Blog

What Ofwat’s AI adoption plan actually asks of water companies

Data readiness, not AI hype Ofwat published its first AI adoption plan for the water sector in June 2026. Read past the headline, and instead of it being a plan about artificial intelligence (AI), it’s one about data. Whether it can be trusted, who owns it, and whether a company can show its workings when…

Why Open Data is the future of water regulation

A deep dive into what Open Data means for water companies and regulation of the sector Open Data in the water sector is in a bit of a conundrum right now. There needs to be enough data out in the open to prove its value, but you can’t prove its value until it’s out in…

Zoe Shaughnessy Talks Utilities, Open Data, and Olympic Weightlifting

Diving into the Details with Zoe Shaughnessy, Senior Business Analyst. It’s time for the second installment of our Spotlight Series. This time it’s Zoe Shaughnessy in the hotseat. Zoe is one of the Senior Business Analysts at Oakland. In this spotlight Zoe speaks to Nicola, our Head of Marketing about her enthusiasm for the utilities sector and the last 18 months working on Open Data.

Rajan Chavda Discusses MS Fabric

A Technical Deep Dive with Rajan Chavda, Senior Solutions Architect. For our first Spotlight interview, Nicola, our Head of Marketing, sat down with Rajan Chavda to discuss how Microsoft Fabric is paving the way for analytics and AI adoption, the shift from infrastructure management to plug-and-play analytics, and why the single source of truth remains the enterprise’s main goal.

Open Data in Water Utilities: How to Set Data Up for Success

The shift towards Open Data in water utilities is essential for solving massive, sector-wide problems. No single utilities company can tackle issues like flooding, environmental protection, and infrastructure replacement alone. By collaborating through initiatives like Stream, the sector can identify common challenges and allow analysts to turn disparate datasets into tangible solutions. Water Utilities x…

How to Build a Roadmap for Data & AI Success 

Who did we have on the panel? Defining your future is a strategy challenge, not a technology one The session kicked off by talking about what it means to ‘define your future’. Joe stated that we’re fundamentally looking at data strategy – I.E. how an organisation should look to unlock value from data, automation, and…

Microsoft Ignite 2025: The Debrief from Oakland’s LinkedIn Live

If you missed our very first LinkedIn Live, don’t worry – we’ve pulled out all the key points in this handy blog. Here are the practical takeaways from our four experts as they looked back at Microsoft Ignite 2025 and what it all means for the future of data and AI for your organisation!

Common Data Challenges & How to Avoid Them

Data Decoded: Calling out some of the traps we see in data programmes. The last blog in my ‘data decoded’ series looks at the common issues we see when data platforms are built and automatic ROI is expected. Familiar Data Platform Challenges & Downfalls Department A builds a platform, Department B builds their own. Two…

The Four Pillars of a Data Platform

Data Decoded: How to go from “we want to be data-driven” to “we are data-driven”. We hate to break it to you, but there isn’t any natural ROI in building a data platform. The ROI happens when decisions get made from that platform. As a data engineer or data platform consultant, you build around four…

Data Decoded 2025: How to Get the Most from Data Consulting

How to see ROI, extract value from a data platform and get more from your data consultancy, as explored by our Principal Engineer Advocate, MLG, at Data Decoded 2025. In today’s world, you don’t run a business unless you make decisions. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in – utilities, transportation, computing, retail – you…

Generative AI: How to Make Your Project a Success

MIT’s recently published report concludes by stating that in 2025, ‘95% of generative AI pilots at companies are failing’ – and it doesn’t surprise me one bit. Thousands of AI proof of concepts are being made under the guise of massive easy cost savings and robot magic simply finding all the answers – but many…

Why We’re Counting Down to Big Data London 2025

Big Data London is always a highlight of the year for us, and not just for free merch. This year’s event looks bigger and better than ever. It’s the place where the whole data industry comes together to find inspiration, share challenges (making AI work – anyone?), and see the latest tech solutions from the…