Chris Foot

The database is the central repository of an enterprise's total assets, and therefore it is imperative that companies deploy the proper solutions and services to support functionality. As managing the data center becomes more complex, experts agree it is important to leverage remote database support for support in ensuring proper bandwidth, optimal connectivity and overall administration so that analytics and other operations can run smoothly.

In an interview with Smart Business, Mike Tighe, executive director of data products for Comcast Business, explained that the data center itself doesn't affect value or generate ROI, but management of critical IT functions does.

"The function of a data center is to ensure availability of IT applications and data," Tighe told the source. "If employees don't have access, they can't be as productive and in some cases, the business can't run."

Tighe further predicted that the concept of leasing as opposed to owning IT infrastructure will only accelerate as businesses increasingly migrate to the cloud, which offers more rapid deployment of applications and enhanced scalability. He noted that more companies will likely outsource IT, such as with dba services, for higher security and uptime.

"When IT becomes an important component of how you run your business, you have to ensure high availability," Tighe stated to Smart Business. "If, for example, you install specialized applications used for resource planning and creation of content, but the server starts going down because of power or network connectivity loss, it impacts your business's ability to run."

Maximizing Oracle benefits
These considerations are particularly important when it comes to maintaining Oracle performance. TechTarget reported that there are many powerful functions that come with Oracle products, such as SQL construction, application development and database optimization, but seeking third-party tools can be even more beneficial. By filling in gaps in these systems with the help of Oracle experts, firms can effectively enhance the native tools to these technologies while customizing the application for unique and specialized advantages. For example, the source pointed out that cross-platform data replication helps to unify information across multiple database platforms, while other solutions offer improved disaster recovery, business continuity and cross-platform data sharing.

With support from third-party services, enterprises can generate greater value from the database by uncovering bottlenecks, debugging issues more quickly and optimizing performance to support new features and capabilities.

RDX is a leading provider of advanced remote database management and monitoring solutions. For more information about database administration and management, please visit our Services page or contact us.

Interest in big data has been increasing as enterprises look to harness deeper insight into customers, the market and the business' future. Now, these efforts are beginning to demonstrate significant advantages that promote more intelligent decision-making and investments, which boost the bottom line.

Daniel Burrus reported for The Huffington Post that Walmart is one major corporation that has been able to mine big data for big results. Burrus revealed that the volume of inbound data that Walmart manages every hour could fill a room of 60 million five-drawer file cabinets. Additionally, with the implementation of more sensors for real-time sales and customer analytics, the amount of information coming in will only increase. He noted that this data is invaluable as it informs businesses on where consumers are going and when as well as what they're buying. And by deploying dba services and the most capable database experts, these firms are already seeing dramatic results, according to Burrus. 

Powerful outcomes
Burrus cited electronics chains The Source and Charlie Brown as two stores that are using real-time analytics to make better decisions. He explained that by diving into big data, these companies were able to detect a shift in purchasing, specifically that several upscale items (in the $650 range) were selling more than lower priced models (at about $150) in the same line. The firms were then able to stock the shelves with more of the higher-priced merchandise, causing sales to surge 40 percent thereafter. By looking at big data, these companies could quickly identify which products were in higher demand and react more quickly to see rapid payoff. Additionally, Burrus noted that these businesses were able to discontinue items that weren't selling, which also boosted profitability by eliminating products that are wasting inventory space.

As a result of big data, companies are also now able to devise better pricing strategies. Yahoo Finance revealed that when product prices are too high, customers may be hesitant to buy, but when they are  too low, companies shortchange themselves and hinder ROI. Shaw Industries, a flooring subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway was able to determine that more than half of its products were underpriced, the news source reported. By applying analytics insights and adjusting prices accordingly, Shaw's margin in dollar terms increased by more than 5 percent.

While industries have continually looked to shift pricing models, inventory and other strategies to reflect changing consumer demands, big data has allowed for a new accuracy that wasn't possible before.

RDX's business intelligence and big data experts assist customers in leveraging data contained in large data stores. For more information, please visit our Business Intelligence and Predictive Analytics pages or contact us.

More businesses are looking to virtualize a variety of applications for reduced spending, increased uptime and more robust security. By leveraging support from dba services in migrating data to the cloud, firms can ensure faster, easier app deployment going forward.

An infographic from The Aberdeen Group and CenturyLink revealed that 55 percent of enterprise apps have already been moved to the cloud, 16 percent are in the process of virtualization and a total of 71 percent will be in the cloud when projects end. An overwhelming 70 percent of test and development apps have been virtualized, as well as 66 percent of web apps, 49 of mission critical, 56 percent of disaster recovery (DR) and 39 percent of database services. Aberdeen research found that best-in-class firms experienced only 0.7 hours of downtime and decreased spending by 21.2 percent as a result of virtualization. Meanwhile, cloud laggards suffered 9.1 hours of downtime and increased IT spending by 4 percent.

