At Domo, our mission is to bring together people, data, and systems to create digitally connected organizations. We love what data has done for business across the world, and from our vantage point, we can see the exciting things to come that most businesses haven’t realized quite yet. With that in mind, I’d like to present the sixth annual installment of Data Never Sleeps, our view on a slice of data being created in a single minute, each and every day.

This year, for the first time, we’ve expanded the scope of the data in our report. In addition to our high-level report of data from across the world, we’ve built out industry reports for verticals where data is fueling innovation:

• Technology (including email, chat, text, IoT, and device data)
• Media (including music, video, online content, and search data)
• Retail (including online transactions, email offers, and order shipping data)
• Financial Services (including electronic deposits, stock trades, Bitcoin, and Venmo data)
• Travel (including weather requests, ride-sharing, room bookings, and airline data)
• Social Media (including updated data from all the top social channels)

You can get those reports as a single downloadable bundle here.

We believe that data in the hands of everyone can be a powerful thing, and we’re excited to be a driver in helping it become more accessible to organizations of all shapes and sizes. As the data universe continues to grow, be sure that Domo will be there to help your organization make sense of it all.

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Whenever I get together with my friend Cathrin, we always have lively conversations about how to change and move things forward in the workplace. Cathrin is a huge force for women and has worked many years to help individual women advance their careers.

Several months ago, I was having dinner with her and her husband. She had just seen some sobering stats from the World Economic Forum about how long it would take to reach gender parity at the highest levels of business at the current pace of change (117 years to be exact), and she was particularly fired up about wanting to do something to bring about change faster and on a bigger scale. As we always do, we started batting around ideas, and while we were debating the pros and cons of solutions such as legislation and quotas, the NFL’s Rooney Rule flashed into my mind.

The Rooney Rule, which the NFL instituted to increase representation of African Americans as head coaches, required every team to interview at least one qualified African American for every senior management position that opened up. In three short years, by committing to a more diverse slate of qualified candidates, the representation of African American head coaches went from 6 percent to 22 percent.

The Rooney Rule was a proven technique that had also been tested at businesses like Facebook and, most recently recommended for Uber. Cathrin loved the simplicity and she loved that it was a practical solution that companies could act on now. After I told Cathrin I talked to Sheryl Sandberg, who gave it two thumbs up and said there was no downside. I also talked to Roger Goodell, commissioner of the NFL, and he had the same reaction and said he would share best practices and would be happy to help anytime, anywhere. Cathrin and I continued to discuss the idea, and in what seemed like a nanosecond after that, Cathrin started Parity.org and the ParityPledge was born.

There are three things I believe the ParityPledge does particularly well:

1.    It forces us to expand our network beyond the people we know.

I notice that when a senior position in my company opens up, I naturally think of the people I know well as candidates. The reality is that most of these people tend to be men because they are the ones I’ve worked closest with in the past. I also tend to socialize with more men outside of work hours, so I get to know them better. The ParityPledge, forces me and others in my organization to consciously grow and diversify our pipeline of qualified candidates.

2.    It encourages quality not quotas.

I’m gender blind when it comes to hiring, and for that matter blind to all thing gender, sexual orientation, religion and skin color. I want the best person for the job. Period. The ParityPledge makes it easy to stick to those hiring requirements, while giving qualified women the opportunity to advance to the highest levels of leadership by making sure there is representation in the interview process. To me this is a better approach than quotas. When I talk with women about this particular topic, I haven’t met one who wants a title that they didn’t deserve. The women in management positions at my company are the best at what they do. I’m thankful they have joined our company. Their talents and their diversity of viewpoints and experiences, make us a better company and better equipped to serve our customers.

3.    It requires that men be a part of the conversation.

Gender parity is not a women’s issue. If meaningful change is going to happen, women and men need to be having a conversation. Men, particularly those in leadership positions, need to understand the many factors that are holding back women who want to advance their careers, and help drive solutions that remove the friction in the workplace.

