We are part of a generation where a personalized action/process defines employee experiences. Post the great resignation, employee experience has gained huge momentum, and employees now expect an enhanced level of customization in their workplace interactions. To address this, organizations need to go beyond a one-size-fits-all approach. Fresh Gravity has understood and imbibed this approach since its initial years to create individualized experiences that boost engagement, productivity, and retention. As Fresh Gravity completes a decade, here are some key insights into how we’ve been crafting a tailored and meaningful employee experience: 

1. We ensure employees feel valued and that their needs, preferences, and career aspirations are acknowledged. Our bi-weekly or monthly career manager connects are designed to create meaningful touchpoints—where employees receive ongoing feedback, share upward feedback, and engage in mentorship conversations. These sessions provide personalized guidance across diverse topics, empowering individuals to align their goals and actively work toward their career aspirations. 
2. We offer tailored work environments, hybrid working options, a globally diverse workforce, and flexible schedules that enhance efficiency and job satisfaction, thereby leading to increased productivity.  
3. We focus on investing in individual growth, employee well-being, acknowledging and appreciating the effort,s and offering work-life balance. As a result, we have noticed higher retention rates.   
4. The firm has invested in a global learning management system that gives employees access to an array of courses that can be pursued with institutions and universities across the globe, making it easier for them to get certified and upskill. This has led to relevant and meaningful skill development, which helps with the growth of individual employees as well as helps the firm to get more business due to the updated talent pool. 
5. We invest largely in well-being and offer care for the employees and their family members. We have customized and added comprehensive insurance coverages to the benefit kitty, including medical insurance, OPD coverages, term life, and accidental plans. Beyond this, we provide 401K benefits, dental insurance, provident fund, ESIC, and other statutory benefits as applicable per geography. 
6. We follow compliance to the “T”. We always ensure data privacy and ethical use of employee data.  

Enhanced employee experience is no longer a luxury but a necessity in today’s competitive talent landscape. Firms that prioritize customized employee experiences will benefit from a more engaged, productive, and loyal workforce while also achieving business success. 

 If you are looking to be a part of an organization where culture, care, and growth come together, please send us your resume at careers@freshgravity.com.

The post Putting People First: Inside the Employee Experience at Fresh Gravity  appeared first on Fresh Gravity.

The term “data” refers to the collection of facts, statistics, and information used for analysis, reference, and decision-making. Data used and stored digitally is of a wide variety – personal, corporate, and retail are a few examples. Organizations use data in multiple ways to enable informed business decisions to align with their goals, objectives, and initiatives. Data is analyzed to be used in a wide variety of use cases – healthcare to improve patient treatment outcomes, retail to enable personalized sales, and hospitality to deliver personalized guest experiences, to name a few.   

The Challenge 

Data is being used widely, especially personal data, and as such, the need to protect against data vulnerability is stronger than ever. Unauthorized use of data is a reality, and hackers are continuously developing the tools to access data and use it to harm people and organizations. Sensitive data in the hands of such criminals can lead to major security incidents, known as data breaches. Data classification is a major step an organization can take to understand the risk and exposure based on the data it stores. Data in an organization can be classified into four major categories based on the sensitivity level: 

• Public  
• Internal  
• Sensitive or Confidential 
• Highly Confidential  

Data exposed at each sensitivity level also carries with it a level of impact; sensitivity level combined with the anticipated impact helps an organization develop a risk assessment. A data risk assessment facilitates efficient data management, making it easier to manage and protect data, ensuring resources are allocated effectively. 

Data classification positions an organization to manage data security risk. Some of the biggest data security risks can be categorized as follows: 

• Accidental data exposure 
• Insider threats 
• Phishing attacks 
• Malware 
• Ransomware 
• Cloud data storage breach 

Each incident of a cyberattack and a subsequent loss of data can have some very dire implications for a person and/or organization. Your data, in the hands of the wrong people, can be used maliciously to cause personal harm. Identity theft, emotional trauma, and reputational damage are just a few examples. For organizations, the loss could be in terms of business downtime, data loss, monetary loss, reputation impact, and legal consequences. The impact can be long-lasting and may even threaten the survival of the organization. 

How can data security be improved to minimize cyber threats? 

Organizations must ensure data security so that cyberattacks can be prevented and intercepted before they cause any harm. This is not only a technical solution. Enterprise data security measures fall into three categories: administrative, physical, and technical. A well-rounded information security program includes safeguards in all three categories, and such measures help address the prevention of cybercrimes. There are standards which indicate which measures should be in place to have what is considered a “strong” program; these include ISO/IEC 27001, NIST, SOC2, and HIPAA, among many others.   

• Administrative Measures include policies, procedures, and practices designed to manage and protect information systems. This includes training of employees on cybersecurity best practices to improve the strength of the “human firewall.” There are cyberthreats, such as phishing and social engineering, that a technical firewall cannot easily prevent, but knowledge about how to avoid falling prey to a phishing scheme can protect against such dangers. 
• Physical Measures include measures to protect data in electronic systems, equipment, and facilities from threats, environmental hazards, and unauthorized intrusion. A few common physical measures include physical locks and barriers, security guards, surveillance cameras, lockable cabinets and safes, fences, and lighting. 
• Technical Measures are the most obvious security safeguards that protect systems and data from unauthorized access, attacks, and other cyberthreats. Most people, when they think of data security, may think of “technical measures” first. These include encryption, access controls, data backup and disaster recovery, data loss prevention (DLP), and antivirus/anti-malware, to name just a few. 

