The transition from unmanaged data flow to its effective integration into business processes starts with converting data from closed formats to open formats.

In scientific research, the principle of sharing open data accelerates discovery and facilitates international collaboration among scientists. In medicine, sharing information between institutions leads to more effective diagnosis and treatment. In information technology, open-source applications allow developers around the world to collaboratively improve software.

A major benefit of open data is its ability to remove the dependence of application developers on specific platforms to access data.

The choice between open and closed data is an obvious one, as is the preference for structured data in automation, data processing and data warehousing processes. Structured data is often used by default in most systems because of its ease of processing and unambiguous interpretation, making it the most preferred type for communication and collaboration at the requirements and business process level.