The Open Platform Mandate

The Future of Data and AI Belongs to Open and Portable Platforms

The promise of AI has never been greater. As organizations race to transform their operations with data and AI, they face a critical decision that will impact their success for years to come: choosing the right foundation for their data infrastructure.

But with this transformative potential comes complex questions. How do you ensure your infrastructure remains flexible as technology evolves? What's the best way to avoid vendor lock-in while accessing enterprise-grade capabilities? And perhaps most importantly, how do you future-proof your technology investments in this rapidly changing landscape?

Why Openness and Portability is the Answer

At Databricks, we've seen firsthand how the right foundation can make or break an organization's data and AI initiatives. As the original creators of Apache Spark™, we've worked with thousands of enterprises on their data transformation journeys. One pattern has emerged consistently: the most successful organizations build on open foundations designed for interoperability and data portability.

That’s why we continue to champion open standards with Delta Lake, Apache Iceberg™, MLflow, and open source Unity Catalog at the core of our platform. These technologies support a more unified and interoperable environment for securely managing data at scale across clouds and platforms, helping organizations to more easily unlock the full potential of their data. 

Today, we're excited to share our latest whitepaper, "The Open Platform Mandate: Why Data + AI Success Depends on Openness and Portability." This comprehensive guide reveals:

• Why leading organizations are shifting away from proprietary solutions
• The critical dimensions of platform openness and portability that impact your success
• Essential considerations for evaluating data and AI infrastructure
• Strategic advantages that only open and portable technologies can provide

Essential Insights for Technical Leaders

If you're a technical leader navigating these decisions, this whitepaper is your roadmap. You'll discover frameworks for evaluating platforms, insights from successful implementations, and strategies for building scalable, flexible infrastructure that grows with your needs.

The whitepaper draws on our extensive experience working with large startups and global enterprises to answer questions like:

• What does "open" really mean in the context of data and AI platforms?
• How do you evaluate the true cost of platform lock-in?
• What are the hidden factors that determine long-term success?

Building Your Future on Open Foundations

Building on open foundations isn’t just about data infrastructure—it extends to AI models as well. Open foundation models like Meta Llama 3.2 Models on Databricks are setting new standards for accessible, high-performance AI, reinforcing the importance of interoperability across the entire AI stack. As organizations scale their AI initiatives, leveraging open models alongside open data and open platforms helps ensure long-term flexibility and innovation. 

In an era where data and AI capabilities make or break competitive advantage, choosing the right platform approach has never been more critical. Our whitepaper provides the insights you need to make informed decisions about your organization's future.

Learn more

Download your copy of the "The Open Platform Mandate" today. 

Discover why millions of developers and leading companies trust their data and AI initiatives to open foundations designed for interoperability and data portability.