Unified data management is becoming a strategic advantage in today’s business world. With the advent of big data, the volume and type of information that companies must use in near-real time to gain a competitive edge is growing at an unprecedented rate. Meanwhile, industry consolidation is leading to mergers and acquisitions that require disparate IT systems to be harmonized in order to move forward. These forces, combined with ongoing pressure to use all available data to improve employee productivity, customer satisfaction and innovation, are spurring enterprises to make data management planning a top priority. To support these plans and help achieve important business goals, enterprises are turning to data management solutions with significant urgency. According to a recent IDG Research Services study of 118 IT professionals, 87 percent of respondents said data integration tools have been deployed or are on their company’s road maps; 84 percent answered the same for data quality tools; 82 percent for master data management solutions; and 81 percent for data governance/data stewardship initiatives. Nearly three-fifths of respondents at organizations that have data management solutions in place are planning to continue making near-term investments in these types of tools. Data Management: A Unified Approach