How Fresh Gravity Ensures Data Security 

Fresh Gravity drives digital success for our clients by enabling them to adopt transformative technologies that make them nimble, adaptive, and responsive to the changing needs of their businesses. We enable our clients to achieve informed data-driven business outcomes by implementing Data Management, Analytics & ML, and Artificial Intelligence solutions. For all our solutions, we ensure that we adhere to the best practices of data security. We comply with the data security compliance requirements of our clients when implementing solutions for them. We also handle a lot of our clients’ data during analysis and implementation, so within Fresh Gravity, we have ensured that all the measures are strictly followed to ensure that the data is safe. Our team members’ data is also treated with the same level of security as our clients’ data. Fresh Gravity follows ISO27001 standards, and we have achieved a Silver certification by Cybervadis. We thus have a holistic Information Security Program in place to ensure maximum security and protection against cyber threats. 

The post Data Security in the Age of Cyber Threats  appeared first on Fresh Gravity.

Many of you may have read the LinkedIn posting announcing my new role at Fresh Gravity. I’m sure that more than a few readers are interested to learn why I accepted this role less than 6 months after announcing my retirement from AstraZeneca. I’ll use this article to share a snippet of my journey since retiring and what I hope to achieve in this new and exciting role.  

Firstly, after retirement, I travelled to Las Vegas, Hawaii, and New Zealand with my wife. This was a wonderful trip, but of course all good things come to an end, and I found myself in a cold, grey UK in the middle of December with wet and muddy footpaths that made it challenging to enjoy the countryside walks.  

Looking for something interesting to research, I scanned LinkedIn and technical resources. I became fascinated with the rapid pace of change relating to Large Language Models and was convinced that these introduced a truly significant change in Information Technology and perhaps society. Three things intrigued me at the time:  

1. What is the underlying mathematics underpinning LLMs? 
2. Why do LLMs hallucinate? 
3. Can LLMs, Knowledge Graphs, and Ontologies, supported by a strong backbone of master and reference data, be leveraged to improve the capabilities of an LLM? 

I found some excellent Google courses introducing LLMs and Transformers, but I wanted to understand more about the foundations. Lacking a formal background in Machine Learning and with plenty of time on my hands, I decided to invest some time in understanding the foundations.  

I found a wealth of recommendations for free learning materials on LinkedIn and progressed my learning of the foundations using the following resources.  

1. Linear Algebra (3Blue1Brown) – I have studied Linear Algebra before (>40 years ago), but the visualisations really bring the subject to life.  
2. Multivariate Calculus (Khan Academy) – Again, this is a topic I’ve studied and enjoyed before. Loved the material, though it was a bit stressful doing tests on this topic for the first time in 40 years. A key tip is that you need to practice calculus to avoid silly mistakes with minus signs.  
3. Statistics and Probability (StatQuest with Josh Starmer) – Another brilliant resource that also delves into Machine Learning and Large Language Models. I give it a triple BAM! 
4. Stanford Introduction to Machine Learning with Andrew Ng – I found this tremendously valuable as it emphasized the maths and statistics foundations of ML. Absolute highlight for me was solving the normal equation (X = (ATA)-1ATb) by hand. I’d never do it again (2 pages of matrix calculations are not to be taken lightly), but I learned a great deal! 

I skimmed several other resources related to Deep Learning and Transformers, but at that point my attention was drawn to some fascinating papers by Juan Sequeda and others, including Knowledge Graphs as a source of trust for LLM-powered enterprise question answering. This and similar papers have now become a new area for my research.  

What did I learn from all this?  

• Clearly, I need continued intellectual input as I move into my later years.  
• The capabilities of LLMs are absolutely astounding, but it’s not genuine intelligence; just applied mathematics and statistics. (In my view the capabilities are more to do with Linguistics and the remarkable properties of human language. Hallucinations are nothing unexpected, it’s just showing the limits of these techniques.)  
• My gut feeling about LLMs, Knowledge Graphs, and Ontologies supported with assured master and reference data seems to be true.

The latter brings me to the conclusion that the future of Enterprise Information Architecture with Life Sciences companies lies in seamlessly connecting assured master and reference data with ontologies and knowledge graphs, while leveraging them effectively in LLMs. 

Why Fresh Gravity?  

I have worked with Fresh Gravity and with Ajit Kumbhare in the past and have always found them to be innovative, focused and successful at implementing and integrating the range of technologies and capabilities that interest me. They also have a strong presence in the Life Sciences industry, which is my primary area of expertise and interest. 

Additionally, Fresh Gravity shares my view that the future for the Life Sciences industry should be to combine assured master and reference data, knowledge graphs, ontologies and Large Language Models (LLMs) to support scientific and enterprise questions. 

With that background, I jumped at Ajit’s offer to join Fresh Gravity as a Strategy and Solutions Leader for Life Sciences. Thank you for giving me this exciting new opportunity.  

For those who are concerned about my wife, this opportunity comes with sufficient flexibility to allow us to continue travelling and enjoying long-distance walks (we start the Southwest Coastal path in early May). 

The 3 areas I hope to develop in this new role are: 

1. Support Fresh Gravity’s clients by applying my 33 years of experience in the Life Science industry. I hope to achieve this by defining common patterns for strategic implementation and integration of assured master and reference data.  
2. Introduce new IT and data governance processes to support this vision of connected data. This may need new or upgraded tools and processes to support end-to-end use of data.  
3. Clearly define the role of an Enterprise Information Architect, a role that is poorly defined in most organisations, but in my opinion, is crucial for the future of the Life Sciences industry. 

Stay tuned for more blogs diving into each of these topics.  

