The next generation of master data management is in the cloud, it seems. Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) has launched Dell Boomi Master Data Management (MDM), a cloud-managed product that provides a set of features for simplifying data management, data integration and data quality assurance.

Aimed at midsize businesses, Dell Boomi MDM is being positioned as having a set of features comparable with on-premise systems but at a fraction of the cost. Not exactly an out-of-the-ordinary way for promoting and marketing cloud services, of course. Through the new product, Dell is offering customers multi-domain support, near real-time synchronization, bi-directional data flow and web service calls that support "enriching and validating data."

"Given their complexity and cost, most master data management solutions are simply out of reach for midmarket customers," said Chris McNabb, director of product management for Dell Boomi, in a prepared statement. "We're offering these customers an accessible, easy to use cloud-managed MDM solution that provides short time to value to help ensure their success."

The 100 percent cloud-based MDM product is focused on four core steps:

MDM in the cloud is still a relatively new concept, according to Philip Russom, research director for data management at The Data Warehousing Institute.

"Even so, there is a growing demand for and trust in cloud-based MDM tools and solutions. For example, a TDWI survey run in 2012 showed that 25 percent of organizations are planning to adopt cloud-based MDM within three years," Russom said in a prepared statement issued by Dell. "This amounts to a potential growth rate of 20 percent, which is quite healthy given the current economy. So we can expect cloud-based MDM solutions to be in use by more organizations soon."

That bodes well for Dell, but where is the partner opportunity? Dell didn't mention whether partners would be involved in the sale or implementation of Boomi MDM, but if TDWI is correct in the growth of cloud-based MDM, it's likely we'll see others announcing competing offerings this year.