BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - May 7, 2008) - Companies are improving customer care and
corporate bottom lines, and completing business-critical data migration
projects faster and more economically, with master data management (MDM) --
the creation and management of "one version of the truth." This is true
even among business that claim to have no MDM investment plans, according
to research reported in "Winning Master Data Management (MDM) Strategies
for 2008-2009," newly published by Aberdeen, a Harte-Hanks Company (
NYSE:
HHS).
"Among 'Best-in-Class' companies identified by Aberdeen Group research, 94%
improved on-time data migration project completion, while 88% improved
on-budget completion. Among Best-in-Class companies focused on customer
data quality, 94% reported improvement in data integrity, 95% improved data
usability, and 88% decreased the time required to make data ready for
business use. These benefits result directly from investments by these
companies in a variety of MDM-related solutions, woven together with
business-centric polices and processes," said Michael Dortch, Senior
Analyst at Aberdeen Group.
Enterprises succeeding with MDM initiatives combine well-selected
technologies with policies and strategies that focus on cross-functional
consensus, data accountability and stewardship, well-documented IT roles
and responsibilities, and business-centric metrics.
All Best-in-Class companies focused on customer data quality surveyed by
Aberdeen Group (100%) invest in data collection, cleansing, and analysis
tools, while 98% invest in data process management. Eighty-three percent
(83%) employ MDM strategies that assign data quality and accountability to
a data steward or manager. And 89% employ customer-related and operational
key performance indicators (KPIs), while 84% use revenue-related metrics,
Aberdeen research found.
Curiously, additional Aberdeen research indicates that companies claiming
to have no MDM plans in place are making many of the same investments in
policies, processes and solutions as companies pursuing MDM. However, those
companies pursuing MDM initiatives appear to be devoting more effort to
effective supporting processes.
In addition to such findings, Aberdeen Group's "Winning Master Data
Management (MDM) Strategies for 2008" also features Maturity Class
Frameworks to help companies determine their "MDM-readiness," and discusses
the impacts of MDM and related initiatives on business and IT
infrastructures and organizations. A complimentary copy of this report is
made available due in part to the following underwriters: Initiate Systems
and Baseline Consulting Group, Inc. To obtain a complimentary copy, visit:
http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=4634.
About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company
Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market
intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more
than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely
positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating
demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment
analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets,
corporations turn to Aberdeen™ for insights that drive decisions.
As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in
context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's
analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of
Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement -
Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role
Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit
Aberdeen
http://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more
about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to
http://www.harte-hanks.com.
© 2008 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
260 Franklin Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02110-3112
Telephone: (617) 723-7890
Fax: (617) 723-7897
www.aberdeen.com
Contact Information: Media Contact:
Michael Dortch
Aberdeen Harte-Hanks
(707) 576-7565
michael.dortch@aberdeen.com