The post Navigating the Next Frontier: An Enterprise Information Architect’s Ongoing Journey in Life Sciences appeared first on Fresh Gravity.

The Currency of Trust 

Imagine you walk into a coffee shop every morning, greeted by the same barista who knows your order by heart. One day, you realize they’ve been charging you a little extra without telling you. At first, you wonder if it was a mistake, but then it happens again. It’s not a huge amount, but now you’re questioning their honesty. Was this intentional? What else are they hiding if they can be dishonest about something small? The trust is broken. You might never go back. 

Now, apply this to business, especially in the consulting and data management space. Trust is our most valuable currency. Lose it, and the relationship crumbles. But how do we earn trust and maintain it? The answer lies in ethical practices. 

Ethics is Not Just a Policy—It’s a Practice  

In consulting, clients come to us with problems, hoping for expertise and guidance. But behind every dataset, every decision, and every recommendation, there is a responsibility—one that extends beyond delivering results. Ethical practices are what separate short-term transactional relationships into longstanding partnerships.  

The Power of Transparency 

Years ago, I worked on a project where a key client stakeholder asked us to tweak reports to “look better” in front of senior leadership. The data wasn’t technically incorrect, but the way they wanted it presented would have masked underlying issues. It was a crossroads—do we do what was asked or do we stand by integrity? 

We chose to be honest. We advised them that while we could refine the presentation, it was crucial to highlight real risks so leadership could make informed decisions. The stakeholder hesitated but ultimately appreciated the honesty. That moment cemented our credibility, and the relationship continued for years. 

Contrast this with another situation I heard about—a consultant who went along with misleading data visualizations to keep a client happy. It worked in the short term, but when senior leadership uncovered the real issues later, the consultant’s credibility was ruined. The firm lost not just the client, but also its reputation in that industry. 

Clients don’t always like what they hear, but they respect honesty. Transparency fosters trust, even when the truth is uncomfortable. 

Data Privacy: More Than Compliance 

With data at the core of modern business, handling it correctly isn’t just an ethical choice—it’s a legal necessity. Regulations like GDPR, CCPA, and industry-specific policies dictate how data should be collected, accessed, and used. Ethical intuition is valuable, but laws set the boundaries. 

I once witnessed a consulting firm accidentally gain access to more client data than they should have. Instead of reporting it, they used the extra data to generate deeper insights. It seemed like a win—until the client found out. 

Imagine you give your accountant access to your bank records for tax purposes, only to later find out they’ve used that access to analyze your spending habits and sell insights to marketers.  The trust, is bound to be shattered and likely, laws broken as well, leading to legal consequences. 

That’s exactly what happened with this consulting firm. The client felt violated, and the engagement ended abruptly. More than just trust being lost—laws were potentially broken, and the firm faced reputational and legal risks. The lesson? Just because you can use data doesn’t mean you should. 

Handling data responsibly isn’t optional. Beyond compliance, it’s about respecting client ownership and maintaining credibility. When clients know their data is safe with you, they’ll keep coming back—not out of obligation, but because they trust you. 

Setting Boundaries, Not Just Delivering 

Ethical consulting isn’t about saying “yes” to everything. It’s about guiding clients toward the right decisions, even when it’s not what they want to hear. 

A colleague once told me about a client who wanted to implement an AI-driven analytics tool without cleaning their messy, duplicate-ridden data. They insisted that technology would “fix” it. Instead of blindly executing, the consultant pushed back, explaining that bad data would only lead to misleading results. The client resisted but eventually agreed to a data governance overhaul first. The outcome? A successful AI implementation that worked as intended—and a client who saw us as strategic partners rather than just vendors. 

Compare this to another case where a consultant, eager to please, moved forward with implementing an advanced analytics tool without addressing the data quality. The result? The AI model made poor predictions, and the client blamed the consultant for a “failed” project. That consultant was never called again. 

Saying “no” when necessary is an ethical responsibility. Short-term gains should never override long-term integrity. 

Walking the Talk: The Fresh Gravity Approach 

At Fresh Gravity, we believe ethics in data management isn’t an abstract concept—it’s the foundation of everything we do. Our approach to data governance, compliance, and strategy ensures that clients don’t just get results, but results they can trust. 

We assess, recommend, and implement solutions with one guiding principle: if it’s not ethical, it’s not sustainable. Whether it’s helping clients build governance frameworks, ensuring fair data usage, or advising on best practices, we prioritize trust over shortcuts. 

But our commitment to ethics doesn’t stop there. We actively educate our clients on best practices, helping them establish frameworks that embed ethical decision-making into their everyday operations. We don’t just solve problems—we build cultures of integrity that sustain businesses for the long run. 

For example, we recently worked with a client who struggled with internal data access policies. Employees had more access than necessary, violating a fundamental security principle known as the “minimum necessary” rule, where individuals should only access the data required for their job. In many such cases, such access can even breach regulatory requirements. 

Instead of offering a quick compliance fix, we collaborated with them to design a robust, role-based access model that not only addressed security concerns but also ensured operational efficiency. The result? A sustainable governance framework that safeguarded sensitive information while maintaining productivity. 

Moreover, we foster a culture where our consultants are empowered to challenge unethical requests. If a client asks for something that compromises integrity, we don’t just refuse—we educate them on why ethical data practices lead to better long-term outcomes. This advisory mindset has helped us build strong, trusted relationships with clients who value more than just technical expertise. 

