A significant proportion of organisations continue to struggle with inconsistent and incorrect corporate data, according to a new study by data management services provider DataFlux.
The research survey asked UK-based IT and marketing managers about the quality of the data held by their organisations.
It found that 32% of respondents rated the quality of their data as poor or very poor, and more than 40% of respondents check the integrity of their data three times a year or fewer.
While 40% rated data quality as a moderately low or low business priority, 36% of respondents currently have on-going data quality initiatives.
Almost a quarter at 24% are working on data governance initiatives and 18% have master data management (MDM) initiatives underway, found the survey.
However, a significant number of corporates surveyed did not have any data quality or MDM programme.
Almost a third of respondents, 32%, did not have data quality, data governance or MDM initiatives underway.
The online research study was conducted by eMedia Group on behalf of DataFlux. Respondents are IT managers, and all 100 were drawn from UK organisations.
DataFlux EMEA managing director Colin Rickard said, "The results of this survey demonstrate that IT managers in the UK still underestimate the need for a high standard of data quality within the organisation. Improved data quality allows organisations to unlock operational efficiencies, improve customer service, reduce costs and support effective decision-making."
He continued, "Actionable, consistent data is a business asset, as many organisations recognise; but as this survey demonstrates, a worrying number of IT managers are potentially allowing their data to become a liability. Responsibility for data often falls between the IT team and the business – and this issue of ownership is critical for companies that need to realise more value from corporate information."
