21 Apr 2010

Data quality 'key for small business users'

Small businesses must remember that data quality is integral to making a long-term recovery from the economic downturn.

According to Daragh O'Brien, a member of the International Association for Information and Data Quality and its former director of publicity, said that many companies still use manual systems and spreadsheets to monitor their data accuracy.

However, he argued that it is now time to automate these processes in order to ensure quality across the board.

Mr O'Brien commented: "The key opportunity to achieve further benefits lies in streamlining and improving the management of information and the reliability and quality of the information assets."

He added that inefficiencies have been exposed due to the recession and now is the time to address these issues.

The results of a survey conducted by independent research firm Lepus recently showed that firms are increasingly looking to exploit data consistency to support data-hungry risk management processes and achieve a more extensive view of risk.