The Long Game of Ethics 

At Fresh Gravity, ethics isn’t just a policy—it’s embedded in one or more of our core organizational values. Our foundation is built on passion, integrity, openness, respect, diligence, empowerment, and adaptability. Integrity, which includes honesty and ethical behavior, is at the heart of how we operate. We don’t take shortcuts or compromise on doing what’s right, even when it’s difficult. Our values shape the way we engage with clients, ensuring trust isn’t just earned, but consistently upheld. 

We empower our consultants to challenge unethical requests and guide clients toward responsible, effective solutions. Our governance frameworks are built not just for compliance, but for long-term trust and sustainability. 

For us, ethics isn’t just about doing the right thing—it’s what makes Fresh Gravity a trusted partner. Because in the end, the strongest client relationships aren’t built on transactions; they’re built on trust. 

The post The Role of Ethical Practices in Strengthening Client Trust appeared first on Fresh Gravity.

In this age of information, organizations are inundated with data from countless sources – social media, emails, customer feedback, IoT devices, and much more. While this abundance of data holds immense potential, much of it is unstructured, making it challenging to analyze and leverage for decision-making. Organizing unstructured data effectively is key to transforming complexity into clarity, unlocking insights that drive innovation and growth. 

What is Unstructured Data? 

Unstructured data refers to information that doesn’t follow a predefined structure or format. Unlike structured data, which is neatly organized in rows and columns, unstructured data can include text files, images, videos, audio recordings, and other formats that are less straightforward to process. Various estimates suggest that unstructured data makes up approximately 80% to 90% of all data generated today, with sources such as MIT Sloan and Forbes highlighting its rapid growth and critical role in enterprise data management. This underscores its significance in the modern digital landscape and the need for effective strategies to manage and analyze it. 

The Challenges of Unstructured Data 

Organizing unstructured data is no small feat due to its: 

1. Volume: The sheer amount of unstructured data can overwhelm traditional systems. 
2. Variety: Unstructured data exists in diverse formats, requiring different processing techniques. 
3. Velocity: The rapid generation of data demands real-time or near-real-time processing. 
4. Veracity: Ensuring the accuracy and reliability of unstructured data can be difficult, especially when dealing with noisy or incomplete information. 

Strategies for Organizing Unstructured Data 

To harness the power of unstructured data, organizations must implement robust strategies that make it accessible and actionable. Here are key steps to achieving this: 

1. Data Classification and Tagging: Start by categorizing your data based on its type, source, or relevance. Automated tools powered by machine learning can analyze data attributes and apply tags or metadata, making future retrieval and organization easier. 
2. Implement Natural Language Processing (NLP): For text-heavy unstructured data, NLP can extract meaning, detect sentiment, and identify patterns. From customer reviews to support tickets, NLP helps uncover actionable insights hidden in text. 
3. Leverage AI and Machine Learning: Advanced algorithms can identify relationships, trends, and anomalies within unstructured data. These technologies excel in processing images, videos, and even voice data, offering deeper analysis beyond human capabilities. 
4. Adopt Scalable Data Storage Solutions: Cloud-based storage systems designed for unstructured data, such as data lakes, provide the scalability needed to manage large volumes. These platforms support integration with analytics tools for streamlined processing. 
5. Data Governance and Security: Effective data organization requires robust governance policies to ensure data quality, consistency and cohesiveness, privacy, and compliance. Assigning ownership and implementing access controls protect sensitive information while maintaining clarity in data management. 

Real-World Applications of Organized Unstructured Data 

• Healthcare: Analyzing unstructured data from patient records, medical imaging, and clinical notes aids in disease diagnosis and personalized treatment. 
• Retail: Insights from customer reviews, social media, and purchase history enable retailers to refine their offerings and enhance customer experiences. 
• Finance: Fraud detection and risk assessment benefit from analyzing unstructured data, such as emails, transaction records, and voice calls. 
• Entertainment: Media companies can benefit from organizing unstructured data like video, metadata and viewer preferences to recommend content and improve engagement. 

The Road Ahead 

Organizing unstructured data is an ongoing journey that requires technological innovation, strategic planning, and a commitment to continuous improvement. By embracing tools and techniques that simplify the complexity of unstructured data, organizations can transform overwhelming information into a strategic asset. 

In a world driven by data, the ability to turn complexity into clarity is not just a competitive advantage – it’s a necessity. Whether it’s improving decision-making, enhancing customer experiences, or driving operational efficiency, organized unstructured data is the foundation for a smarter, more agile future. Reach out to us at info@freshgravity.com if you are ready to unlock the power of your data. 

The post Turning Complexity into Clarity: Organizing Unstructured Data Effectively  appeared first on Fresh Gravity.

As data engineering and analytics pipelines become more complex, organizations need efficient ways to manage deployments and enhance collaboration. Traditional approaches often involve redundant code, scattered dependencies, and inconsistent environments.  

Databricks Asset Bundles (DABs) provide a structured, streamlined way to package, share, and deploy Databricks assets, simplifying collaboration across teams and environments. By integrating GitLab CI/CD, we can automate the entire development lifecycle, ensuring efficient version control, validation, and controlled deployments across multiple Databricks workspaces.

In this blog, we’ll explore how DABs can enhance data projects and streamline workflows, empowering organizations to navigate the complexities of modern data engineering effectively. 

Who Can Leverage DABs? 

