Single Source of Truth - (SSOT)

Single Source of Truth (SSOT)

Single Source of Truth (SSOT) is the term used to describe a ata infrastructure that is designed in such a way that information is only stored once, as opposed to being duplicated across multiple systems. This manifests practically in the integration of a centralised cloud-based storage hub that acts as a System of Record (SOR) from which, data federation software such as Checkpoint feeds the constituent elements of other systems such as an ERP with relevant Data.

Traditionally, businesses store duplicated information on several systems across the business. This Data is simultaneously accessible through the specific system it is stored on and inaccessible from the rest of the other systems, this means you must spend time searching for the relevant information and manually inputting it into the system in which it is required. This containerised method of data storage is antiquated, inefficient, costly and prohibitive to growth.

The benefits of this are immediately apparent to businesses that adopt this methodology, managing disparate data from across multiple platforms enables staff to better coordinate their work efforts. For example, in Digital Marketing the average team in the UK use 12 seperate marketing tools. In doing so, they are populating 12 different programmes with duplicate information and then manually populating 12 systems each time with new data.

Cost
One of the biggest benefits from adopting SSOT is the cost saving. In order to implement SSOT businesses must embrace Cloud technology and migrate away from traditional on-premise data silos. This can save money in multiple ways, firstly, it ensures that as your business grows you are not required to purchase expensive hardware.
Time
SSOT prevents the duplication of work through providing businesses with a universal database from which separate software pulls information.
Accuracy
A key tenant of SSOT implementation is Single Version of Truth (SVOT). Since separate systems pull information from the same database businesses are able to ensure data continuity across the business.
GDPR
GDPR has placed obligations on businesses to handle data in a far more transparent way, pursuant to Articles 12, 17 and 23 businesses must be able to request, remove, alter and justify data on the ask of a customer. With containerised Data Silos this can be difficult or even impossible.
Scale
SSOT enables businesses to seamlessly grow without the need to purchase additional hardware or systems. As data is hosted on a cloud-platform is can scale proportionately as demands increases. This methodology also enables businesses to handle large data sets without increasing their workload.
Insights
With SSOT, information is shared across multiple Sales, Marketing and Accounting systems. Sharing this data gifts each individual department insight into the activity of the business as a whole.