TRILLIUM SOFTWARE INSIGHTS

I'm So Excited to Learn Things I Don't Know

Len Dubois, Sr. Vice President, Marketing & Sales Support,Harte-Hanks Trillium Software

Today we kick off our 10th annual Trillium Software customer conference in Orlando. I'm so excited to learn things I don't know!

Forgotten Connections? Big Data and Data Quality

Nigel Turner, Vice President, Information Management Strategy, Harte-Hanks Trillium Software 
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Big Data is everywhere. Look at any IT industry journal or website and you'll see more articles about Big Data than any other subject in the industry. As I write this piece, typing the words "Big Data" into my Google search engine brings back over 1.5 billion hits.

Follow the Road to Data Quality for Dynamics CRM

Kathleen Perkins, Global Alliances Director, Harte-Hanks Trillium Software

I’ve arrived at the scene in New Orleans for Microsoft’s Convergence 2013. The Convergence Live Wall now estimates more than 11,000 attendees, comprised of Microsoft Dynamics executives, Dynamics partners and customers – all arriving from around the world.

360 Degree View of Microsoft Convergence 2013

Kathleen Perkins, Global Alliances Director, Harte-Hanks Trillium Software

As the clock springs forward, it’s time again for Microsoft Convergence. This will be my sixth Convergence event and as always, I really look forward to the many opportunities for learning and networking during the five day show.

The Intersection of Business and Data Quality

Len Dubois, Sr. Vice President, Marketing & Sales Support, Harte-Hanks Trillium Software

More and more, I’m talking with people from the business side of their organizations – not just the internal IT departments – about their data quality challenges. This is the beginning of a fundamental shift, or at least a balancing, of the type of people who concern themselves with the quality of their data.

Looking Ahead (and Back) As We Ring in the New Year

John Nicoli, Managing Director, Harte-Hanks Trillium Software

As we embark on a new year, looking back is a helpful exercise in order to understand or anticipate what we could face across our business in 2013. Everyone remembers and recounts the good times over the past 12 months when the ball drops on December 31, and Trillium is no exception. But, we’re also using our experiences during the past year to predict how our business – and the entire Data Management industry - will be fueled and changed, in 2013.

When it comes to data management and data quality, organizations must more efficiently leverage their existing systems to improve customer service and the online customer experience. The economy will continue to have fits and starts in 2013, so companies can’t afford to engage in whole rip and replacements of systems and data management resources. Yet, they’ll continue to be pressured to vastly improve the customer experience.

It’s in the Language We Use...Isn’t It?

Len Dubois, Sr. Vice President, Marketing & Sales Support, Harte-Hanks Trillium Software

Ten years ago, analysts and vendors began to tell us that poor data quality is a business issue and not just an IT issue. But listening to industry expert jargon during these ten years, it’s been quite obvious who the buyers of data quality solutions have been…Information Technology professionals only. Not any more....

Welcome to Twenty-First Century Data Globalization

David Binkley, Senior Technical Account Manager, Harte-Hanks Trillium Software

In this second decade of the twenty-first century, I’m amazed by the number of applications that are still handicapped with the design, technology, and data structures from a bygone era. Most of them are legacy applications built to handle specific goals for the limited markets of yesteryear, and there are countless data-related workarounds that have been applied to keep them functioning. Even with data remediation, many of these legacy applications have little usefulness when it comes to resolving the data issues associated with today’s global challenges.

Companies that recognize and respond to the data challenges of the global economy are going to be market winners. Enabling companies to recognize and respond is a huge opportunity for data quality service and solution providers. How huge of an opportunity? Do you remember all of the preparation for Y2K that made the hype seem unjustified? Well, if you haven’t already prepared to meet the data needs of your global enterprise, the effort required just for data governance across your organization could make Y2K look like a picnic in the park.

THE FUTURE OF DATA QUALITY - ARE THE ODDS STACKING UP?

Nigel Turner, Vice President, Information Management Strategy, Harte-Hanks Trillium Software
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I’ve recently read this year’s Gartner Data Quality Magic Quadrant report.   This comprehensive annual report evaluates the current status of the data quality (DQ) market and its key players.  The picture it paints is generally good news for all of us who work in DQ, showing that the market for data quality tools rose fully 18% in 2011, way above average software growth.  Accompanying this has been a growth of the number of data quality vendors – 75 compared to 70 in 2011 – swelled by new entrants who recognise the opportunities an expanding market brings.

One thing the report clearly highlights is that so-called ‘stack’ vendors such as IBM, SAP, Informatica and SAS / Dataflux, who provide databases, data warehouses, ETL tools, MDM solutions and so on in addition to data quality products & services, are seen as the leading players in DQ.  I was however also delighted to see that my own company Trillium Software, still a pure play data quality tools and services provider, was also firmly in the Leader quadrant alongside these stack providers.

Are You A Data Whisperer?

David Binkley, Senior Technical Account Manager, Harte-Hanks Trillium Software

A whisperer is a person who is able to tame or control animals, especially by talking to them in gentle tones, e.g. a horse whisperer.

There are people who make a living out of “talking” to data to turn it into useful information. They perform many functions ranging from statistical analysis to accounting, customer support, sales, and marketing. Without them, most companies and organizations would quickly grind to a halt. As data volumes expand, these people will be even more important in business and government.