Every consumer and business user loves the new world of search and query. Google-type searches offer the ability to ask a question in simple form, and receive an answer you can understand. You don’t have to be a data scientist, a rocket scientist, a statistician or a data guru to perform the search or to understand the results!
No matter the reason or the goal, when an enterprise chooses the right Augmented Analytics solution and carefully plans for and executes its implementation, it can optimize business results, reduce expenses and improve its market position, customer satisfaction and user adoption, and it is key to transforming business users to Citizen Data Scientists to improve results and team skills. Here, we examine the benefits of Augmented Analytics and how to plan and successfully execute an Augmented Analytics initiative.
There are many business issues surrounding the use of data to make decisions. One such issue is the inability of an organization to gather and analyze data. These enterprises will typically focus on building a team of data scientists or business analysts to help with this task OR they might take on an augmented analytics initiative to provide access to data and analytics for their business users. This is where businesses will often face a second issue; namely that the analytics solution they choose is not designed to easily and quickly provide insight into data and to ensure data quality.
Nothing…and I DO mean NOTHING…is more prominent in technology buzz today than Artificial Intelligence (AI). The use of Generative AI, LLM and products such as ChatGPT capabilities has been applied to all kinds of industries, from publishing and research to targeted marketing and healthcare. Gartner recently estimated that the market for AI software will be nearly $134.8 billion, with the market growing by 31.1% in next several years. In a recent survey of C-suite executives, 80% of said they believe AI will transform their organizations, and 64% said it is the most transformational technology in a generation.
Do you know what Data Democratization is? It’s simple, really. Data Democratization is the purposeful approach to cascading and integrating data into the daily workflow of business users to provide access to crucial information and the tools to analyze and understand that data and use it to make confident decisions. Instead of holding data in silos that are only accessible to IT, business analysts, data scientists and management, the enterprise recognizes the value of providing team members with the right information to do their job and contribute to the bottom line.
‘To succeed in data democratization, you need BI tools that provide data analytics access for all business users.’
Gartner predicts that, ‘75% of organizations will…deploy…multiple data hubs to drive mission-critical data and analytics sharing and governance.’ The key here is the ‘analytics sharing’ piece of the statement!
In order to fulfill the promise of this approach, your enterprise must employ business intelligence solutions that are easy-to-use and designed for business users, without advanced technical skills or advanced analytical skills. These tools allow your team members to engage in analytics and enjoy data democratization without the frustration of leveraging solutions designed for data scientists or IT staff.
Here are a few considerations to give you an idea of the kinds of things you will need to support your data democratization initiative. These factors are crucial to success, as they ensure that your users can and will adopt the BI tools you select to enjoy the new data access you have given them. Without these, you run the risk of spending the time and money to provide access and achieving poor return on investment (ROI) because of poor user adoption.
Embedded BI – By embedding business intelligence into the enterprise apps your users love, you can encourage data democratization and analytics in a single sign-on environment. Users do not have to sign in to multiple systems or move data around. They can start with the data within the ERP, HR, Finance or other system and perform analysis from within that system. Make it as easy as you can, and users will be happy!
Mobile BI – Don’t make your users sit at their desk in an office to use the BI tools. Make these tools accessible from the office and on the road, at home and in a client location or hotel. If you want your users to see the value in data democratization and you want to achieve your goals for this initiative, you must give your users the tools they need WHEN THEY NEED those tools.
Business Intelligence with Seamless User Access and Security – Data democratization does NOT mean throwing caution to the wind. Data must still be secured and accessible to users for the things they need to see, but not for the things they are not eligible to see and not in an environment where data security and privacy are at risk. To democratize your data, you must also ensure data governance, security and access standards and requirements are met.
Natural Language Processing – Make the augmented analytics and BI tools intuitive. Democratized data is no good if the users need an advanced degree to access the data. Natural Language Processing (NLP) allows your users to access data in a familiar way, with a Google-type search interface where they can ask questions using regular language and receive answers in a way that is easy to understand. If they can search, query and find information easily, they are more likely to a) use the system and b) understand the information they produce and make the right decisions.
Tools Designed Specifically for Business Users – The solution you select should be designed for business users, not for data scientists, business analysts, IT or statisticians. While you want the data democratization initiative to expand the skills and knowledge of your team, you do not want them to need advanced skills or training. Select a system that can be adopted and used within minutes – not months. Users want sophisticated functionality in an easy-to-use environment. That is important!
‘If you want your data democratization initiative to succeed, select tools that allow your team members to engage in analytics without the frustration of leveraging solutions designed for data scientists or IT staff.’
There are other considerations but, if you address the ones we have highlighted in this article, you will be well on your way to achieving your data democratization goals and ensuring that your users adopt the solution you select.
BI Tools should provide data analytics access for all business users. Simple, Self-Serve BI Tools can provide your business with the foundation to achieve your data democratization and user adoption goals. Let us help you achieve your vision and improve productivity and insight across the organization.
Original Post : Data Democratization Can Succeed with the Right BI Tools!
Smarten is pleased to announce the launch of its Mobile Application for Smarten Augmented Analytics. This native app has a seamless user interface for a great user experience (UX). Smarten Mobile app is available for iOS and Android. Installation is easy.
Technology research and consulting firm, Gartner, predicts that, ‘By 2023, data literacy will become an explicit and necessary driver of business value, demonstrated by its formal inclusion in over 80% of data and analytics strategies and change management programs.’
Smarten announces the recent certification of its Smarten Augmented Analytics Software product by CERT-IN. CERT-IN, or the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team, is an India government-approved organization for upholding information technology (IT) security, and is a well-renowned application security standard, respected within the technology community. It was initiated in 2004 by the Department of Information Technology for implementing the provisions of the 2008 Information Technology Amendment Act. CERT-IN certification is provided by a CERT Empaneled Security Auditor following a detailed security audit to review all components of the organization network including websites, systems, applications, etc. After completion of the testing procedure, the certificate is provided to show that all requirements were met.
Gartner predicts that ‘… augmented analytics will be ubiquitous, but only 10% of users will use it to its full potential.’ One of the primary reasons that augmented analytics is not adopted and leveraged to its full capacity is that the business chooses a solution that is not easy enough for team members to adopt – one that is restrictive, inaccessible or requires sophisticated skills.
Smarten is pleased to announce the addition of Sentiment Analysis features and functionality to its innovative, augmented analytics solution. Sentiment Analysis enables businesses with easy-to-use tools that provide insight into what customers, stakeholders and others are thinking, thereby allowing business teams to improve products and services.
