Strong returns from transformation - but only with the right data foundations

A study by Forrester Consulting (commissioned by SAP and Syniti) finds that organisations that prioritise data early - ensuring it is accurate, governed and usable at scale - are significantly more likely to realise value from transformation programmes.

Based on a composite global organisation (10,000 employees, $5B revenue), The Total Economic Impact™ Of SAP Advanced Data Migration And Management By Syniti study reports:

218% ROI and $2.8M net present value over three years

$4.1M in total benefits vs. $1.3M in costs

Efficiency gains driven by business-ready data

$2.1M saved through improved data quality and streamlined processes

$1.6M reduction in resource requirements

30% increase in operational efficiency

80% reduction in audit preparation time

Persistent data issues continue to slow transformation

Before adopting a more unified approach, organisations reported:

Fragmented tools and manual, error-prone processes

Poor data quality and limited accessibility

Inconsistent data governance and ownership across systems

Heavy reliance on external vendors

Delays, rework and rising transformation costs

In many cases, data was not in a business-ready state, limiting its ability to support decision-making or large-scale change.

From fragmented data to a stronger foundation

Organisations that addressed these challenges reported:

Stronger data governance and consistency

Faster, more confident decision-making

Reduced operational risk and lower costs

Greater agility to support ongoing transformation

By improving how data is managed across its lifecycle, organisations were better able to ensure it is complete, consistent and usable as an ongoing business asset.

Raising expectations of enterprise data

The findings point to a broader shift in how organisations need to view data. Rather than treating it as a downstream activity in transformation programmes, it must be business-ready from the outset: accurate, governed and accessible. This helps transformation run more smoothly, reduces cost and risk during delivery, and ensures organisations can continue to realise value afterwards through better decision-making, improved performance and more efficient operations.