Case Study: Data Management

Establishing Governance and Clarity in Microsoft Fabric with a Strategic Data Audit

A large enterprise implemented Microsoft Fabric without clear governance, leading to data sprawl and inconsistent access. Mutually Human conducted a full data audit and delivered a 12-month roadmap with recommendations to improve security, performance, and data quality across the platform.

Business Challenge:

Lack of governance and visibility created operational challenges within Microsoft Fabric.

In early 2024, a large automotive enterprise implemented Microsoft Fabric to modernize its data infrastructure and support enterprise-wide reporting and analytics. The adoption enabled teams to quickly begin working in the platform, but it occurred without a formal governance structure, clearly defined roles, or a strategic implementation roadmap. As Fabric usage expanded across departments, the organization began facing several issues: data sprawl, a lack of visibility into workspace usage and associated costs, inconsistent access control, and unclear ownership of key data assets.

These gaps created operational inefficiencies, increased risk, and made it difficult to align the data platform with broader business objectives. Without centralized oversight or a scalable framework in place, the organization struggled to manage its Microsoft Fabric environment effectively or extract its full value.

Approach:

Conducting a Microsoft Fabric audit to improve governance, data management, and platform performance.

The organization partnered with Mutually Human to conduct a comprehensive Microsoft Fabric data audit focused on stabilizing the environment and maximizing long-term value. The assessment covered four critical areas:

Data Management – Evaluated how data is ingested, stored, and cataloged in Microsoft Fabric
Governance – Assessed access control, security policies, and compliance readiness
Infrastructure – Analyzed workspace sprawl, capacity, performance, and system integrations
Process – Reviewed how data is published, consumed, and maintained across teams

Mutually Human worked closely with both technical and business stakeholders to understand usage patterns and challenges, aligning technical recommendations with enterprise goals for better Microsoft Fabric adoption.

Results:

A strategic Microsoft Fabric roadmap improved governance, visibility, and operational efficiency.

The audit resulted in a detailed 12-month Microsoft Fabric roadmap designed to reduce risk, enhance reporting performance, and strengthen platform governance.

Administration & Security

Improved access controls, clearer asset ownership, and better role-based governance.

Performance & Cost Optimization

Identified ways to streamline workspace usage, reduce sprawl, and manage compute costs more effectively.

Data Quality & User Access

Enhanced consistency of data sources and provided more reliable access to the right users.

Strategic Roadmap in Action

The organization is actively using the roadmap to guide phased implementation and promote accountability.

Stronger Business & IT Stronger Alignment Between IT & Business

Teams are now working from a shared plan, improving communication and long-term data strategy execution.

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