Before The first challenge companies’ face is deciding which data to use. There are large amounts of data that is generated internally such as customer transaction data, internal performance data, internal supply chain, and others. After The first challenge that companies face is deciding which data to use. Large amounts of data are generated internally, such as customer transaction data, internal performance data, internal supply chain and others. Notes In the 'before' version, a possessive is made of companies in the plural. That is incorrect. The word companies itself is in the plural. Don't start a sentence with 'There are'. It adds to verbiage and sounds schoolgirlish. Removed comma before and since it is British English used here.