Cloud BI and Analytics Resonate well with Business

Most often, IT heads are lured by cloud-based offerings as they provide immense benefits. In the case of a cloud based BI and analytics model, it appears its even better as it resonates well with business needs and benefits, drives growth and ensures better RoI.

IT heads are leveraging various cloud forms to address business needs, which will eventually help them buy in the line of business.

4 Pronged Cloud Approach

According to Ramandeep Singh, CEO, Alten Calsoft Labs, there are four different cloud usage models for BI and Analytics implementation being leveraged:

* Public cloud-based IaaS for a BI system: This option involves subscribing to an IaaS vendor and a pay-as-you-use model on the hardware and systems software. In this model, enterprises can deploy their own Extract Transfer and Load, DBMS and BI software on top of this. This model helps enterprises to convert their CAPEX to OPEX.

* BI/DW Platform as a Service (PaaS): Using this option, enterprises can deploy the BI/DW system on a public cloud or an externally hosted BI/DW for building ones own cloud-based BI system using one or more third party products. This model is useful for SMBs, and for Custom Analytic applications, Enterprise BI systems, Data Mining, and Prototyping

* Analytics on the Cloud: This is a relatively new space with many new vendors offering pre-built solutions in a pay per use model

*Public cloud or externally hosted SaaS BI for operational reporting on cloud-based operational data: Enterprises can opt for this model for building a cloud-based reporting system on operational data from a cloud based transaction processing system or social media data

*Private cloud-based BI system running internally: This model can be used for an existing large BI & DW system, which is hosted in-house to optimize resource usage

Lower Expense, Merrier it is

Ashok Kannan, AVP-IT, Ashok Leyland John Deere Construction Equipment Company Pvt Ltd., expects CFOs to be happy, as expenses shift from CAPEX to OPEX in case the pay-per-use model is chosen.

Going by the cloud model, management reporting will be planned and scoped, and discussed and finalised with all stakeholders. The best practices for requirement gathering will be globally analysed and tailored to meet our requirements. A project plan will be finalised for implementation, and the plan will be executed, says Kannan.

Single Version of Truth

Vijay Sethi, CIO, Hero MotoCorp, says that as far as ROI is concerned, investment in a business analytical tool (whether as a product or as a service on cloud) has to be considered strategic in nature as it empowers business through timely delivery of quality information enabling right and timely decisions, instead of quantitative ROI calculations.

The two benefits that strike Sethi about using the cloud model are:

* Using information analysis to achieve business objectives: With the implementation of an analytical tool, many advanced analytical capabilities are added on; these enable the business to analyse situations from various perspectives, thus improving the quality of decisions and helping in speedier decisions.

* Reliable presentation of information (one version of the truth): The data, which analytical tools present, will become the single window of information for all the information needs of the organisation.

Having said all this, I see that the nature of analytical tools and capabilities of products on cloud will undergo a change. Considering the business problems one has to respond to, we need to cater to not just structured data but also unstructured data so as to have more meaningful insights that will help our company, says Sethi.

3 Benefit Areas

The benefits of using cloud BI and analytics, according to Archana S Awasthi, Vice President & Head- BFSI, Ramco Systems, would be faster deployment and quicker understanding of RoI. We have witnessed deployment done within a month using cloud based BI or analytics, as against the traditional model which takes a few months; this is the most attractive part, says Awasthi.

Awasthi reiterates that customers are looking at three areas in terms of support: M.I.S, data integrity from multiple sources and as a tool to convert data into insights.

Customers are increasingly looking at benefits for the corporate performance management framework comprising dashboards, scoreboards and KPIs, collaborative decision making. They analyse cause effect relationships, trends and comparisons in the cloud model, avers Awasthi.

Public cloud or externally hosted SaaS BI for operational reporting on cloud-based operational data and enterprises can opt for this model for building a cloud-based reporting system on operational data from a cloud based transaction processing system or social media data Ramandeep Singh, CEO, Alten Calsoft Labs

Going by the cloud model, management reporting will be planned and scoped, and discussed and finalised with all stakeholders. The best practices for requirement gathering will be globally analysed and tailored to meet our requirements. A project plan will be finalised for implementation, and the plan will be executed Ashok Kannan, AVP-IT, Ashok Leyland John Deere Construction Equipment Company Pvt Ltd.

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