When it comes to BI and analytics - plan, plan and plan again

In our line of work, it has become almost a given to suggest that the increased power of business intelligence and data warehousing systems will make it possible for workers throughout the enterprise to access its advantages. No more, we’re told, will a company’s BI capabilities be limited to the “men in white coats”, the power users with answers being sent down to the frontline workers at their whim and whenever they please. Instead, people will have the answers they need, when they need them, so that they can do their jobs more quickly and far better.

Now, granted, the ability to move more quickly is a prerequisite for any successful business these days. And the ability to deliver key information in a timely manner is part of that requirement. Our Data Warehousing as a Service (DaaS) enables precisely that ability; we’re proud that we can deliver answers up to 85 times faster than some of the incumbent systems we’re replacing.

But is that the most important thing? Instead, there’s a basic business issue that should be addressed before you deploy DaaS as a solution: Who needs the information? Why do they need it? And exactly how much better will they be able to do their jobs by getting the information more quickly?

Just because you can do something better doesn’t always mean the older way was necessarily bad. A business intelligence system is not a solution unto itself; if you’re not installing it to answer a clearly defined business challenge, you’re setting yourself up for a massive failure: the kind where CFOs look at the costs and ask, “Exactly what are we getting for this money?”

Even more, you need to balance the ability of systems like DaaS to provide widespread insight to thousands of workers concurrently, with the needs of the information security guys. They’ll tell you about the theory of “least access,” that workers should only have access to the information they need to do their job.

Here’s our suggestion: if you determine that your company has a need for a BI system, or if you find that the one you have isn’t doing the job you need, get your entire team together. Map out an implementation strategy that answers your clearly defined business needs. Do a POC (proof of concept) first. Then, and this is important, do a POV (proof of value) that spells out what you’ll truly get in return for the money and time you’re investing. Then determine whether you’d rather have an on-site appliance or if you can outsource the ability in a DaaS configuration.

Only by answering those questions fully and by planning as a team will you have a comprehensive solution that everyone is happy with.