BI IS NOT JUST SOFTWARE
Business Intelligence has grown to be a mainstream topic amongst companies today but all too often and very quickly, the discussion focuses around the ‘tool’ and which software has the coolest charts.
- What source data is available and where is it?
- What is the data quality, granularity and refresh frequency
- What are the business goals and priorities?
- What are the KPI’s that will deliver those results?
- Who are the primary and secondary end users?
- What decisions are they making and with what tools?
it’s about insights to decision makers?
BYO ‘DEVICE’ IS HERE
Numerous studies point to the significant growth and use of bring your own devices in the workplace. The proliferation of new smart phones, tablets and lower cost 2-in-1 laptops amongst a transient workforce has put pressure on IT departments to support this.
- People are increasingly mobile and connected
- Decision makers expect the same from their business life
- The right KPI’s, refreshed and available via their device
- Regardless of screen size or operating platform
- But it has to be more than data, dashboards and charts
- And it has to be easy to set up and easier to use
BUT WAIT …. THERE’S MORE
DATA IS AN ASSET
There is no question, ‘data’ has measurable tactical and strategic value to any organization regardless of whether it is formally acknowledged as an asset on a company’s balance sheet or not.
- Indirect revenue by spotting growth opportunities
- Cost avoidance by setting and sharing targets for teams
- Capitalise on opportunities with faster decision making
- Improve topline results with better quality decision making
- Reduce costs by automating highly manual tasks
- Generate direct revenue from data subscriptions
But there is a BUT…
NAVIGATION + COLLABORATION > VISUALISATION
In order for data to be an asset or to drive any value, it has to be organised, secured, maintained and published so decision makers can act.
- Basically, an insight is a data finding that can lead to action
- So getting data ‘pretty’ is only the cosmetic part
- More value is making it easier to find the opportunity
- And then be able to act or share that with those who can
- A good solution will have one source of the truth
- And broker that truth via reports throughout the business
- Reports that are both interactiveand intuitive