The Women Tech Council, which is leading an effort with Silicon Slopes to help create cultures in tech companies that are more inclusive, recently shared that only five percent of executive positions in Utah are held by women. In our state, there are many factors that contribute to those paltry stats but we can, and need, to do much better.

At Domo, women currently make up 23 percent of our management team. While it’s better than the state average, we have room for improvement. It’s my hope that the ParityPledge is one step forward, and that it has as positive of an impact for Domo, as the Rooney Rule had for the NFL.

Lastly, at Domo while we are doing this, we are also going to do our best to find minority candidates who are somewhat hard to come by in Utah, but we will create a pipeline there too. And as we tackle this, we look forward to being able to tackle other issues as well to make sure we are building the most effective management team and workforce as possible and to attract and land the best candidates, wherever they may be.

CEOs at some of Silicon Slopes largest private tech companies Qualtrics, Pluralsight, Insidesales have taken the pledge with us today. Tech giant, Cisco, and fashion titan, Polo Ralph Lauren, are leading the charge in their industries. I invite you to do so too – regardless of your company size or industry. Let’s see we can do together today to become positive role models for change, one pledge at a time. Join us in taking the pledge! http://www.parity.org.

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Those numbers may seem impressive, but they pale in comparison to the connectedness of today’s world.

Fast forward five years: The global internet population has grown by more than 60%, and there are more mobile devices on the planet than people. These mobile connections alone generate more than 18 million megabytes of data every minute — and that’s just in the U.S.

At Domopalooza 2016, General Stanley McChrystal said, “Data is exploding faster than our ability to put our arms around it, so you’re going to have to adapt. The right answer on Monday is never going to be the right answer on Tuesday.”

As our fourth annual installment of Data Never Sleeps illustrates, data is ubiquitous. It’s constantly pouring out of our smartphones, smartwatches, smart TVs, and countless other devices that are all connected—and it continues to proliferate at an astounding rate. Our latest research revealed an exponential rise in multimedia messaging, and a continued increase in consumption of video content.

Our stories continue to be written across an ever-increasing list of digital channels and platforms. Here’s the latest look at the landscape:

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There’s something about watching a live NBA game that can’t be replicated by just catching the SportsCenter highlights. Seeing the action as it unfolds makes you more invested in the players and care more about the outcome of the game.

If business is your sport like it is mine, you can apply that same concept to how you work with your board.

Several years ago, I had an idea. I thought that if our entire company had direct access to real-time data about our business, our board should have the same. After all, we were embracing transparency to improve the way we ran our company, so it only made sense, no matter how uncomfortable, to deliver that same transparency to our board. Technology made it completely possible, but the idea was something entirely new. And, to be honest, it was a bit unnerving.

Giving the board direct access to real-time data around our entire business—where would that lead? Nobody was doing that. Were we ready? Could we be comfortable with that level of transparency?

It took us a while to move from idea to action, but we finally made the leap about a year ago. We knew the board was in our court—and by having the board’s eyes on our business at all times, we’d have even more motivation to quickly fix those things that weren’t yet where they needed to be.

The quarter after giving the board access, we started to see some positive impacts. Board members didn’t need a deck the week before the board meeting to review numbers. They had been following the data all quarter long and instead of waiting to give input when the quarter closed, the board had the ability to advise how to pivot, shoot or pass when it mattered most. It was easy for them to make a meaningful impact.

Since we no longer needed a significant portion of the board meeting for reviewing numbers, we could now focus our valuable group time collaborating and strategizing on action plans for growth and what to do based on the information they had seen.

One board member told us the transparency made him feel more emotionally connected to our business, while another was thrilled he could spontaneously answer questions from his team about our business because the data was always updated and available on his phone.

For another board member, access to real-time data has made the end of the quarter feel more like an NBA playoff game. A few days before our last board meeting, I gave him a call. When he picked up the phone, I asked him what he was doing and he told me had just popped some popcorn and opened Domo to watch the month close in real time. True story.

In 20 years, I believe all boards will have real-time data visibility in their companies. In 10 years time, every board will start to demand it.

