Four out of five organisations receive incorrect or incomplete data from partners

81 percent of organisations occasionally receive incomplete or incorrect datasets from partners. This is according to research conducted by SureSync among 433 decision-makers working at organisations with more than 250 employees. For thirteen percent, it is not even an incidental problem. They indicate that they often or almost always receive incorrect or incomplete data.

Data security under pressure

When asked about the biggest obstacles in exchanging external data, the largest group (33%) cites guaranteeing data security. In addition, 21 percent report that they receive incorrect or inconsistent data. For thirteen percent, insufficient data quality is the biggest challenge.

Although poor data quality clearly impacts day-to-day operations, organisations are not yet willing to confront the problem. Nearly half of decision-makers (48%), for example, feel that partners would rather cover up data problems than address them.

The price of poor data quality

Failing to tackle data issues can prove costly for organisations. More than half of decision-makers (53%) name process delays as the biggest consequence of poor data quality. Other consequences include error-prone decision-making (43%) and disrupted supply chain collaboration (33%).

Sander Odijk, managing director at SureSync: "In data exchange, success is often measured by the fact that a file has been sent or received. But for the recipient, an incorrect dataset is often just as much of a problem as no dataset at all. Organisations invest heavily in exchanging data securely and quickly, but not in its quality. As a result, errors only become visible when processes slow down, decisions are called into question or organisations have to correct one another. Sending poor-quality data is therefore merely shifting the problem to the next link in the chain. Precisely because organisations are becoming increasingly dependent on data, it is becoming more important to take collective responsibility for its quality."