Effective use of data has become a necessary part of any successful business in the modern era. This need for so called ‘business intelligence’ has given rise to tools used for analysis and visualisation. But while off-the-shelf solutions offer some benefits, for businesses dealing in complex data sets specific to their work, these solutions can be limited in their effectiveness. Bespoke business intelligence software, built with a particular focus on addressing specific challenges, can offer advantages over off-the-shelf options.
Business intelligence (BI) encompasses processes, technologies, and tools used by businesses to analyse and interpret data, facilitating more strategic decision-making. BI addresses challenges such as data silos, where disparate data storage systems hinder effective consolidation and analysis. Additionally, it tackles data complexity by providing advanced analytics capabilities to extract insights from vast datasets. BI tools automate reporting processes, reducing decision-making bottlenecks caused by manual analysis. Furthermore, BI enhances data visibility, allowing businesses to monitor and optimise operations effectively.
Microsoft's Power BI has emerged as a key tool enabling businesses to convert raw data into visually dynamic dashboards for analysis. It supports advanced analytics on large datasets from diverse sources, facilitating data exploration and generating actionable insights. With real-time and historical data, Power BI enables informed decision-making, enhancing business efficiency and competitiveness.
Despite its advantages, off-the-shelf tools like Power BI have limitations. They offer fewer customisation options, hindering alignment with the unique needs and processes of each business. Moreover, scalability issues may arise as businesses grow and data volumes increase. Cost considerations, including licensing and implementation costs, can be prohibitive. Additionally, the technical expertise required to effectively utilise BI tools poses challenges for non-technical users.
Let’s dig into how custom solutions might offer a superior route.
Custom BI tools are designed specifically to meet the unique needs and workflows of a particular business. This means that instead of adapting existing tools to fit their requirements, businesses can have a solution built from the ground up to align perfectly with their processes and goals. This level of customisation provides greater flexibility and functionality, allowing businesses to implement features and functionalities that are crucial for their operations but may not be available in off-the-shelf solutions. For example, custom BI tools can incorporate industry-specific metrics, KPIs, and analytics models tailored to the specific needs of the business sector.
Imagine a retail chain invests in a custom BI solution to analyse customer behaviour across physical stores and their e-commerce platform. This solution integrates data from Point Of Sale systems, online sales platforms, and loyalty programs, providing insights to optimise marketing strategies and improve customer satisfaction.
Custom BI solutions can be optimised to handle the scalability and performance requirements of large datasets and growing business needs. Unlike off-the-shelf solutions that may struggle to scale efficiently as data volumes increase, custom BI tools can be designed with scalability in mind from the outset. This means implementing robust architectures, utilising scalable database technologies, and optimising query performance to ensure that the BI system can handle increasing data loads without compromising performance. Additionally, custom solutions can be designed to leverage parallel processing, distributed computing, and other advanced techniques to further enhance scalability and performance.
This is particularly key for fast growing businesses. One might opt for a custom BI solution to handle increasing data volumes and complex queries efficiently. Using distributed database architecture and parallel processing techniques, this solution ensures scalability and high performance, allowing the company to continue growing rapidly without analytical limitations.
Custom BI tools can be seamlessly integrated with existing software systems and data sources, minimising disruption to business operations. This integration capability allows businesses to leverage their existing investments in technology infrastructure and software applications while enhancing their analytical capabilities. Custom BI solutions can integrate with various data sources, including internal databases, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, customer relationship management (CRM) software, and third-party APIs. By consolidating data from disparate sources into a single BI platform, businesses can gain a holistic view of their operations and make more informed decisions.
Consider a scenario in which multinational corporation implements a custom BI solution to consolidate data from various enterprise systems like SAP, Salesforce, and Oracle. This solution seamlessly integrates with existing software infrastructure, extracting and transforming data for real-time analysis across the organisation, leading to better decision-making and operational efficiency.
With bespoke BI solutions, businesses have complete ownership and control over the development, deployment, and maintenance of their BI systems. This means that they can prioritise features, security measures, and maintenance schedules according to their specific preferences and requirements. Unlike off-the-shelf solutions, where businesses are limited by the vendor's roadmap and release cycles, custom BI tools offer greater flexibility and autonomy. Businesses can make changes and updates to the BI system as needed, ensuring that it continues to meet their evolving needs over time. Additionally, businesses have full control over data security and compliance measures, allowing them to implement customised security policies and procedures to protect sensitive information. Overall, total ownership and control empower businesses to customise their BI solutions to fit their unique organisational requirements and strategic objectives.
Imagine a healthcare organisation develops an in-house custom BI solution to address data security and compliance concerns. With robust security measures and full control over development and maintenance, the organisation ensures patient data confidentiality and compliance with HIPAA regulations, enhancing patient care and operational excellence.
Firstcom Europe is a prominent telecommunications provider serving SMEs in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and the UK. Initially focusing on filling a gap in the unified communications market for small businesses, it developed the Universe platform to facilitate day-to-day operations.
However, as demand increased, the software faced pressure to accommodate more users and add new features to stay competitive. Firstcom prioritised reliability, stability, and security to provide a seamless experience for its customers.
To address these challenges, Firstcom partnered with StableLogic Labs, leveraging their 30 years of telecommunications expertise. StableLogic conducted an audit and provided recommendations for system transformation. This led to migrating Universe to a cloud-based infrastructure using AWS and rewriting parts of the software for scalability and modernisation.
The collaboration resulted in over 30 new customer features being introduced, significantly improving reliability and scalability. The upgraded Universe platform not only supports Firstcom's growth but also enhances security against cyber threats, crucial in the technology and telecommunications sector.
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