Data Strategy articles from May 2008

Data Strategy archives from May 2008

LEADER: If there's no harm, there's no foul...right?
May 19, 2008... What sanctions should exist if an individual or company knowingly breaches the Data Protection Act? Should the same sanctions be available against both commercial and public sector organisations? And if a breach of the Act occurs but has no...

Data breaches falling as security improves.
May 19, 2008... Data security breaches may have peaked with the level of problems falling back to the same rate seen six years ago, according to a new survey. The 2008 Information Security Breaches Survey, carried out by a consortium led by...

IN BRIEF: Hacked server held 1.4gb of stolen data.(Brief article)
May 19, 2008... A server controlled by hackers has been found to contain more than 1.4gb of business and personal data stolen from infected PCs. The "crimeserver" held the data in the form of 5,388 unique log files holding both email and Web-based data. ...

BT to blend risk and marketing scorecards.
May 19, 2008... BT has appointed Ai Data Intelligence to work across its main business account, providing data and analysis services. The work will focus on developing and deploying bespoke consumer scorecards across both the fixed line and mobile telephony...

IN BRIEF: Experian gets three-year mortgage deal.(Brief article)
May 19, 2008... GMAC-RFC has renewed a contract with Experian for bureau information, ID authentication and anti-money laundering services. The deal allows the company to make realtime decisions on mortgage applications, allowing the lender to provide a...

Jockey Club poised to redeem loyalty points.
May 19, 2008... Nectar has been appointed by Jockey Club Racecourses (JCR) in an exclusive deal which will see loyalty card holders able to redeem points against tickets for race meetings. JCR owns 14 of the leading UK racecourses, including Cheltenham,...

'Information gap' harming business.
May 19, 2008... Businesses continue to be hampered by the poor flow of information around their organisations, with the majority of executives not receiving business-critical data in realtime or in a format that suits them. The survey of chief information...

Hoover's launches social network.
May 19, 2008... Business information provider Hoover's has entered the social networking space with the launch of Hoover's Connect. Following a successful beta test last year, the service is aimed at further empowering users of its datasets with ways to...

IN BRIEF: Outsourcing fails security test.(Brief article)
May 19, 2008... Despite 78 per cent of organisations choosing to outsource software development, security is being overlooked when specifying the development of critical applications, according to Quocirca and Fortify Software. The survey found that over 60...

SME library granted access to D&B data.
May 19, 2008... A groundbreaking agreement between the Museum, Library & Archive Council (MLA), the government's strategic agency for these services in England, and global business information provider D&B will see over 3,000 libraries providing access to...

GB Group identifies perishable opportunities.
May 19, 2008... GB Group has launched a service aimed at supporting bespoke communications for individual customers and prospects, based on time- sensitive opportunties which are unexploited. Called U4C, the online service identifies high-value sales windows...

IN BRIEF: New business 'multiverse' launched.(Brief article)
May 19, 2008... Cyance has launched a new proposition called B2B Multiverse Ebase which combines data sets from a range of leading business list owners into a single source of 4 million business locations. The database will be update, enhanced and recreated...

National suppression file to be embedded.
May 19, 2008... The Software Bureau has enhanced its Cygnus data management application by adding the Xpression file to its Embedded Suppression module. Formerly called the National Suppression File, this is the first time this dataset, managed by The REaD...

DATA QUALITY NEWS: Electoral Registers have 'major failings'.
May 19, 2008... The UK's Electoral Registers have major failings, including deceased, fictitious or multiple-registered voters, according to a new study by the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust. While 'Purity of Elections in the UK', published at the end of...

IN BRIEF: Siperian integrates BI tool into MDM.(Brief article)
May 19, 2008... Siperian is to integrate MicroStategy's business intelligence software as part of a new offering called Insight Manager. The application reports on the quality of master data and the performance of the MDM hub through a dynamic dashboard....

DATA QUALITY NEWS: QAS launches cleaning tools.
May 19, 2008... QAS has launched two tools for data cleaning. QAS Batch with Suppression API is an embedded module designed to be integrated into business applications, such as a CRM system. It automatically identifies and removes individuals who are...

Why technology is only the enabler.
May 19, 2008... The data an organisation holds about its customers, products and suppliers can be one of its most valuable assets, but to maximise value, data needs to be complete, accurate and available to the business functions that require it. Master...

LETTER: Assessing the strengths of the digital dashboard.(Letter to the editor)
May 19, 2008... I wholeheartedly agree with your article (The importance of the digital dashboard, DS April 2008) that we now have a powerful implement perhaps best encapsulated as "a management tool used to get a bird's eye view of enterprise health". ...

LETTER: Going beyond volume or cost based selection.(Letter to the editor)
May 19, 2008... There is no one-size-fits-all rule for buying prospect data (Weighing up the cost, DS April 2008), as much will depend upon a client's business objectives. Prospect pools can be very cost efficient, particularly when a client wants large...

The key to playing the sympathisers.
May 19, 2008... Nothing brings people together more than a slice of negativity. Sharing troubles is therapeutic and, once the problem is voiced, it suddenly becomes less problematic. On the reverse side of the coin, we are nervous around overly positive...

SHIFTING TRENDS: Beyond behaviour.
May 19, 2008... Understanding what drives and controls peaks and troughs in the buying cycle is key to the continued success of any brand. To get to grips with why sales spikes happen, brand owners must look beyond behaviour. David Reed investigates ...

LEGAL COLUMN: Susan Mann, partner, Marriott Harrison.(Column)
May 19, 2008... Recently, the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) reviewed arrangements by three UK Internet service providers (ISPs) to allow Phorm Inc, whose proprietary technology uses anonymised ISP data, to target online users with tailored...

CASE STUDY: Boosting business.
May 19, 2008... CDC's MarketFirst model brings Government agencies together to boost Sussex businesses Sussex Enterprise is a not-for-profit organisation that helps businesses in the UK grow. The organisation has two key functions - the first is Business...

DATA FINANCIALS: The #67bn question about business intelligence.
May 19, 2008... All you ever wanted to know about making profit from data but were too afraid to ask Failure to adequately exploit corporate information using tools such as business intelligence is creating a missed opportunity worth #67bn to UK plc,...

DATA FINANCIALS: Data security creates business liabilities.
May 19, 2008... Poor data management that results in loss of personal or corporate data could lead to company directors facing lawsuits. Shareholders may call directors to account for failing in their duty of care if they are hit by phishing scams, improper...

DATA QUALITY: Stuck in the middle.
May 19, 2008... Data stewardship is a term you are going to hear a lot more of this year. Growing concerns about data compliance are combining with an increased focus on data quality. David Reed reports In the coming year the formerly legalistic approach...

BUSINESS DATA: A market of one.
May 19, 2008... Business-to-business marketing has never been the most glamorous of disciplines. Despite this, key developments are helping to transform the sector into a vibrant challenger for a seat at marketing's top table. Emily Cubitt reports Despite...

THE BACK ROOM: Data's jack of all trades.(Interview)
May 19, 2008... Data Strategy talks to data practitioners who toil unnoticed behind the scenes Q What is your name and job title? John Wallinger, head of data, Hicklin Slade & Partners Q What does your job involve? Is there a lot of pressure? ...

THE BOTTOM LINE: MidBritains stand up to be counted.
May 19, 2008... How big can a segment get before it becomes an undifferentiated mass? Associated Newspapers is pushing the limits of consumer classification with its MidBritain profile. Core readers of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, the media owner...