DATA ESTATE AUDIT
Stop Guessing, Start Knowing
Data as an Asset
Executive-level guidance on your data landscape so that you can invest with confidence in the platforms, tools, and strategies that drive real growth.
Schedule a Call✓ No obligation ✓ 30-minute strategic conversation ✓ Honest assessment of fit
Buck Woody, CDO
39 years in data & technology
Former Microsoft Azure Data Services
700 articles * 9 books * Keynote Speaker
This Data Estate Audit is a four-week engagement designed for executive teams who need clarity and alignment before major data investments.
The Data Leadership Gap Is Costing You
Organizations struggle to unlock data’s value without proper leadership
❌ Drowning in Data
You’re collecting massive amounts of data but struggling to turn it into actionable insights that drive decisions.
❌ Can’t Afford a Full-Time CDO
Executive data leadership costs $200K–$400K+ annually, putting it out of reach for many organizations.
❌ Compliance & Security Risks
Without proper governance, you’re exposed to regulatory violations, security breaches, and data quality issues — whether you’re navigating HIPAA, SOC2, NCUA exams, or board-level scrutiny.
39
Years in Data
125+
Client Systems Under Management
$300K+
Annual CDO Cost Avoided
4 Weeks
Assessment Delivered
What You Get: The Data Estate Audit
A 4 week rapid assessment that gives you clarity, confidence, and a prioritized path forward.
✓ Complete data landscape audit — we inventory what you have, where it lives, and what shape it’s in
✓ Data maturity scorecard — honest assessment across 6 key dimensions
✓ Prioritized recommendations — tied directly to business value, not technical wishlist
✓ 90-day quick-win roadmap — actionable steps you can take immediately
✓ Executive presentation — a deliverable you can take to your board
Audit Framework
What the 4-Week Assessment Looks Like
Fit &
Framing
We start with a short call to understand the scope, goals, and determine whether this assessment is the right tool for the questions you’re trying to answer.
Stakeholder Interviews
We meet with data owners and leaders across platforms and functions to understand decisions, friction, and competing narratives.
Analysis & Synthesis
We assess what we learn against our scorecard, focusing on decision rights, operating model, and architectural tradeoffs.
Scorecard & Report
We produce a clear scorecard and written assessment outlining strengths, concerns, and the implications of staying on the current path.
Delivery & Alignment
We walk leadership through the findings so you leave with a shared understanding and a practical data roadmap.
Is This Right For You?
This audit is designed for organizations at a crossroads with their data.
Mid-Market Companies
Growing organizations that need executive data leadership but can’t justify a $300K+ full-time CDO. You’re collecting more data than ever, but lack the strategic framework to leverage it.
Perfect for: Companies with 100–1,000 employees, multiple data sources, and growth plans that depend on better data.
IT Leaders Seeking Alignment
You see the data problems clearly, but need an expert voice from the outside to validate findings and help your team recommend solutions that leadership will trust. You need a deliverable that builds consensus – not just another report.
Perfect for: CTOs, VPs of IT, and data teams who need an outside voice to validate what they already know — and get it funded.
Organizations Preparing for AI
You’re being told to “do AI” but you know your data isn’t ready. You need someone to honestly assess your AI readiness and tell you what foundational work must happen first to avoid being in the headlines for another breach.
Perfect for: Organizations exploring AI but uncertain whether their data infrastructure can support it.
Companies Who’ve Been Burned
You’ve already spent money on data projects that went nowhere. You need a trusted advisor who doesn’t subscribe to the big-firm “land and multiply” methodology. You want the truth about what’s possible and what’s not worth pursuing.
Perfect for: Organizations that have invested in analytics platforms or consultants without seeing results.
Meet Buck Woody
Chief Data Officer, Straight Path Solutions
Buck brings four decades of experience in data and technology. He comes to Straight Path by way of Microsoft, where he spent years on the Azure Data Services team helping organizations solve complex data problems.
He’s authored over 700 articles and 9 books on databases, machine learning, and data strategy. He sits on Data Science advisory boards at two U.S. universities and speaks at conferences worldwide.
When you work with Straight Path, you get Buck’s experience directly — not a junior consultant reading from a playbook.
Ready to Transform Your Data Into a Strategic Asset?
Schedule a free 30-minute call with Buck Woody. We’ll discuss your situation, answer your questions, and assess whether we’re the right fit for each other.
✓ No obligation
✓ No sales pressure
✓ Just an honest conversation about your data needs
Frequently Asked Questions
This assessment is not a good fit for organizations looking for a quick fix without depth,a tool recommendation, or a one-day workshop. It also isn’t effective if leadership or data owners aren’t willing to participate directly. The value comes from alignment and shared understanding, not from delegating the work to a single team.
No. While Straight Path’s operational roots are in SQL Server, this assessment looks across your entire data ecosystem — platforms, pipelines, governance, reporting, ownership, and how data decisions are made across the organization. SQL Server is included where it’s relevant, but it is not treated as the default center of gravity. The focus is alignment and decision-making, not any single technology.
This is a fixed-scope audit designed to stand on its own. It is not open-ended consulting, and it does not require a follow-on engagement. The goal is clarity and alignment, not ongoing advisory work.
This process requires participation from executive leadership and the primary data owners. That’s intentional; the work only has value when the people who set direction and own decisions are in the room. We keep involvement focused and efficient, and help identify the right participants during the fit call.
You receive a scorecard, a written assessment, and a leadership walkthrough. Any next steps are optional and entirely up to you. Many organizations use the assessment on its own to inform internal planning.
Organizations with real data assets, multiple stakeholders, and growing pressure from cost, compliance, scale, data sprawl, or AI-related initiatives.
[email protected] | 888.775.3282