DABs are particularly useful in scenarios where: 

1. Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is required for managing Databricks jobs, notebooks, and dependencies
2. Complex code contribution and automation are essential to avoid redundancy
3. Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) are a requirement for rapid, scalable, and governed workflows

Scenarios for DAB Implementations 

Consider a scenario where multiple data engineers work on a pipeline following the Medallion architecture. This pipeline involves: 

• Numerous metadata files 
• Redundant code spread across multiple notebooks
• Challenges in maintaining and scaling workflows

By using DABs, developers can: 

• Modularize workflows by creating generic notebooks that dynamically execute with different base parameters
• Eliminate redundant code, making pipelines more scalable and maintainable
• Collaborate efficiently by packaging all necessary assets into a single bundle that can be versioned and deployed easily

CI/CD Workflow for DABs with GitLab 

The following diagram represents the Databricks CI/CD pipeline using GitLab as the repository and CI/CD tool, enabling a structured and approval-based deployment process: 

Figure 1. DAB deployment Workflow with GitLab CI/CD 

• Development in Local Environment 
  • Developers create notebooks, job configurations, and dependencies in their local environment. 
  • These are packaged into a Databricks Asset Bundle (DAB), which includes: 
    • Notebooks 
    • Configurations 
    • Library dependencies 
    • Job definitions 

• Version Control with GitLab Repository 
  • The DAB files are pushed to a GitLab repository to maintain: 
    • Version history for rollback and tracking 
    • Collaboration among teams 
    • Automation triggers for the CI/CD pipeline 

•   CI/CD Pipeline Execution with GitLab CI/CD 
  • Once the DAB files are committed, GitLab CI/CD triggers the pipeline, which automates: 
    • Code validation (linting, static analysis) 
    • Unit testing to verify notebook functionality
    • Packaging and artifact creation 

• Deployment to Databricks Development Workspace 
  • Successfully validated DABs are deployed to the Development Workspace
  • Developers test and refine their code before moving forward

• Deployment to Databricks Staging Workspace 
  • The CI/CD pipeline deploys the bundle to the Staging Workspace, where: 
    • Integration testing 
    • Performance testing 
    • User Acceptance Testing (UAT) takes place

• Approval-Based Deployment to Production Workspace 
  • Final deployment to production requires explicit approval from: 
    • Management 
    • DataOps Leads 
    • Security & Compliance Teams 
  • Once approved, the Release Manager or an automated approval workflow in GitLab CI/CD triggers deployment to the Databricks Production Workspace. This ensures: 
    • • Governance & compliance 
      • Risk mitigation 
      • Controlled and auditable releases 

Advantages of Using Databricks Asset Bundles (DABs)  

• Efficient Code Versioning and Collaboration 
  • Developers can systematically version control their code and collaborate seamlessly using GitLab repositories
• Declarative and Simple Deployment 
  • DABs use a simple YAML-based declarative format, allowing the deployment of multiple resources like jobs, pipelines, and Unity Catalog objects with minimal configuration
• Automated Software Development Lifecycle 
  • Enables organizations to apply agile methodologies and enforce a structured SDLC (Software Development Lifecycle) for Databricks projects
• Approval-Based Governance for Production Deployments 
  • Prevents unauthorized changes by enforcing a structured approval process before deploying to production
• Scalability & Maintainability
  • Reduces code complexity by allowing reusable components and standardized configurations, making large-scale data pipelines easier to manage

In the ever-evolving world of data engineering, ensuring efficiency, scalability, and consistency across Databricks environments is essential for organizations aiming to stay competitive. By leveraging Databricks Asset Bundles (DABs) and integrating GitLab CI/CD, businesses can streamline their workflows, improve collaboration, and automate deployments, ultimately reducing operational overhead and accelerating time-to-market. 

At Fresh Gravity, we understand the challenges companies face in modernizing their data infrastructure. Our team of experts is committed to helping organizations optimize their Databricks workflows through tailored solutions and industry best practices. From designing custom CI/CD pipelines to implementing governance controls and automating infrastructure provisioning, we provide end-to-end support to ensure your Databricks environment operates at its highest potential.

Reference:
1. https://docs.databricks.com/en/dev-tools/bundles/index.html 

The post Streamlining Databricks Deployments with Databricks Asset Bundles (DABs) and GitLab CI/CD  appeared first on Fresh Gravity.

A Tale of Two Analysts: The Power of Good Data 

Meet Sarah and Jake. Both are data analysts at different companies, each tasked with providing insights to drive business decisions. Sarah spends her time confidently pulling reports, analyzing trends, and delivering reliable insights. Jake, on the other hand, is constantly questioning the data—he’s chasing down missing fields, struggling with inconsistent formats, and getting different answers for the same question depending on the system he pulls the data from. 

Sarah’s company has a robust Data Governance (DG) framework in place. Jake’s? Not so much. While Jake is firefighting data issues, Sarah is providing valuable recommendations that her leadership team can trust. 

But here’s the thing—Jake’s company isn’t a mess. They have great people, solid tools, and ambitious goals. They just don’t have the right guardrails to make data a true asset. That’s where Data Governance comes in.  

Why Data Governance Matters for Business Intelligence & Analytics 

Data Governance (DG) isn’t just about control—it’s about enabling better, faster, and more confident decision-making. Without it, Business Intelligence (BI) and analytics are built on a shaky ground. Here’s how DG directly enhances BI: 

• Data Quality & Consistency: Ensuring data is clean, standardized, and trustworthy means analytics reports are accurate and meaningful. Without high-quality data, reports can be misleading, leading to incorrect business strategies. With governance, businesses can establish standardized definitions, formatting, and validation rules to maintain integrity across all data sources. 
• Data Accessibility & Security: DG helps define who can access what data, striking the right balance between openness and protection. Organizations can ensure that sensitive information remains secure while still making valuable data available to those who need it, promoting efficiency and compliance. 
• Data Lineage & Trust: When decision-makers ask, “Where did this number come from?” DG ensures there’s a clear, documented answer. Transparency in data lineage means that any anomalies can be quickly traced back to their source, reducing errors and instilling trust in analytics. 
• Compliance & Risk Reduction: With increasing regulations like GDPR and CCPA, organizations can’t afford to overlook data governance. Regulatory requirements demand strict data management, and proper governance ensures  that companies avoid hefty fines while maintaining a strong reputation. 
• Efficiency & Productivity: Analysts spend less time cleaning and validating data and more time delivering actionable insights that drive business growth. 

