Simply put, Big Data opens the door to monitor, measure, and know, radically, more about your business and directly translate that knowledge into improved decision-making and performance.
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By Lisa Spencer, EVP Sales & Marketing, MindStream Analytics |
Take retail, for example. In the past, booksellers in physical stores were able to track which books sold and which did not. If they had a loyalty program, they could tie some of those purchases to individual customers, but that was about as far as they could go with analysis. Online shopping increased visibility dramatically. Online retailers could track not only what customers bought, but also what else they looked at; how they navigated through the site, how much they were influenced by promotions, reviews, and page layouts; and, similarities across individuals and groups. Before long, they developed algorithms to predict what books individual customers would like to read next-algorithms that performed better every time the customer responded to or ignored a recommendation. Traditional retailers are simply unable to access this kind of information, let alone act on it in a timely manner. Amazon is great example of the power of informed data, digital born companies have accomplished what business executives could only dream of a generation ago. |
As the tools and philosophies of big data spread, they will change long-standing ideas about the value of experience, the nature of expertise, and the practice of management. Smart leaders across industries will see using big data for what it is: a management revolution. But as with any other major change in business, the challenges of becoming a big data-enabled organization can be enormous and require hands-on-or in some cases hands-off-leadership. Nevertheless, it's a transition that executives need to engage with today.
Big Data and Analytics?
Business executives sometimes ask us, "Isn't 'big data' just another way of saying 'analytics'?" It's true that they're related: The big data movement , like analytics before it, seeks to glean intelligence from data and translate that into business advantage. However, there are three key differences - the three V's of Big Data:
Volume.
According to computer giant IBM, 2.5 exabytes-that's 2.5 billion gigabytes (GB)-of data was generated every day in 2012 and that number is doubling every 40 months or so. That's big by anyone's standards. About 75% of data is unstructured, coming from sources such as text, voice and video.
Velocity.
For many applications, the speed of data creation is even more important than the volume. Real-time or nearly real-time information makes it possible for a company to be much more agile than its competitors. Rapid insight provides any business the ability to analyze and act fast.
Variety.
Big data takes the form of messages, updates, and images posted to social networks; readings from sensors; GPS signals from cell phones; and, many more. The huge amounts of information from social networks, for example, are only as old as the networks themselves; Facebook was launched in 2004, Twitter in 2006. As more and more business activity is digitized, new sources of information and ever-cheaper equipment combine to bring us into a new era: one in which large amounts of digital information exist on virtually any topic of interest to a business. Google's director of research, Peter Norvig, says it best: "We don't have better algorithms. We just have more data."
The evidence is clear: Data-driven decisions tend to be better decisions. Leaders will either embrace this fact or be replaced by others who do. In sector after sector, companies that figure out how to combine domain expertise with data science will pull away from their rivals. We can't say that all the winners will be harnessing big data to transform decision making. But the data tell us that's the surest bet.
Partner SpotLight
OneStream aligns to your business needs and changes more quickly and easily than any other product by offering one platform and one model for all financial CPM solutions. OneStream employs Guided Workflows, validations and flexible mapping to deliver data quality confidence for all collections and analysis while reducing risk throughout the entire auditable financial process.
Our Company
MindStream Analytics' senior staff was there at the birth of Business Intelligence. We have been part of building Business Intelligence nationally from its humble niche product status to the ubiquitous analytic tool that it is today. MindStream consultants are well versed in reporting and information management and are ready to help you leverage the power of multiple tier-1vendors. From Oracle Hyperion to IBM Cognos, we can help you select and integrate the right tools for you to better understand your information. MindStream Analytics has experience across a wide variety of industries: Business Services, Consumer Products, Energy, Financial Services, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Transportation , and Telecommunication. We have the depth and breadth of experience to help you deliver actionable information to users.
Whether you need an enterprise wide Oracle BI Enterprise Edition (OBIEE) rollout, an Oracle BI Apps rollout, or an IBM Cognos ReportNet rollout, MindStream Analytics is here to help you succeed.
Case Studies
Accumen
Thanks to the intervention of MindStream Analytics, Accumen's Finance department can now model their business with a new, more organized structure that isn't conventionally available in NetSuite.
