The business readers among you who are worried that your data is grubbier than a chimneysweep's fingernails might be interested in this free whitepaper (pdf) put together by the El Reg Department of Sanitisation.

The paper rather nicely explains that the quality of data is, like mercy, for most companies strained - something which could have serious financial implications.

As Gartner Research vice president Andreas Bitterer last year expounded: "There is not a company on the planet that does not have a data quality problem. And where a company does recognise it has a problem, it often underestimates the size of it."

Why, then, do many companies simply not have a decent data quality strategy, and what can they do to clean behind their ears? Well, it's not something they can necessarily do overnight, but making a start now will ensure a smoother ride later.

To learn more and avoid possible datapocalypse, click here to enjoy our "whiter-than-white-or-your-money-back" offer. ®