Fresh Gravity: Helping Companies Take Charge of Their Data 

At Fresh Gravity, we specialize in making Data Governance practical, achievable, and impactful. We don’t believe in just handing over theoretical frameworks—we work alongside organizations to implement governance models that actually work for their business. 

Our Approach to Data Governance 

To ensure organizations achieve real, lasting success with their data governance initiatives, Fresh Gravity follows a structured, yet flexible approach as shown in the figure below. The structured methodology provides a robust framework for consistency, while the flexibility allows clients to customize and tailor the approach to their specific needs and goals. 

Figure 1. Our Data Governance Approach – A Snapshot 

• 01 Data Maturity Assessment & Benchmarking: We evaluate your current data landscape, identify gaps, and benchmark against industry best practices to ensure your governance strategy is competitive and effective. Our assessment provides a clear understanding of where your organization stands and what steps are needed for improvement. 
• 02 Strategic Roadmap & Actionable Recommendations: We provide practical, achievable governance strategies that align with business goals. Rather than overwhelming organizations with complex frameworks, we focus on actionable, high-impact changes that drive real improvements in data reliability and usability. 
• 03 Seamless Implementation & Enablement: Fresh Gravity works closely with the client’s teams to establish governance frameworks, define policies, and integrate governance into everyday workflows. From selecting the right tools to embedding governance processes, we ensure a smooth and effective rollout. 
• 04 Change Management & Socialization: Governance is only successful when people adopt it. We actively engage stakeholders, promote awareness, and integrate governance into company culture through structured communication, training, and advocacy efforts. We help teams see governance as an enabler, not a blocker. 
• 05 Ongoing Governance Support & Optimization: Data governance is not a one-time project—it’s an evolving discipline. We provide continued support, monitoring, and training to ensure governance efforts stay effective as business needs change. Our goal is to embed governance as a sustainable and valuable practice. 

Bringing It All Together 

Back to our story—imagine if Jake’s company had a well-defined Data Governance strategy. Instead of spending hours validating reports, Jake could be delivering powerful, data-driven insights. Leadership wouldn’t have to second-guess reports, and decisions could be made faster and with confidence. 

That’s the power of Data Governance in Business Intelligence and Analytics—not just fixing problems but unlocking true business value from data. 

The organizations that succeed today and will continue to do so in the future are the ones that turn their data into a strategic asset rather than a liability. At Fresh Gravity, we help businesses take control of their data—ensuring it’s trusted, secure, and actionable. 

If your organization is ready to move from data chaos to data confidence, Fresh Gravity is here to help. Let’s work together to build a Data Governance Model that fuels smarter decisions, drives competitive advantage, and secures long-term success. Reach out to us at info@freshgravity.com and start your DG journey today.

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This International Women’s Day, Fresh Gravity hosted a session with two power-packed women – Vahbiz Bharucha, Former Captain of the Indian Women’s Rugby Team, and Aishwarya Phadke, Founder of Travel Dirty. The session was moderated by Preeti Desai, Senior Manager, Client Success, Fresh Gravity who facilitated the discussion with insightful questions.  

This year’s theme, #AccelerateAction, resonated throughout the discussion as our speakers shared their journeys, challenges, and triumphs. Their stories were not just inspiring but also packed with practical lessons on resilience, self-growth, and taking charge of our lives. 

This session was even more inspiring because both speakers have taken unconventional paths to success. 

For Aishwarya, the journey into the travel industry was not a straight road. She explored multiple avenues before realizing that travel along with its business aspect was her true calling. Today, she is building more than just a travel company – she is fostering a quiet community with the philosophy of “alone but together”.  

For Vahbiz, sports has always been more than just a hobby – it has been a source of motivation and self-improvement. From a young age, she was drawn to the competitive spirit and personal growth that sports offered, constantly pushing herself to be better than she was the day before. Vahbiz is also a physiotherapist. She mentioned that since childhood she wanted to serve the community and that’s how physiotherapy became the perfect bridge between her love for sports and her desire to help people. 

Their paths may be different, yet each puts out valuable life lessons. Vahbiz’s journey highlights how passion, discipline, and persistence can shape both personal and professional success, while Aishwarya’s path focuses on the importance of exploring, adapting, and ultimately finding what truly drives us.
This led to some powerful takeaways from the session, reminding us how we too can #accelerateaction in our own lives. 

Here are some key takeaways from the session:  

Take Risks to Discover Your Potential 

One of the strongest messages from the session was the need to take risks. If we never step outside our comfort zones, we may never realize where our true potential lies.  

Accelerate Action: Take Charge of Your Life 

The theme #AccelerateAction isn’t just about movement – it’s about ownership. Our speakers highlighted that real change starts when we decide to take charge of our own lives. No one else can shape our future for us; we need to be the driving force behind our growth and transformation. 

Work-Life Balance is Non-Negotiable 

We tend to forget work–life balance at times but as our speakers indicated, work is a part of life, not our entire life. Achieving a healthy balance allows us to be more effective, engaged, and happy—both personally and professionally. 

