Top Notch Data Management Drives Down Cost of Business Analytics

Leading Companies Exploit an Efficient Data Management Strategy for Significant Reduction in Cost of Delivering Insight With Business Intelligence (BI) Tools


BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - January 6, 2010) - In the newly released report, "Data Management for BI: Strategies for Leveraging the Complexity and Growth of Business Data," Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS), found that top performers spent, on average, 2.7 times less than Laggard companies on BI hardware and software. This study collected data from 220 executives across the globe and discovered that by focusing on improving the relevance, cleanliness, and timeliness of their business data, these leading companies were able to improve the efficacy of their business analytics and ultimately mitigate the cost of delivering business insight.

While the growth in volume and complexity of business data is not a novel concept, many companies still struggle to utilize that data for better business analytics. Ten years ago, most organizations would have been content to just store and archive data as it came in the door, but today the top performing companies strive to increase the value of their data in order to improve decision support. This new model mandates that companies not only employ the right technologies to handle the influx of data, but also develop the appropriate people and processes to create a comprehensive strategy for data management. Aberdeen's research demonstrates that top performing organizations are taking strides to cleanse their data through reducing corruption and duplication, generate more pertinent job role specific data, and deliver that information in a timely fashion. With these three ideas in mind, leading companies are able to integrate new data sources into their analytical system 6.8 times faster than Laggards and deliver BI capability to a significantly larger portion of their workforce.

"When it comes to managing data to feed into a BI or analytical system, the common thread that ties everything together is the need for efficient and timely data delivery. Any analytically inclined employee will seek ways to reduce the amount of time they spend searching for information and will expect business-critical information to be available in a clean and digestible format, when they need it," explains Michael Lock, Research Analyst for Business Intelligence at Aberdeen Group. "Perhaps the most valuable benefit that a data management strategy can deliver is to minimize the time between when a business event occurs, and when information about that event is available for consumption. Top performing companies typically push themselves to provide information faster, and as a result their employees make quicker and more informed decisions."

This report is designed to educate the executive community as to how leading organizations are able to use data management tools and strategies to improve the quality and value of their data, ultimately leading to faster integration times and double digit improvement in profitability. The report recommends clear actions for Industry Average and Laggard companies to achieve these types of performance improvements.

A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the following underwriters: Kognitio, SAP, and Talend. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=5977.

For additional access to complimentary Information Technology Research, please visit http://research.aberdeen.com/index.php/-information-technology

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company

Aberdeen provides fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having queried more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is 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 or call (617) 854-5200, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748.

© 2010 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
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Telephone: (617) 854-5200
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Contact Information: Media Contact: Michael Lock Aberdeen Harte-Hanks (617) 854-5365 michael.lock@aberdeen.com