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SAS User Forum is coming

By Anti-Clockwise
Johannesburg, 10 Oct 2008

SAS, a leader in business intelligence solutions, will be hosting its annual User Forum on the 22 and 23 October 2008. The event, which will be held at the SAS offices in Houghton, will play host to a variety of customers, international and local speakers, as well as thought leaders.

“The local SAS Forum mirrors the internationally recognised SAS Forum in both format and content,” states Riad Gydien, country manager at SAS South Africa. “The rebirth of the local forum was borne out of demand from customers to have a platform where they can interact with their peers, sharing technical and business insights with each other as well as tapping into the mindshare of well known thought leaders.”

This prestigious two-day event is aimed at SAS users across the board and will unpack the benefits of the latest SAS Enterprise Intelligence Platform and demonstrate how, through the effective use of a business intelligence environment, smarter business decisions can be made.

Key topics to be placed under the microscope will cover real world insights into the advantages brought on through customer analytics, applying information security principles to secure your data as well as “Master Data Management: Implementing a solution that will work in the South Africa context”. In addition to which speakers will explore how to see data differently and the importance for commitment to data governance, the outlook for business intelligence for 2009 and beyond as well as customer segmentation in the retail industry.

Some of the keynote speakers will include, Mark Torr, global technology practice director at SAS Inc and Allan Russell, Senior Vice President Strategy and SAS Fellow. Mark runs the Global Technology Practice at SAS and focuses on driving sales, product strategy and product marketing strategy through working with other groups. He has a thorough knowledge of the innermost workings of SAS software.

Allan Russell was selected in 2007 by SAS CEO Jim Goodnight to be a SAS Fellow, researching and reporting on emerging trends in the software industry. Russell contributes to the long-term growth of SAS by working with technology innovators among our customers and in the industry. Over the years, in addition to being a high-tech thought leader, Russell has been principal author of SAS's intelligence platform.

An impressive list of some of SAS's top customers and partners will be presenting at the event including: North West University, Ernst & Young, Blue Platinum, Absa, IQ Business Group, Computek, BIA, Nedbank, Old Mutual, Woolworths, Mutual & Federal, Monocle Solutions, KPMG, FDG, BIA, Fifth Discipline, PBT, FIOS, Octoplus, Anglo Platinum, 5One, StatsSA, eBucks and Lightstone.

SAS experts presenting include Goran Dragosavac, a datamining and forecasting guru, Bheki Lukhele, an expert on stored processes and Leonard Browne, an expert on tracking efficiency in ETL flows, to name but a few.

“Aimed at helping our users glean improved value from our software, we want them to take the journey with SAS towards reaching its full potential in their business,” ends Gydien.

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SAS

SAS is the leader in business analytics software and services, and the largest independent vendor in the business intelligence market. With innovative business applications supported by an enterprise intelligence platform, SAS helps customers at 44 000 sites improve performance and deliver value by making better decisions faster. Since 1976 SAS has been giving customers around the world THE POWER TO KNOW. www.sas.com and www.sas.com/sa

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