The Power to Create Change Lies Within Us 

We tend to wait for external circumstances to improve, but actual change begins with us. Our speakers stressed that while challenges are inevitable, the power to adapt, evolve, and overcome lies within us.  

Planning is the Key to Moving Forward 

While action is important, planning is what makes it successful. Whether it’s in corporate, sports, or personal goals, having a structured plan helps in making informed decisions and staying focused on the bigger picture. 

Listen: Inspiration is Everywhere 

Often, we seek inspiration from books or podcasts, but we forget to listen to the people around us. We should pay attention to conversations, experiences, and stories shared by those in our daily lives—you never know who might inspire you in ways you never imagined. 

In Tough Times, Create Space to Introspect 

Life is not always according to plan, and we are bound to face setbacks. Instead of reacting impulsively, we should give importance to pausing, introspecting, and approaching problems with a calm mindset. Every challenge carries a lesson – accept it, learn from it, and move forward. 

Focus on What’s in Your Control 

In difficult situations, it’s important to distinguish between controllable and uncontrollable factors. Wasting energy on things outside our control only leads to frustration. Instead, we must channelize our energies toward what we can change and take purposeful action. 

Accept Positive Criticism, Ignore Judgment 

Feedback is essential for growth, but not all criticism is constructive. Our speakers advised keeping an open mind to positive criticism while filtering out unnecessary judgments that do not contribute to personal or professional growth. 

This session was more than just a discussion – it was a powerful reminder to take action, take risks, and take control of our own lives. As we move forward, let’s embody the spirit of #AccelerateAction by making bold choices, embracing challenges, and continuously striving for growth. 

Want to be part of a firm that fosters equal opportunities and an inclusive culture? Join us in creating a workplace where everyone thrives! Send us your resume at: careers@freshgravity.com.  

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I, Almas Jaipuri, have been with Fresh Gravity for five years. During my interview, I was deeply impressed by the strong presence of highly influential women leaders in technical and management roles—a key factor in my decision to join the firm. Five years later, this commitment to diversity continues to grow, with women making up 40% of the workforce, 100% pay equity, and 50% of leadership positions held by women.

When I, Falguni Deswal, joined Fresh Gravity, I had no idea how enriching the experience would be. When I relocated to the Pune office, it was the first time I had stepped out of my comfort zone. However, from the moment I arrived, the support and encouragement from everyone was unwavering. My colleagues went above and beyond to help me settle in and their constant support made me feel included and valued at every step of the way.

This blog is a deep dive into our experiences at Fresh Gravity—experiences that have shaped our outlook towards the firm and have brought to light the diverse, inclusive, and talented pool of team members that have helped Fresh Gravity become a pioneer in the industry.  

But first, let’s get the basics out of the way. 

What is DEI and what does it include? 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are three distinct, yet interrelated concepts that are fundamental to creating a positive work environment.   

• Diversity refers to the presence of differences in the workplace, encompassing a wide range of factors such as gender, race, ethnicity, religion, language, age, marital status, sexual orientation, physical/mental ability, socio-economic status, and even cultural perspectives. It’s about bringing together individuals with diverse backgrounds, each contributing their unique experiences and viewpoints. 

• Equity goes beyond equality by ensuring that all individuals have access to the same opportunities. It involves recognizing that people have different needs and, therefore, may require different support structures to achieve equal outcomes. 

• Inclusion is about creating an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and supported. It’s about making sure that diverse voices are heard and that individuals are not only present but also actively participate and thrive within the organization.

At Fresh Gravity, we proudly foster an environment that embraces gender diversity, intergenerational equity, interdisciplinary inclusivity, and the absence of organizational hierarchies, regional dominance, or any other sectional biases. 

When I (Almas) set out to pursue my ambition of moving overseas, Fresh Gravity provided me with the incredible opportunity to join its North America-based team. This opened new professional paths and connections for me. My colleagues here went above and beyond to make me feel welcome; they even attended my wedding in Toronto and celebrated with the rest of the firm by sharing precious moments on our internal communication channels. This made my day truly special as we transcended social and geographical barriers. 

From the very beginning, I (Falguni) felt empowered by my team at Fresh Gravity. I have never felt that my age or level of experience would limit my potential here. In fact, during my very first week, I was entrusted with managing a team of five and had the opportunity to directly engage with stakeholders. That responsibility boosted my confidence and solidified my trust in the team I was about to work with.
Since then, I’ve never hesitated to dive into firm-wide activities, and recently, I had the chance to share my thoughts on Why is Fresh Gravity the Best Place to Work. This wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible leadership and the welcoming, inclusive culture at the heart of the firm.  

How does Fresh Gravity promote DEI? 

At Fresh Gravity, we are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment in all aspects of our work. Here’s how we integrate DEI into our practices: 

1. Unconscious Bias Training: We offer necessary trainings through our HR & Training platforms to raise awareness of unconscious bias and provide actionable steps to address it, ensuring that bias doesn’t impact our team in their decisions or interactions. 
2. Diverse Recruitment Partnerships: Our recruitment team actively collaborates with universities, coding boot camps, and organizations that connect underrepresented talent with tech opportunities. We also participate in job fairs specifically aimed at attracting diverse candidates, which helps expand our talent pool. We take a proactive approach in engaging candidates from various backgrounds and ensure that our job descriptions are inclusive. 
3. Women in Leadership: We’re proud to have a significant representation of women in leadership and executive roles, demonstrating our commitment to gender diversity at all levels of the organization. 
4. Support for Working Mothers: We provide strong support for women throughout their motherhood journey with a 26-week maternity leave and flexible work hours to help them transition back to work at their own pace. Don’t believe us? Hear from a new mom at Fresh Gravity about her experience. 
5. Global Inclusivity: To ensure our team is diverse and inclusive of different regions, we offer work-from-home options, allowing us to tap into talent from all over the world while maintaining flexibility for our team members. 

