The Forrester Wave™: Data Governance Solutions, Q3 2025, is now live. This evaluation captures a market in transition — one where governance is no longer just about control and compliance but about enabling trust, agility, and AI readiness at scale.

Over the past six months, we evaluated 13 of the most significant data governance solution providers. We assessed each vendor across a set of 28 criteria, including product capabilities, strategic vision, and customer feedback. The result: a comprehensive view of how the market is evolving as well as which vendors are best positioned to support specific governance ambitions.

What’s Driving The Shift?

The market is moving fast — and so are customer expectations. This year’s evaluation highlights three key dynamics shaping the future of data governance:

  • Agentic AI is redefining data governance. Vendors are embedding AI across the governance lifecycle — from classification and policy detection to rule generation and remediation. While capabilities vary, the direction is clear: Governance is becoming more autonomous, more intelligent, and more scalable.
  • Governance is powering trusted data products. Advanced platforms are enabling governed, reusable data assets to be packaged and shared as products — often through internal marketplaces — to support AI model development, accelerate insights, and unlock new business value.
  • Business users are demanding more. From intuitive UIs to embedded guidance, customers want governance tools that empower stewards and domain experts — not just central data teams.

What We Heard From Customers

Customers emphasize that success with data governance platforms depends not just on capabilities but on the strength of the partnership behind them. While many praised responsive support and collaborative product development, others noted that onboarding and enablement could be more consistent — especially when it comes to translating features into real-world value. What they valued most was a vendor that remained engaged beyond implementation. And that translates into offering strategic guidance, sharing lessons from other industries, and helping teams scale adoption and impact. Common pain points still include manual documentation, limited visibility into policy enforcement, and a desire for more explainable and business-friendly AI governance.

Why This Wave Matters

Whether you’re scaling federated governance, enabling data product thinking, or preparing for AI at scale, this report helps you take a step forward in identifying the right partner. We provide a detailed breakdown of each vendor’s strengths and gaps, along with guidance on how to align solutions with your business priorities. 

For a better understanding of the market, Forrester clients can read the full report, The Forrester Wave™: Data Governance Solutions, Q3 2025. Check out the results for all the vendors in the evaluation, including the interactive tool that provides a deep dive into the specific criteria that differentiated them and why. Have questions about the findings or how to apply them to your context? Book an inquiry or a guidance session with me.