So, I put this challenge out my fellow CEOs and other C-level executives:

To get the most value from your board of directors, you have to bring them into your “circle of trust” and give them courtside seats to what’s happening in your business. Experience what it’s like to run your business where your stakeholders have complete visibility into your business wins and challenges. It will make you better and transform the way you do business. I guarantee it.

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Twice now, Domo has created infographics showing just how fast data proliferates. The amount of data that can be produced in a single minute is mind-numbing and shows no sign of slowing down.

Our third infographic installment reveals astonishing leaps in digital consumption. Since 2013, the global internet population grew nearly 20% – from 2.4 billion to 3.2 billion people. Connectedness paves the way for innovation, and we see that happening every year with new technologies and services.

Vine, for example, didn’t even exist when we released our first infographic. Today, over 1 million Vines are watched every minute, and top Viners earn tens of thousands of dollars per month in sponsorships – for making six-second videos. Welcome to 2015.

At Domopalooza, Jer Thorp said: “Not only are we doing more with data, data is doing more with us.” He’s right. For consumers and business users alike, improving our lives requires a deep understanding of what those interactions with data mean.

Our stories are being written across the digital landscape, and it’s incredible to watch. Have a look.

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 Today, I am ecstatic to announce that Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO, will be joining me on stage at Domopalooza. For a conference dedicated to transforming business management, there isn’t a more relevant or timely speaker. Today, Sheryl oversees business operations at Facebook, which currently serves more than 1.39 billion active users worldwide. In ten short years, Facebook has gone from zero to a Fortune 500 company and is still growing at 50% with a market cap over $200 billion. At Domopalooza, she’ll be sharing insights and lessons on how she uses data to make decisions, find innovations and opportunities, and ultimately manage Facebook’s incredible growth. In addition, we’ll get into Lean In and what that means for leadership in the workplace. Sheryl is always engaging and incredibly inspiring.

 As unprecedented as Facebook’s growth has been in the past decade, Sheryl’s experience is as equally humbling. Prior to overseeing Facebook’s business operations, she was vice president of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google, chief of staff for the United States Treasury Department under President Clinton, a management consultant with McKinsey & Company, and an economist with the World Bank. As many of you know, Sheryl is also author of two bestsellers Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead and Lean In for Graduates. She founded LeanIn.Org, a global community committed to empowering all women to achieve their ambitions.

As part of our commitment to bring you the best minds in business, data and IT, we’ve also announced three additional speakers: Rita Sallam, Gartner VP of Research, will be delivering super-smart insights around the latest trends in BI and analytics. We’ll learn from Billy Beane, the man behind the movie and best-selling book, MoneyBall, who famously used data to uncover opportunities that took an underdog team to five MLB playoffs. And Jer Thorp will challenge our thinking with his talk on making data more human. Jer is an artist, educator and thinker, whose data visualizations have been featured in the Museum of Modern Art.

We, of course, will be bringing you much more – including incredible customer presentations, networking with visionaries and early adopters, hands-on trainings and workshops, and some ridiculously cool entertainment. Domopalooza is an event you can’t miss.

So stay tuned. Sign up. Domopalooza is coming. Learn more here.

-Josh

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On April 7-9, Heather (our CMO) is giving birth to our first-ever Domo user conference and we’re calling it Domopalooza. We deliberately chose a name that communicates that this isn’t the same snoring conference you’ve been invited to year after year.

At Omniture (the company I co-founded before Domo), we created THE analytics event for marketers and had incredibly loyal customers who attended our user conferences year after year. We intend to create that same informational and addictive experience for customers with Domopalooza.

You can be assured that Domopalooza will be more than just another industry conference. There will be incredible content and learning opportunities. Attendees will be inspired by stellar keynotes, learn best practices from industry trailblazers, participate in hands-on trainings, and witness first-hand the unveiling of never-seen-before functionality in the product.

Let’s be honest, a great conference isn’t just about amazing content and educational opportunities. Some of the most valuable moments come from the people you meet and the connections you make. So while there will be plenty “get smart” time on the agenda, we’re making sure that after the work, there’s plenty of time to make the memories.