Through these initiatives and others, Fresh Gravity has achieved near gender parity and takes pride in fostering a genuine commitment to inclusive growth, without relying on enforced quotas. 

Key Benefits of Our DEI Commitment 

Our strong commitment to embracing diverse talents and creating an inclusive environment has generated many valuable outcomes such as –   

1. Empowered Decision Making: A diverse group of people brings different experiences and outlooks. This has helped us identify challenges and present unique solutions that have led to better decision-making.  
2. Improved Innovation and Creativity: A diverse team brings a variety of perspectives, leading to better problem-solving and more creative ideas. This diversity enables Fresh Gravity to be innovation-led and drive meaningful advancements in our industry. 
3. Enhanced Employee Satisfaction: An inclusive environment ensures employees feel valued and respected, boosting morale, engagement, and retention.  This was reflected in our recent off-site event, which stood out as one of the most memorable and impactful company-wide events we’ve experienced. 
4. Better Recruitment, Talent Retention: Our top-notch recruitment team’s dedication to hiring the best talent through diverse channels has built a strong, multifaceted workforce. Many team members have grown and evolved with Fresh Gravity over the years, including me (Almas).

DEI is an Ongoing Journey 

DEI is an ongoing journey, one that needs to be adopted every step of the way. At Fresh Gravity, DEI initiatives are not just a priority but are woven into the fabric of our daily operations, helping us cultivate a workplace where equity, inclusion, and a genuine sense of belonging thrive for every employee. 

For the past 10 years, we’ve prioritized fair, unbiased recruitment, focusing on the qualifications and potential of each candidate.
Our commitment to providing equal opportunities drives our success and helps us build a team where everyone can thrive. 

If you’re looking to join a company that genuinely values DEI and embraces it in all aspects of its culture, we’d love to hear from you! Please send your resume to careers@freshgravity.com and take the first step toward making an impact with us. 

The post Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in Technology and Consulting: A Point of View! appeared first on Fresh Gravity.

Data is a key foundational pillar for any digital transformation and is often regarded as the new currency for strategic decision-making. For organizations aiming to harness their data as a strategic asset, developing a cohesive data strategy is essential to meet current and future needs. A well-defined and effectively executed data strategy enables businesses to transform data into actionable insights, driving long-term success. 

A comprehensive data strategy extends beyond data collection, governance, storage, and compliance. It focuses on managing and maximizing the full potential of data to deliver meaningful value and insights. 

A well-defined data strategy outlines a vision for transforming an organization into a data-driven organization. To realize this vision, organizations must effectively understand, access, and connect their data; leverage the latest data science tools and techniques; nurture data talent and skills; and establish robust, organization-wide practices for data governance, management, and policy oversight. 

Why We Need a Data Strategy 

• Recognizing Data as an Asset – In the digital age, data is a valuable asset that can drive insights, innovation, and decision-making. A data strategy ensures that data is treated as a strategic resource. 
• Aligns with Business Goals – A data strategy aligns data initiatives with organizational objectives, ensuring that data efforts support and enhance business outcomes. 
• Establishes Data Governance – It establishes data governance practices, including data quality, security, and compliance, to maintain data integrity and protect sensitive information. 
• Increases efficiency – A data strategy streamlines data operations and reduces redundancies, leading to cost savings and operational efficiency. 
• Data Monetization – It enables organizations to monetize their data assets by identifying opportunities for data-driven products or services. 
• Competitive Edge – A well-executed data strategy can give a competitive edge by enabling data-driven decision-making, personalization, and predictive analytics. 

Benefits of a Well-Defined Data Strategy 

• Better Decision-Making – With a strong data strategy, organizations can make more informed, data-driven decisions by analyzing current and historical data. 
• Competitive Advantage – Leveraging advanced data analytics allows companies to identify trends, optimize operations, and develop new products faster than competitors. 
• Improved Data Quality – Data governance policies ensure higher data accuracy, consistency, and reliability across the organization. 
• Regulatory Compliance – A data strategy that addresses compliance ensures that organizations adhere to legal frameworks like GDPR, HIPAA, or CCPA, reducing the risk of fines and penalties. 
• Cost Optimization – Efficient data management and infrastructure can lead to cost savings by eliminating data silos, reducing storage costs, and optimizing resource usage. 
• Enhanced Customer Experience – By using data to personalize offerings, optimize supply chains, and improve services, organizations can better meet customer needs and expectations 

Developing a data strategy can be a complex and challenging endeavor. It’s important to recognize that creating and implementing a data strategy is not merely an IT project but rather a holistic, organization-wide process. Data strategy development should be inclusive, leveraging the organization’s priorities and expertise while fostering buy-in from key stakeholders. 

As the data strategy takes shape, it should be formally articulated and published, at least for internal use. If it isn’t documented and shared, it ceases to be a strategy and becomes a secret. Lastly, organizations must be prepared to allocate the necessary resources to support both the data strategy and the infrastructure required to sustain it. 

Building an effective data strategy hinges on establishing strong data management practices from the outset. Fresh Gravity’s Data Management Capability provides a solid framework to achieve this, serving as the cornerstone for transforming into a data-driven organization and crafting a resilient data strategy. To know more about our offerings, please write to us at info@freshgravity.com. 

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