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnE6apwToNs

In an age when data serves many purposes, including training AI systems, I believe product teams asking the key questions about customer data has never been more critical. Privacy and trust run through the whole series, and these were the themes I most wanted to explore.

Thank you, Rebecca Fairlamb, for hosting and asking the questions that matter most in this area.

A short sneak peek from Ian Finn’s session at Product Economics’ ‘Secure by Design’ webinar. Ian explores why trust in data is an output of how product teams work, and the three questions every data field should answer: why we hold it, when it expires, and what the customer thinks it’s for.

Most companies think trust is a feeling. At scale, it's an architecture decision."

- Ian Finn on Trust & Identity -

After years building enabling platforms serving tens of millions of accounts, here are 5 aspects of trust that actually hold up under real scale

Product at Scale · Trust at Scale

Most companies think trust is a feeling.
At scale, it's an architecture decision.

5 aspects of trust that actually hold up at scale

01

Trust is a two-way street. Users are prepared to share data with you, under the right conditions. Transparency, ethics and value exchange make that possible.

02

Silent systems, remaining silent. The best foundational and enabling products are silent by design - not a source of user or business friction.

03

Zero trust. In Identity systems: never trust, always verify. It's the foundation that brings trust by design, not second guesses.

04

Identity is the foundation. Knowing your customer, personalising one-on-one, verifying who they say they are - all outcomes that hinge on strong Identity Management at scale.

05

Trust your people. Empower them to innovate, optimise, ideate. Trust compounds to your users, when you first trust your own people to do right by them.

“

Trust is about silent systems remaining silent.

Product Truths · Ian Finn