I love this quote:

“Even organizations with no immediate plans to deploy MDM-specific solutions have needs and plans that MDM policies, processes, strategies, and tools can help to enable or support.”

It’s from a 2008 Aberdeen Group research report written by Senior Analyst Michael Dortch. Dortch focuses on enabling and emerging technologies for information management, and is as adept covering high-availability storage as he is trends in RFID. He’s one of those guys who can squeeze out a trenchant analysis of the MDM market in short order. And he has.

The paper, underwritten by Initiate Systems and Baseline Consulting, takes an honest look at the traction MDM has gained, what the roadblocks have been, and how to accelerate success. As with the quote above, it corroborates what we’ve seen in the market, namely that more companies are “talking” MDM than doing it. Nevertheless, it’s a top-of-mind issue with business execs and IT management alike, and when it works—Dortch cites examples from Choice Hotels and Expert Norge AS—MDM can affect business change.

Dortch’s research finds that although most survey respondents don’t cop to full MDM deployments, the vast majority have some sort of data quality or integration effort on their radar. And, in a savvy nod of the head to data governance, the report justly admonishes readers to “Ensure that MDM initiatives and deployments are supported by effective, enforced, and well-documented policies and processes…”

To download the Aberdeen report, click here.

Technorati tags: Aberdeen Group, Initiate Systems, Baseline Consulting, MDM Best Practices, Master Data Management, data governance