You require reliable, clean data to make the right decisions whether you’re in sales, marketing IT, sales, or any other business function. This is where good data management comes into playand it’s the reason it’s one of the top trends in technology to watch in 2018.

Data management is a discipline that encompasses all disciplines relating to treating data as a valuable asset and ensuring its accuracy and security. This covers everything from data management to data analytics to governing your company’s data storage lifecycle.

A strong strategy for managing data includes six primary, or core characteristics:

Accuracy — the information should helpful site reflect real-world objects and events, and be verified using reliable sources.

Completeness — the information must provide all mandatory values for a particular use case for example, such as sending a letter to a customer with only their last name.

Consistency — the data should remain consistent across all data sets and remain the same even after being changed or modified.

Accessibility – data should be readily retrievable by those who require them without violating the compliance standards.

A data management program is only efficient when all departments and business units are all on board. This is especially important since faulty data could have a costly impact on your business. For example, an IBM study estimated that ineffective data management can cost the U.S economy $3.1 trillion a year in lost productivity and the costs associated with maintaining data.