Breaking Down the Data Walls

Breaking Down the Data Walls: How Social Secretariats Can Integrate, Structure, and Activate Their Business Information

In today’s complex and fast-evolving HR services landscape, social secretariats are sitting on an untapped business asset: data. But while awareness is growing, many organizations are still struggling to turn that data into something usable, actionable, and valuable.

Many HR service companies have grown through acquisitions and end up in a situation where the data is largely inaccessible, leaving them without real control over it.

This isn’t just a technical issue. It’s a structural one. Many social secretariats have grown through acquisitions, resulting in fragmented systems, multiple data pools, and little to no integration across platforms. The result is a situation where, as one industry expert noted, “they know they can do more—but they aren’t doing it yet.”

The Reality of Disconnected Data

Most social secretariats handle large volumes of information: payroll data, well-being initiatives, legal compliance updates, and more. But that information often lives in different systems, managed by different teams, using different rules. These “data islands” are a direct result of organizational growth without unified data strategy.

It’s not just inefficient—it’s a lost opportunity.

Leaders understand this. Many are now taking the first steps:

• Step 1: Creating a clear overview of what data exists
• Step 2: Validating that the data is accurate and usable
• Step 3: Beginning to activate and structure it in a way that supports decision-making

But these steps aren’t simple. Activating data requires coordination across legal, operational, and IT teams. It also requires time and new skillsets—something many secretariats are still building.

The Hidden Costs of Inaction

Without integration, organizations struggle to:

• Automate reporting
• Generate real-time insights
• Innovate new products
• Scale services efficiently

Moreover, unstructured data brings compliance risks—especially when dealing with sensitive personal and legal information governed by GDPR and other social legislation.

There’s a growing realization that better data practices can lead to greater productivity and even product innovation. With the right structure in place, teams can begin to identify trends, deliver more tailored services, and build tools that respond to actual client needs.

Barriers Are Not Just Technical—They’re Human

Data walls are often reinforced by team structure. Many social secretariats employ professionals with deep domain knowledge—HR law, payroll processes, compliance—but lack roles like data analysts, solution architects, or product managers.

This leads to a capability ceiling: teams are aware of what’s possible, but not equipped to execute. As a result, promising ideas remain stuck in pilot mode or get lost in overly exploratory approaches.

A common pain point? “We start projects, but when does it stop? What’s the ROI?”

Without the right support, data projects risk becoming endless experiments rather than strategic enablers.

Moving Toward Activation, One Step at a Time

So how do you break the data walls without breaking your business?

1. Start with visibility. Inventory what you have, and understand how fragmented it is.
2. Structure before scale. Build the foundations: unify naming conventions, integrate key systems, clean up duplication.
3. Bring in the right expertise. Not just IT, but people who’ve done it before. As one voice noted, “They’re not looking for people who want to experiment—they want people who’ve already made [YV1] the miles.”
4. Respect the complexity. This isn’t just any data—it’s sensitive, regulated, and embedded in client trust. Handling it correctly isn’t optional; it’s your license to operate.

The Road Ahead

Many social secretariats are already exploring what it means to be data-driven—but few have fully crossed that bridge. The good news? You don’t have to solve everything at once. Start by structuring what you have. Focus on concrete use cases. Identify where your business data can add value, reduce cost, or improve client experience.

And don’t go it alone. The right partner—one who understands both the regulatory reality and the technological opportunity—can help accelerate your transition from data-rich to insight-driven.

In the next blog, we’ll look at how this data activation unlocks new service models and value creation for clients.