Acme Brick
Acme Brick turned to MindStream Analytics for help implementing OneStream to replace their outdated TM1 solution.
Alterra
Alterra sought the expertise of MindStream to address the challenges they faced in their Capital Planning process.
ATCO Group
Energy conglomerate ATCO operates worldwide in utilities, power generation, and related services.
Avalon
Working with MindStream Analytics, Avalon Healthcare Solutions adopts NetSuite Planning and Budgeting to accelerate budgeting and forecasting processes.
Bayer Health Care
Bayer Healthcare implemented Hyperion Planning and Workforce Planning in 10 weeks to dramatically streamline their Income Statement budget and Workforce Planning process..
BluEarth
MindStream Analytics' partnership with BluEarth Renewables epitomizes the power of technology and collaboration.
Celgene
An Oracle Hyperion Planning Upgrade provides multi-national organization Hyperion Application optimization and stabilization.
Cleaver Brooks
OneStream XF was chosen as the platform that would transform Cleaver-Brooks' Finance processes.
CoorsTek
The collaboration between CoorsTek and MindStream resulted in significant improvements in CoorsTek's financial consolidation and reporting processes.
Elite Body Sculpture
MindStream Analytics' collaboration with Elite Body Sculpture encapsulates the transformative potential of targeted tech solutions in streamlining administrative processes.
Enlyte
Enlyte, a merger of Mitchell, Genex, and Coventry, faced challenges with disparate financial solutions and the need for combined reporting.
Flanders
MindStream Analytics collaborated with Flanders to implement OneStream Consolidation and Reporting solution.
Foley Products
Foley Products was facing a significant challenge with its Excel-based actual management reporting system.
Harte Hanks
The collaboration between MindStream Analytics and Harte Hanks culminated in a highly customized, user-friendly NetSuite implementation.
Interface
Interface used a complex, manual, excel-based FP&A process for monthly review, and the summary data was loaded in OneStream.
Kymera International
Thanks to Mindstream Analytics' assistance, Kymera was able to load all of their data into OneStream and validate it successfully.
MacLean Fogg
MacLean-Fogg partnered with MindStream, a leading implementor specializing in modernizing and optimizing enterprise systems.
MEPPI
MindStream's expertise and experience were sought to conduct a vendor selection initiative focusing on MEPPI's F2023 planning process.
OUAI
MindStream Analytics and OUAI's collaboration showcases the transformative power of strategic technological intervention.
Plaskolite
By migrating to OneStream, Plaskolite has achieved a material reduction in consolidation time and overall Financial Close cycle, eliminated the hours spent compiling and verifying data in Excel, streamlined its Planning, Budgeting and Forecasting model and delivered flexible and timely reporting that enables more strategic analysis of their financial data.
Redwire
Understanding the nuances of Redwire's challenges, MindStream Analytics devised a holistic approach to overcome them. The implementation of NetSuite was just the beginning.
Simon
Simon's existing corporate Hyperion Financial Management (HFM) production application was consolidating at a rate of seven hours, a performance issue causing great headache to corporate Accounting.
Source Code
The successful transition to OneStream revolutionized Source Code's financial reporting.
Subway
Subway collaborated with MindStream Analytics for the NetSuite Analytics Warehouse implementation.
UPenn
MindStream Consulting and AppCare team members are proud be working side by side with UPenn university in accomplishing this implementation and along with continuing our AppCare services after go-live.
USG
USG was an Oracle Hyperion customer realizing that it needed more specialized support for its various Oracle Hyperion applications.
Vantiv
Dividing a hyperion planning application, expanding the hyperion footprint to forecast on the business? Customer categories.
Versant Health
Versant Health engaged MindStream to help resolve the challenges they were experiencing with their consolidation, close, and financial reporting processes.
Virginia Spaceport Authority
The MindStream team implemented the Standard + Workforce NetSuite Planning & Budgeting.
WeWork
MindStream Analytics determined that the best solution was to implement Oracle Essbase Cloud as part of the Oracle Analytics Cloud (OAC) platform-as-a-service
WindStream
Innovative use of essbase to streamline and connect hyperion financial management for enhanced financial analysis.
XY Planning
MindStream Analytics, well-versed in addressing such challenges, presented a comprehensive Netsuite solution for XY Planning.