Master Data Management in Practice: Achieving True Customer MDM

The Leading and Lagging Ends

In this last chapter, we will examine how emerging technology and the need to solve for existing business constraints are likely to influence Customer MDM and the direction of MDM in general.

By looking at both the leading and lagging ends of the Customer MDM spectrum, we can best see the potential for it to evolve. This will also reflect some of the strengths and weaknesses of MDM as a whole, and how MDM will influence what emerges as the next generation of data management needs and solutions. Consider that CRM's failure to deliver a broader enterprise-wide approach for customer data management contributed to the emergence of more general CDI solutions, and use of CDI solutions exposed data management needs that contributed to the emergence of Customer MDM solutions, which were designed to bring more end-to-end focus on data governance, quality management, and stewardship. So just as CDI and Customer MDM solutions emerged to fill gaps, it's reasonable to suggest that new gaps and next generation solution needs will emerge from a maturing MDM market.

To better understand what will influence the direction of MDM and what will emerge next as a result, following are some key questions we need to examine:

• Will new technology actually enable more MDM efficiency and accelerate ROI, or just be a lot of similar technology that can quickly oversaturate the market as more and more vendors jump in with offerings?
• Will the rate of organizational change be a constantly ...