Why modern revenue teams evaluate data providers on AI readiness, identity resolution, and data infrastructure—not just record volume.
This article is part of a series on how modern B2B data infrastructure is evolving in the age of AI. Use this guide to evaluate providers based on the capabilities discussed throughout the series.
B2B contact data decays at a rate of approximately 22.5 percent per year, according to research from ZoomInfo and other industry studies. This means nearly one quarter of contact records become outdated every year. For marketing and revenue teams, this statistic highlights the importance of choosing the right data provider. The wrong provider can lead to inaccurate targeting, wasted outreach, and unreliable analytics. The right provider can become a strategic data infrastructure partner.
Historically, organizations evaluated B2B data providers based primarily on record volume. More contacts meant more potential leads.
Today, the criteria are changing. Modern revenue teams need providers that support:
These capabilities help organizations generate reliable insights and execute campaigns more effectively.
Organizations evaluating providers should consider several factors.
Understanding how data is sourced helps organizations assess reliability.
Providers should clearly explain their data collection and validation processes.
Accurate datasets require ongoing validation.
Organizations should evaluate how frequently providers update and verify their data.
Providers should support identity resolution across accounts, contacts, and locations.
This capability enables organizations to build complete customer profiles.
Modern data providers should integrate easily with CRM platforms, marketing automation tools, and analytics systems.
Seamless integration improves operational efficiency.
When evaluating B2B data providers, leaders should ask several critical questions.
These questions help organizations identify providers that align with their long term data strategy.
As AI adoption accelerates, the role of B2B data providers will continue to evolve. Providers will increasingly function as data infrastructure partners rather than simple data vendors. Organizations that choose providers capable of supporting unified data environments will be better positioned to deploy advanced analytics and AI.
To understand how how leading providers are evaluated across strategy, capabilities, and market presence, explore key findings from The Forrester Wave™: Marketing and Sales Data Providers for B2B, Q1 2026.
Courtney is a seasoned communications and public relations professional with 17+ years of experience working in both the public and private sectors in diverse leadership roles. As Data Axle’s Senior Public Relations Manager, she is intently focused on elevating the company’s media relations presence and increasing brand loyalty and awareness through landing coverage in top-tier media outlets.