2007 Metadata Best Practices Award Given to BMO Financial Group for Outstanding Achievement in Metadata Management

Wilshire Conferences, Inc., creators of high quality educational conferences for information technology professionals, honors BMO Financial Group with the 5th Annual Wilshire Award for Metadata Best Practices. Executive level support is seen as key in promoting the role metadata plays in the overall success of information management at BMO.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWeb) February 22, 2007 -- Wilshire Conferences, Inc. and The Data Administration Newsletter (TDAN.com) have announced the winner of the 2007 Wilshire Award for Metadata Best Practices. From among a pool of exceptionally accomplished nominees, a prestigious panel of eight judges representing the cream of the crop in corporate data management chose BMO Financial Group as this year's recipient for its implementation of an outstanding, multi-faceted metadata management program.

As metadata solutions become more prevalent, each year the Wilshire Award becomes more competitive and raises the bar for the winner. Simply implementing a functioning metadata solution is no longer sufficient to be positioned as a frontrunner. An organization must be able to demonstrate success over at least a year and provide measurable results.

Ron Klein, BMO Metadata Management Lead, was thrilled with the news. "We are delighted to have been selected this year. We have been fortunate in growing a team that not only has superb business and technical skills but also the support of savvy business experts and a great executive leadership team. BMO's strategy to support the Information Management Corporate Policy through solid metadata management is integral to governance, compliance requirements, and major business initiatives since all increasingly depend upon the availability of quality information."

So what was it that set BMO apart? According to the judges, BMO rose to the top with great executive support, a well thought out architecture, and impressive implementation.

Robert Seiner, Chairman of the judging panel and President of award co-sponsor TDAN.com, added, "What ultimately swayed the judges to select BMO was their long-term commitment to a metadata program and the buy-in they've managed to achieve throughout the organization. Plus, they were able to provide measurable evidence of their results."

Wilshire Conferences, Inc. and The Data Administration Newsletter, LLC, also extend their congratulations to 2007 award runners up, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota and the U.S. Department of Interior for their superior contributions in raising metadata standards.

About the Wilshire Award

The Wilshire Award is annually presented to a nominated organization that, in the opinion of the judges, best demonstrates business benefits and technical excellence in the implementation of metadata-based IT solutions. The award was inaugurated in 2002 and is given solely to corporate practitioners. Nominees undergo a rigorous three-month judging process during which they are evaluated on the following best-practices criteria:

•    Overall business impact and benefits

•    Return on the objective

•    Measurable ROI

•    Scale of the solution

•    Number and breadth of applications served by the solution

•    Length of time the solution has been in practice

•    Innovative problem solving

Nominees must provide substantiated evidence of solution planning, objectives, measurement strategies, and outcomes. The evaluation includes two rounds of judging as well as an intensive in-person question-and-answer session with the entry organization's metadata leads.

For more information on the Wilshire Award, including how to enter a 2008 submission, contact Tony Shaw, President of Wilshire Conferences, at 310-477-4475 ext 102.

About Wilshire Conferences

Wilshire Conferences, Inc., headquartered in Los Angeles, California, sponsors and organizes educational conferences for information technology professionals, primarily in the areas of data management and application development. Wilshire conferences enable industry experts, professional peers and technology experts to effectively interact and share best practices in the most comprehensive educational environment.

The 2007 DAMA International Symposium & Wilshire Meta-Data Conference, featuring presenters from the award-winning BMO metadata management team as well as more than 40 other leading practitioners, will be held March 4 - 8 in Boston, Massachusetts. For more information on how you can attend the data management world's largest and most authoritative vendor-neutral educational conference, please visit http://www.wilshireconferences.com.

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