Next generation Business Intelligence solutions set to empower productivity gains for Kiwi companies

According to independent research firm Forrester Research, businesses stand to benefit greatly from the next generation of Business Intelligence (BI) solutions[i] – designed to give business decision makers greater insight into organisational processes and empower them to gain strategic value from vital information.

This message, heard at Microsoft’s Big Picture Roadshow in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch this week, was one of many intended to spark discussion around how to make the most of company information – turning large volumes of data into invaluable assets. John Brand, Vice President, Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, was the keynote speaker at the three events.

“No other software segment enjoys the same positive market dynamics of advancing technologies, business innovation, and companies' implementation plans,” according to a report by Forrester Research, Inc., “Understanding The Business Intelligence Growth Opportunity – September 2011”.

Microsoft’s BI solution offers a cloud-ready information platform to help customers more effectively take command of their expanding data in order to optimise their operations, find greater efficiencies and capitalise on new opportunities. This is done by delivering BI solutions through market leading productivity and collaboration platforms, Microsoft Office and Microsoft SharePoint, and providing powerful management tools built for IT professionals on the SQL Server platform.

Steve Haddock, Business Group Lead Server and Tools Marketing at Microsoft New Zealand, believes that BI shouldn’t be a speciality but a natural part of any managerial role.

“Looking ahead, BI will become more pervasive and companies that best manage explosive data growth and derive the best insights from it will be the most competitive.”

“BI solutions are also becoming an increasingly important vehicle in our journey to the Cloud – customers get the flexibility they need in a solution that delivers results right out of the box.”

Microsoft has partnered with Hewlett Packard (HP) to create a range of data management appliances, from self-service BI to the highest end of data warehousing in order to deliver company insight quickly and efficiently. Increasingly, organisations are turning to BI solutions which fuse applications, infrastructure and productivity tools into a single system to help organisations optimise employee productivity and decision-making, while simplifying the delivery of applications for IT.

As data volumes continue to grow at exponential rates, SQL Server 2012 (previously SQL Server codename Denali) will give customers even greater confidence in understanding company data and reporting. In addition, the technology is designed to quickly build solutions across traditional servers, appliances, and private and public Clouds.

“The Cloud not only makes managing the oceans of data easier and less expensive, it can help companies create new capabilities and products that weren’t before possible,” says Steve.

For further information visit www.microsoft.com/nz/thebigpicture.
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[i] Forrester Research, Inc., “Understanding The Business Intelligence Growth Opportunity – September 2011”.