Microsoft’s Internal MDM Project (MIO)
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I came across this blog posting from 08/18/08 by Nick MacKechnie at Microsoft.
It briefly discusses Master Data Management at Microsoft – the “Microsoft Individual and Organization” (MIO) project.
This is a massive MDM project that Microsoft is doing for its own internal use. I’m familiar with it from my time at D&B.
There’s a Microsoft TechNet webcast (by Matt Stitz, with whom I worked closely prior to his move from Oracle to Microsoft), and an 8-page technical case study. There’s a corresponding PowerPoint, which I wasn’t able to download for some reason.
In addition to the Microsoft technology used on the project, MIO is based, in part, on Initiate Systems’ Identity Hub.
Microsoft estimates it will help it realize over $200 million in increased revenue and cost savings. Interesting reading!
Lessons on MDM from My Summer Vacation
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Hub Solution Designs Blog - Summer Vacation Route
Since I returned from my annual two-week sailing vacation, I’ve been thinking about how to tie some lessons learned on the trip to managing successful MDM initiatives.
Don’t Be Too Ambitious
Last year, we tried to cover too much ground.
This year, we deliberately sailed less and stayed in port longer. We covered about 200 nautical miles (instead of 250), but we were more rested and relaxed when we got back, and we enjoyed the trip more.
The lesson for your MDM initiatives: don’t start off with a pan-galactic, enterprise-wide vision. Start with a small but significant win that will give you a good master data foundation that you can build on, so that later, you can go after more domains of data and parts of the enterprise.
Stay On Course but Be Flexible
The weather was a bit challenging on this trip – just about every day had afternoon showers and thunderstorms. But we figured out that when an entire day of rain was forecast, that was a good day to stay in port and postpone leaving for the next harbor. It required a little flexibility in our itinerary, but it was much safer and more comfortable.
So make sure your MDM initiative can roll with the punches. You’re going to run into political battles, funding issues, delays, technical problems, you name it. But it’s “all in the attitude”. If you, as project leader or key team member, can stay positive and flexible, while remaining focused on the destination, your project is more likely to stay on track and you’ll enjoy it more.
Sail When You Can, Power When You Must
This year, I was more accepting than usual of using the engine when the wind wasn’t cooperating. There were several days when the wind was too light, or from the wrong direction. Normally, that would really bug me, but this year, I found it was no big deal.
In an MDM initiative, like most things in life, there are going to be parts you really enjoy, and parts you endure so you can get to the parts you enjoy. But try to learn from everything, and don’t begrudge the hard parts too much.
Building an MDM hub, integrating it with major source systems in your company, improving data quality, incorporating third party information, and creating a data governance function – these are all significant achievements, and you’ll look back later on the total journey (not just the fun parts) with pride.
August Column in DM Review
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Here’s a quick excerpt from my latest “MDM Insights” column in DM Review.
I recently attended a three-day training class on one of the leading data quality products. It got me thinking about the symbiotic relationship between master data management (MDM) and data quality.
MDM without a robust approach to data quality can be dangerous. We’ve all heard the IT cliché “garbage in, garbage out.” But that is very true of building an MDM hub solution. You’re literally at the mercy of the worst data entry person in the company as you gather information from any number of source systems to feed into your new hub. If you don’t have a strong filter for what goes into the hub, both during the initial load and during day-to-day operation, you’ll quickly be fielding complaints from businesspeople around the company on the quality of the information coming out of your hub.
Click on “The Relationship Between Master Data Management and Data Quality” to continue reading.
And please let us know your thoughts by commenting here …
Governing Unstructured Data
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I had a very interesting briefing the other day by Johnnie Konstantas, the VP of Marketing at Varonis.
Varonis is a software company that focuses on governing unstructured data. Johnnie’s perspective was pretty illuminating:
- A 2007 IDC study found unstructured data accounts for over 80% of all business data
- In 2008, a study by the Ponemon Institute found that 84% of organizations believe their unstructured data is accessible by people with no clear business need and 32% have experienced an unstructured data breach
- The IDC study also found that data grows at a rate of 57% per year
There have been high profile stories lately about unauthorized people snooping in presidential candidates’ passport files, the theft of 94 million credit cards from TJX, and the exposure by an investment firm of data on 2,000 clients, including Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.
And in June, The Identity Theft Resource Center reported that nearly 16 percent of breaches this year came from insiders, up from 6 percent in 2007.
Given that many of the people I talk to or work with are building Master Data Management solutions for their companies, or putting together a Data Governance program, I had to stop and ask myself “maybe we’re all missing the forest for the trees here”.
Granted, the picture on the structured data side of things needs improvement too. Companies still struggle to pull together the “Single View of the Customer”. Islands of data still exist, and artificial silos still cost companies money and hurt productivity.
But I think we ignore the unstructured data problem at our peril. I believe savvy business owners will eventually expect an integrated approach to governing both structured and unstructured data. Even though the technology tools might be quite different, a common organization and policies addressing both types of data will be necessary.
It’s not enough to lock up the structured data, when over 80% of the information in the company is unstructured and is not adequately protected or managed.
I haven’t had a chance to thoroughly research Varonis and its products yet, but it looks like a unique way to govern the unstructured data on file systems, and I’m impressed by the company’s approach.
