Build or Buy: Business Analytics case study

June 12, 2011


Business intelligence (BI) software originally emerged in response to the need for organizations to access accurate and timely information to support informed business decisions. However, today’s BI market has become a bewildering array of tools and platforms so businesses increasingly turn to their internal IT departments to develop their own BI solutions. While BI software – tools, platforms, and applications alike – holds great potential for helping organizations readily access the enterprise information needed to make informed business decisions, the reality of developing such a systemin-house is extremely challenging.
The decision to build a custom solution or buy a package can be the difference in the success or failure of the business intelligence project. Before making the build or buy decision, the following factors should be considered:
  • Effort: the dauting task of developing an in-house Business Intelligence application
  • Expertise: the staff technical expertise necessary to build it
  • Experience: knowing how long it will take, how much it will cost, how to manage…
 

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Five questions to answer before selecting a BI

June 10, 2011


Over the last decade, Business Intelligence (BI) has been at or near the top of the list of many executive and business users throughout the world. Organizations have made major investments to information technologies including CRM, ERP, and a slew of other transactional systems that run the operations of a department, divisionand subsidiaries. Organizations are sitting on mounds of data and are looking for ways to leverage the data fortheir business advantage. To transform raw data into meaningful and useful information enables more effectivestrategic, tactical, operational insights and decision-making.
With the recent expansion in the BI tools market, a selection strategy that integrates business requirements accurately is more important now than ever. This white paper explores five key elements of developing a strong BI vendor selection process, including the following topics:
  • How to assess a BI vendor’s ability to truly access your critical data
  • How to evaluate the present and future requirements of your users and organization
  • The real story behind Professional Services and Implementation fees from BI vendors
  • Key questions you should ask your vendor references
  • The right way to develop a proof of concept (POC) with a vendor

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