In a time of rapid technological evolution, it’s keep up and innovate, or fall by the wayside.
Businesses left, right, and centre, are frantically evaluating digital transformation technologies and initiatives as part of their new and improved, data-driven business models. This pace of change is creating a snowball effect, illustrated by the increased investment in game changing technologies of Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML), data analytics/predictive analytics and cloud, enabling digital organisations to leverage these business transforming technologies to harness, analyse and transform data into timely, relevant insights.
Although the rise in usage of AI/ML introduces new insights and delivery channels while enabling the reallocation of human resources to more complex or empathic processes and decisions, they still require a large human element to set up and train that data correctly. Machines can’t do all the work themselves, yet – for now, business managers have to be more on the ball, not less. Systems need cleaning, nurturing and protecting. The process is quite similar to the KonMari method that has shaken our lifestyle thanks to Netflix and its Marie Kondo show.
With digital data so crucial to seamless, real-time decision making, how can business leaders exploit digital data and technologies to transform business models and stay ahead of the competition?
We’ve rounded up the best solutions to help you on your path to declutter your data assets, monetise those insights, and spark the joy when seeing genuine returns on tech investments.
Alteryx
Alteryx is for every knowledge worker that uses data in spreadsheets or forms, and wants to find more answers, quicker. This data analytics platform allows anyone to really work with their data and become their own analyst by discovering valuable insights faster. Providing a code-free and code-friendly environment, this self-service data analytics platform bridges the gap between analysts, data scientists and IT teams, to allow anyone to really work with their data and become their own analyst by discovering valuable insights faster.
Data blending from disparate sources at pace may not sound like a traditional marriage saver (although nobody used to associate Marie’s new folding methods with that, either) – but who knows what the thrill of arriving at an answer rapidly can trigger in a jaded brain?
In the digital economy the smartest, fastest and most accurate players win. By working to the best view of reality, and finding the most trends faster, a knowledge worker (and isn’t that all of us?) can add more value to their role, their business, or even reinvent the whole process if they crack the codes hidden in their data. Winner.
Such technologies are for those that want to pump their fists in the air as they discover new connections that translate into efficiencies, opening new markets, or simply taking a process stuck in spreadsheet hell to one that can be run in seconds over a sandwich rather than days and whole teams staying up late at night.
Nlyte
How joyous is your data centre? A strong chat up line for sure, but also a valuable question.
For those who need to keep their data centres tidy, their assets organised and optimised, the range of solutions from Nlyte Software helps management and engineers alike remove little used assets or those that pose a risk, streamlining the entire technology asset environment. By understanding the nature of the whole data centre, from ‘dock to decom’, organisations can apply technology asset management and software asset management principles to ensure that there’s no wasted resources, minimise the danger of errors and outages, and ensure that they are not overpaying for the privilege of running their applications and hosting their valuable data.
Nlyte reduces costs and risks, while improving efficiency and transparency for the entire organisation. Founded in 2004, the vendor is one of the older in this list, but its tech is still at the forefront of the market as the software provider is currently on the tenth generation of their products.
Onvu Technologies
If Kondo was a video-based analytics and solutions software, she might just be called ONVU Technologies. Seeing is believing, and there’s no better way to organise your environment than to visualise it. Happily, this method doesn’t necessitate unearthing piles of jeans that clearly haven’t sparked joy since the millennium. It does however require innovative wide-angle camera technology (both 360- and 180- degree), and an appreciation of the unrivalled ability of data insights from the real world rather than the virtual one to impact all areas of the business.
With 360-degree video solutions, ONVU Retail, within the ONVU Technologies portfolio, leaves ambiguity and guesswork at the door, allowing high-value business decisions to be made off the back of visual evidence of the people, places and assets the organisation manages. Why guess how to maximise the potential of a space, when intelligent video and analytics can do so for you? The technology is particularly useful in retail: If too many customers are waiting for a certain till or key displays aren’t attracting attention, issues are easily identifiable, and actions can be automatically scheduled.
Another use of the video and analytics data is to help cut out ‘clutter’ and see what type of merchandising, in-store advertising, display etc. is not working – and replace them with something that sparks more joy.
Any environment where people interact with space and physical assets can be analysed, garnering a wealth of valuable insights. The result? Improved customer experience, efficiently utilised space, and the assurance of knowing that your business is truly maximising its potential.
Unravel
For the more hardcore data engineers, Unravel is the application performance management solution (APM) that does what it says on the tin. Let’s be honest, achieving this whole minimalist Kondo vibe with data systems that are inherently and increasingly outrageously complex isn’t realistic. Though, if there’s a performance solution that allows us to unscramble the wires, this is the time to be using it.
Founded in 2013, Unravel was born as a solution to the shared frustrations of the founders – big data experts hailing from big names such as Cloudera, Oracle and Hortonworks. In a nutshell, this, the only performance Management system natively designed to radically simplify your data operations.. Next stop – harnessing that power in order to embark on critical business transformation!
Many large enterprises will need this as their data stacks, on-premises or in the cloud, out grow your ability to manage them. It’s likely your data stack doesn’t spark joy quite yet, but not to worry – the potential for growth associated with fully optimised infrastructure, applications and services sure might.
Posted online here:
https://www.itproportal.com/features/clean-up-your-act-how-to-marie-kondo-your-enterprise-data/
