Johannesburg, 15 Jul 2014
Know the past, understand the present, shape your future - that is the message "Forward Looking BI" will unpack at Synergy's lunch presentations in three major South African cities in August.
"Common sense tells us that any decision we make based on the facts - what we know instead of what we think we know - is going to be superior. It follows then that to drive strategic thinking - by knowing the past and understanding the present, an organisation can shape its future, extend market presence and stay ahead of competitors with integrated predictive information within its BI environment," says Synergy MD, Christo Bredenkamp.
"We are excited to share our insights at these presentations. The session will feature international BI expert, Oliver Oursin, who will look at why Forward Looking BI (FLBI) is different from traditional BI, and spell out its many obvious - and some surprising - benefits.
"We already know from experience that BI solutions can bring myriad advantages to an organisation. By exploring historical data, BI systems are able to uncover relevant data in a structured way - enabling organisations to monitor data, engage in analysis, support better decision-making and gain control.
"What we also know is that predictive analytics complements the benefits of BI systems as these tools are designed to anticipate behaviour and results, and so predict future outcomes. Predictive analytics is the new time horizon for complete visibility into a business," said Bredenkamp.
The presentations are aimed at people already using BI, as well as those who are exploring it, from executives in the strategic, operational and tactical spaces, to CxOs and management in brand, product and marketing business analysis, sales operations, human resources, operations, customer service and finance.
"What line of business (LOB) needs is a full picture of the operational data, looking at past, present and future insights. This is why it is important to understand that, for now and in the future, BI should help businesses not only describe and diagnose their past and current performance, but also predict future performance. When all three are in place, a strategic and competitive advantage is gained and an organisation is positioned for growth," said Bredenkamp.
He added that the lunchtime events will also benefit the likes of a CIO, VP/director IT, BI and IT project manager, report writer or author, BI and data analyst and data warehouse manager, who are looking for more efficient and effective ways to maximise all of their data assets to provide their business with timely access to information for better decision-making.
"Predictive analytics enhances the value of deploying BI reports, dashboards and scorecard capabilities across the enterprise by broadening traditional data analysis in terms of patterns, trends and predictive scores to help reach goals faster and achieve business success," explained Bredenkamp.
He listed the top key messages of the presentations as to:
* leverage data by using past, present and future views to improve performance and identify risks and opportunities early;
* make confident decisions by easily mining BI data to discover new patterns and insights;
* deliver information by increasing the value of deploying BI reports, dashboards and scorecard capabilities; and
* outperform expectations by transforming a business from a reactive operation to a proactive market leader.
"We are fortunate to draw on the knowledge and experience of Oursin, IBM's worldwide predictive and business intelligence solution executive with more than 15 years' experience in BI and performance management. He is no stranger to South Africa and has a solid understanding of the local business landscape, so we are confident that his input will be of immense value," said Bredenkamp.
The lunchtime sessions will be held in:
* Cape Town, on 12 August, at the Mount Nelson Hotel
* Durban, on 13 August, at the Oyster Box Hotel, Umhlanga Rocks
* Johannesburg, on 14 August, at the Saxon Hotel, Sandton
For more information, or to register, please click here.
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