In the viral Netflix documentary, "The Social Dilemma," released earlier this year, consumers are warned of the data mining practices of some of the world's biggest social media brands. But the film neglected the other side of the coin: A world where brands must scramble to deliver on ever-increasing customer demands and desires - in real time - or risk being left in a plume of dust created by its competitors' success.

Research by Accenture shows that 91 percent of consumers are more likely to purchase from brands that recognize and remember them and provide relevant offers. Nowhere are customer expectations higher than in the media and entertainment industry. Consumers want content providers to meet them where they are, on any device, and point them to the best next experience for them. To do that with any kind of credibility, you need a lot of data about your customers - and it has to be the right data, used in the right ways.

For IT leaders, who are now expected to support the customer journey from start to finish, that creates a huge challenge. On the one hand, you feel pressure to help marketing and other customer-facing teams extract as much value as possible from your customer data - so they can show customers your brand "gets" them. On the other hand, you are responsible for keeping customer data secure and making sure it is used in appropriate, legally compliant ways.

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