Valuing data is a rather abstract process and standardized methods have yet to emerge. While many types of data already have a market price (such as information that can be purchased about an individual) or a zero price-point, data that is created as a by-product of a company’s normal operations is far more intangible.
There are clear benefits for understanding and valuing data, including the ability for a company to more accurately value itself in a merger or acquisition. This is particularly relevant for companies in highly acquisitive application markets.
Companies should also measure the change in the value of their data over time. The question every CEO should be asking his or her team is: are we constantly increasing the value of our data? And the follow-up question is: how do we measure that?