During the week of Domopalooza, we’ll also be coming out of stealth and share with the rest of the world how our business management platform is truly transforming the way business is managed. We’ll also be unveiling for customers new features and functionality that we’ve been holding back. Believe me, this will be an epic event. You won’t want to miss it.

We’ll hope you follow us on social media as we start sharing our incredible lineup of speakers and more details about the event. To register and stay up to date on the program, check out http://bit.ly/1ICTSD8 and follow #DP15 on Twitter.

-Josh

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This is the third consecutive year that Domo and CEO.com have conducted a study of the social media habits of Fortune 500 CEOs. The results are in — and I can report that there’s good news and bad news.

First the bad news. This year’s “Social CEO Report” found that the vast majority of the world’s top business leaders are still not using social media. All told, 68 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs have no active presence on any of the major social networks, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Plus and Instagram. These results sadly echo what we saw last year.

Now the good news. Of those with a social media presence more are adding Twitter to their line up of social media channels. In addition, some are experimenting with newer popular networks such as Instagram.

The report also signals that a new breed of social-savvy Fortune 500 CEOs may be emerging. This group is represented by the likes of Microsoft’s Satya Nadella and ManpowerGroup’s Jonas Prising, both of whom were named CEO by their respective companies in 2014. Among all active Fortune 500 CEOs, Prising has been on Twitter the longest, at 2,145 days, followed closely by Nadella, at 1,961 days.

What makes these business leaders so special? They instinctively understand the value of social media and, beyond their own personal brand, understand what it can do for their organization in terms of awareness, customer loyalty and new business opportunities.

I’ve personally found that there’s no quicker way to drive alignment in my organization around the issues and topics that matter most to me than through social media. Whether I am sharing company growth or customer news, thoughts about key issues such as minimum wage reform, or updates on adventures with my family and friends, social media is a transparent communications channel that lets others know what makes me tick. And, at a time when our employees are based in multiple locations and numerous time zones, social democratizes the information that was traditionally accessible to only those with whom I closely worked.

Where’s the Value?

For CEOs who doubt the value of social media, there is plenty of evidence that employees want a Social CEO. One of our recent research reports, for example, reinforces the fact that employees want to hear from you more frequently. Social is an easy way to do that. In addition, according to research such as Weber Shandwick’s The Social Imperative for CEOs, most executives support having a social CEO because it is good for business on so many levels.

Take, for example, those CEOs who have added new channels such as Twitter or Instagram to their social media repertoire. (LiveNation’s Michael Rapino is a great example of a CEO who embraces new platforms.) They are sending a clear message to stakeholders that they aren’t afraid to push beyond the status quo and innovate.

Just Do It

This year’s Social CEO report revealed that a number of Fortune 500 CEOs signed up for new social media accounts, but many haven’t been active. My message to this group is to start using them today. You can’t understand how platforms work or imagine how you can use them to further your business, until you get the experience.

To CEOs who have been stuck on the social media sidelines, my message continues to be that you are doing your stakeholders a massive disservice.

To Each His Own

When you start testing the social media waters, don’t worry about measuring the impact right away. Over time, you will figure out what you want to achieve and can then use social more strategically. For some CEOs, such as GEs Jeffery Immelt, Twitter is mostly used to broadcast company news. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg uses it to engage one-on-one with his followers. Both use it differently — but both ways work.

Our company’s paid Twitter account is a good example of how you can go from experimentation to aligning use with strategic goals, once you get some experience. In January of this year, we were driving one percent of sales leads through that account. Seven months later, we are now driving 15 percent of all leads through it. That dramatic impact is a result of a better understanding of Twitter – knowing what works, what doesn’t and a willingness to invest the time and resources to figure it out.

I’ve been saying for a few years now that social gives business leaders a way not just to burnish their personal and corporate brands but to listen to the community at large and respond to the issues that matter most to their companies and, crucially, to their customers. As social platforms continue to wield significant influence, I encourage CEOs to jump right in. CEOs who aren’t afraid to embrace the power of social media will have a significant competitive edge. So go ahead and get your social on. Your stakeholders will thank you.

You can see the full report here.

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