Information: vital, but perishable

Information is the keystone of any business initiative, and the more control a company has over its data, the more likely it is to succeed in its corporate goals.

In providing holistic customer contact centre and customer service solutions, Inter-Active Technologies has developed expert processes for automating information integration to reduce the time traditionally spent doing this manually, and ensuring that data is largely-protected from human error.

Inter-Active Technologies Divisional Manager Maxis Projects and Consulting Willie Viljoen explains that information integration - also known as information fusion, duplication filtering and referential integrity - is the process of merging information from disparate sources. "The function is used in data mining and in the consolidation of data from unstructured or semi-structured resources. Typically, information integration refers to textual representations of knowledge, but is sometimes applied to rich media content."

While the integration of information is usually the most cumbersome part of the process, Viljoen says when the rules are defined, integration can be automated to a level of "almost no human or manual intervention".

Inter-Active Technologies Senior Systems Developer Wynand Bezuidenhout says: "The extraction, enrichment and dissemination of information in organisations is by and large a manual undertaking, which results in frantic activity during high demand periods, mostly at month- or quarter-end."

Market evaluations show that current information models are produced by staff interrogating and extracting data from various operational data sources. "Numerous standalone or silo data sources are interrogated individually, instead of a holistic approach being taken. The disadvantage here is that an overall, single view of the deliverable is not reached," Bezuidenhout says. "Key staff members end up heavily engaged in compiling these models and reporting interfaces, when their true value lies in their analyses and interpretations of the reports. Productivity is compromised, as their time is used to compile data that is often too outdated for any strategic decisions required anyway."

Automation, integration and the packaging of information on demand streamlines a business operationally, while enabling analysts to gather and analyse information. The shift in focus from managing data to creating valuable information raises the level of information's contribution to an organisation.

"In many cases," explains Bezuidenhout, "much of the manual workload could be automated through readily available technology within businesses. This would free up valuable resources to interpret the information and focus on activities more closely related to their functions."

Viljoen says: "Our solutions range from simple front-end software that has the facility to present standard reports, to highly technical data extraction from a back-end database that provides detailed text and graphs for evaluation and processing into the type of report required."

Inter-Active Technologies approaches these solutions in a manner that not only suits the type of results a client wants, but reduces the client's downtime to a minimum. "When you approach a data integration solution, it must be properly planned and undertaken in a phased process,” explains Bezuidenhout.

The initial impact is usually minimal, as development is undertaken in a test or development environment. Once properly tested and stable, this is implemented into the live production environment, phase-by-phase. “The only disruption should be in terms of resources being made available in the investigation stages and during the development phase. The implementation into production is less disruptive, and should be done during off-peak periods to ensure minimum impact on the business."

Inter-Active Technologies compiles a framework that clearly defines the client's current activities, along with business requirements. "On completion of this, we are able to qualify the delivery on the existing information requirements. It's essential to keep the big picture in mind to ensure consistency and compatibility across the data platform. At the same time, solutions must fit with the overall standards and architecture," says Viljoen.

The company has seen a growing need for a deeper analytic ability to explore trends and opportunities, and believes that all solutions should be scalable and adaptable to changing market demands.

Critical to the success of information integration is the partnership between top management, support arms and business units, to ensure the sustainability and maintenance of any information model. "Any initiative must also be closely aligned with the organisation's strategic objectives," says Inter-Active Technologies Major Accounts Manager Sandy Phillips. "The benefits of automation with regard to time saving and efficient workflow are the same for every client, but part of our function is to match solutions with client goals."

The Inter-Active technologies team - headed up by Bezuidenhout - includes members of the original design team rated third in the world for this type of work. Each understands that the aim of automation is to eliminate the "slog" work, so key personnel can get to the analysis that adds value to the information. "With an automated process, the risk of human error is eliminated completely, as you are only dependent on the accuracy of the source," Viljoen concludes. "This also means time-saving by staff not having to redo incorrect work. With proper scheduling, processes executed during off peak times mean less impact on the production systems, too."

Information is a valuable - but perishable - commodity. If relevant information is not available on demand, it's a missed opportunity. Inter-Active Technologies offers current information, supplied consistently, where and when it is required.