DATUM LLC
Employing EIM Strategy Solutions

Over the last two decades, the SAP offerings have expanded from a tightly integrated ERP suite to a collection of native and acquired technologies with an increasing emphasis on Cloud and Big Data. SAP has lost few customers along the way and successfully increased their footprint through offerings in analytics, HANA and process specialty solutions. However the increasing complexity in the average SAP customer has led to additional confusion over the use of data among systems and the necessary accountability to sustain value from insights driven by data at the local level.

DATUM LLC is a Maryland-based SAP partner that has a history in defining the operating model for information trustworthiness. DATUM’s roots are engrained in the disciplines of process optimization, performance management, master data governance and business intelligence. DATUM is most noted for delivering business outcomes that balance the needs for analytics and information governance to effectively frame up the challenges and deliver to expectations from the CXO-level down to the data steward. “Our customers recognize the parallel paths between performance management and data governance and we take the necessary measures to ensure that they can focus on the business objectives rather than on implementing tools,” says Will Crump, President of DATUM LLC. Through advisory services and their SaaS EIM platform called Information Value Management®, DATUM helps companies to produce a design for EIM (Enterprise Information Management) that is driven by business accountability and input.

DATUM’s methodology generates an operating model for accountability, governance, and information trustworthiness with outputs in the form of governance rules, data standards, process definitions, and defined metrics. This “rules before tools” methodology helps clients achieve their business goals by producing a capabilities based roadmap that allows the business and IT groups to flexibly navigate the tools landscape and achieve high-impact, value-based information governance. “Having a refined EIM strategy is a critical enabler of any business initiative,” says Crump.

DATUM has invested in building the Information Value Management solution to accelerate the potency of SAP’s EIM capabilities and is now doing the same with analytics capabilities as customers are beginning to lead the way with independent licensing and use of the solution.

DATUM promotes the synergy between pre-sales and advisory services activities to ensure that the development process benefits from high-volume feedback to support an agile development team.

DATUM, being a noted analyst favorite in a very sought-after field, employs a business model that is designed to have hybrid technology capabilities between their Information Value Management platform and advisory services. “Our unique approach makes it difficult for the inexperienced information management organizations to understand how to work with us, but seasoned SAP customers who know the challenges immediately recognize the way we operate as a benefit to their independence,” says Crump. Being a privately-held organization gives DATUM the independence to pursue and test their market vision on a regular basis. “Our customer success is our greatest marketing engine, and we continue to forge ahead because they have proven to us what works in the market,” says Crump.

Our customers recognize the parallel paths between performance management and data governance and we take the necessary measures to ensure that they can focus on the business objectives rather than on implementing tools

For the future, DATUM’s mission is to make information management a process discipline. “Our Information Value Management platform will be more agile as we aim to increase the level of guidance and control it provides the user community in defining technology readiness. Many of our customers are preparing for significant scale, and our mantra at the moment is to prepare for scale in advance of their needs,” concludes Crump.