2013 Readers' Choice: Business Intelligence

CGT’s readers rank the top 10 technology providers of a point solution or a software suite for business intelligence (BI), including analytics, data warehousing, etc.
 

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While the BI rankings changed for each company (SAP excepted), the composition of the list included the same names as last year plus two newcomers, AFS and TABS Group. Johan Sauer, consumer goods consulting practice leader, Cognizant, explains how BI is changing to accommodate new sources of data.


Are there new hot spots in the use of BI tools right now?

Sauer: We see some clients exploring in-memory data storage solutions to drive “decision-making at the pace of data.” With daily point-of-sale data available, companies are finally able to assess Monday’s in-store performance — for example, promotion compliance, price compliance, new product distribution — on Tuesday, with actions delivered to the field in rank order of value on Wednesday. Many operational challenges remain to make this vision a reality, but manufacturers with a direct-store-delivery model or a merchandiser/detailer force are likely first adopters.


What trends will most impact this area in the next few years?

Sauer: Four trends are already transforming how the consumer goods industry leverages insights to create value. We call it the “SMAC Stack”: Social, Mobility, Analytics and Cloud. These concepts will enable companies to conduct business without boundaries — to understand and influence consumer conversations as and where they occur, to engage consumers with relevant brand messages in their location/context, and measure the financial impact of those efforts on transactions. Building enormous data warehouses has limited intrinsic value. A focus on creating new capabilities to make better decisions faster is the goal.

How will investments in this area change in the next few years? Are Big Data initiatives impacting BI projects?

Sauer: A transformation is unfolding in how data is provisioned, accessed and analyzed. There is simply too much data to put under one roof. Yes, an enterprise demand signal repository (DSR) is a necessity. But the SMAC Stack will take investments into new areas — available, cloud-based technologies, emerging “data scientist” capabilities to glean new insights and ubiquitous mobile access to information where and when it’s needed.

BREAKOUT FAVORITES


Customer Experience Leader: MicroStrategy

“We are seeing our business in a whole new light. Deploying MicroStrategy Mobile to our executives is the next achievement in delivering actionable, accessible and visually compelling information.”
— Bruce Yen, Director of Business Intelligence, GUESS?, Inc.


SMB Market Leader: SAP

“3-3-3 for SAP HANA; in three days we successfully completed our proof of concept; in three weeks were live and running; and within three seconds, we now run any CO-PA analysis.”
— Rogier Jacobs, CIO, Provimi Holding