A successful transition
One company that has leveraged these benefits first-hand is Micro Ink, Computerworld reported. According to the source, by moving core applications from a physical infrastructure to the cloud, the business has rapidly grown to become a major competitor. Head of IT for Micro Ink, Mayank Desai, decided to move these apps to a virtualized environment after a virus corrupted the company's SAP on 28 Intel-based servers in 2009, causing three days of downtime. Computerworld revealed that Desai aimed to eliminate these interruptions and reduce recovery time to a maximum of four hours.

A major benefit to the transition is that DR automated the process, meaning that Micro Ink can now failover core apps and systems from its datacenter to a near DR site. Now, in the event of a catastrophe, the business can recover with zero data loss from its SAP and Microsoft Exchange Server systems. Virtualization also allowed Micro Ink to perform testing without disrupting users or production. 

"After we had finished configuring our apps on the virtual infrastructure, we found that we had 40 percent spare resources," Desai said, according to Computerworld. "This gives us room to expand and mitigate recurring IT expenses."

By storing a range of business applications on a more resilient virtualized infrastructure, firms can ensure more rapid recovery from disaster while realizing more effective use of IT resources.

RDX offers a full suite of cloud migration and administrative services that can be tailored to meet any customer's needs. To learn more our full suite of cloud migration and support services, please visit our Cloud DBA Service page or contact us.

While many enterprises have been increasingly eager to leverage cloud computing for a range of potential benefits, some firms have been apprehensive to take advantage of these rewards due to perceived data security risks. With remote DBA support, these organizations can reduce costs, drive collaboration and enhance productivity without threatening critical information in the process.

A recent infographic from Gazzang revealed that cloud computing is an especially significant priority: Market revenue is expected to increase to $5.4 billion by 2017 from just $1.8 billion in 2001. Some of the major benefits to the cloud, according to the firm's research are scalability to spin resources up and down, more accessible and portable data, higher storage capacity, IT innovation and reduced CAPEX spend. However, the source reported that sensitive data is still at risk for these firms, including medical information, insurance IDs, Social Security numbers and billing information. And since data breaches cost the U.S. healthcare industry nearly $7 billion annually and almost 20 million patient records have been compromised in the past two years, security is a top priority in migrating to the cloud. In fact, the cost of dealing with these breaches averages $24 million, according to Gazzang. And even more concerning is the fact that 45 percent of organizations have been breached more than 5 times in the past two years. 

However, Gazzang asserted that protecting data in the cloud is not impossible. CloudTweaks also reported that there are practical ways to secure cloud data that ensure both privacy protection and regulatory compliance, emphasizing encryption. By leveraging the advice of database experts, firms can analyze and mitigate the most common threats and vulnerabilities unique to the database and implement proper controls and technologies.

The advantage to a private cloud
One of the main problems with cloud storage and compliance is the location of the actual data. CloudTweaks asserted that while this information in public cloud systems is often unknown, it's better identifiable in private clouds. The source emphasized that it is imperative for administrators to deploy encryption at all stages, whether at a fixed storage location, in processing at the virtual machine or in transit between the two.

With the right DBA expertise and technologies, enterprises can manage all compliance requirements for a successful cloud migration.

RDX offers a full suite of cloud migration and administrative services that can be tailored to meet any customer's needs. To learn more our full suite of cloud migration and support services, please visit our Cloud DBA Service page or contact us.

The explosion of data due to mobile, social and other digital technologies has become a differentiator in the competitive marketplace: Those organizations that are able to take full advantage of mining this information have the opportunity to gain an edge over competitors, while those that struggle to extract value from it may be left behind. As a result of the interconnectedness of the Internet of Things, more firms are looking to remote dba services and database experts to aid in analyzing big data for greater transparency and visibility into business strategies.

In a report for Forbes, Rich Clayton, Oracle's vice president of business analytics, explained that this dramatic data growth has created a skills gap, as many enterprises lack data-savvy managers and programmers. Clayton noted that big data has become a major obstacle as well as innovation-driver. He asserted that how organizations approach and embrace this challenge will determine which firms succeed.

New technologies, according to Clayton, are the key for closing this gap in analytics skills. By deploying solutions that are capable of real-time analysis, firms can detect patterns and relationships among disparate sources and types of structured and unstructured information. Clayton stressed that success depends on a combination of data science and management, and that intuition is no longer adequate for developing an advantageous predictive model. This, he explained can lead to repeatable processes and enhanced data governance tactics. First, however, enterprises need to be capable of filtering out noise and finding the valuable knowledge that can fuel better, more accurate decision-making.

Applying analytics to the user experience
In a post for Forrester Research, analyst James Staten reported that at a recent conference in Austin, Texas, American Airlines revealed how it utilized big data for real-time route optimization. The company has used complex algorithms to determine if a customers can make it from one gate to another to catch an earlier connection, as well as other new features that are aimed at helping website and mobile application users.

Other industries are looking to gain power from BI analytics as well. According to Staten, the financial market, including NASDAQ and NYSE Euronext, has been leveraging cloud-based BI for historical, real-time and reference data that can allow investment firms to build better trading algorithms, analyze risk patterns and target potential clients while driving innovative products and services.

Big data will continue to become larger and more complex, but enterprises that can make this information digestible and actionable with the assistance of robust BI analytics have immense potential for growth.

RDX's business intelligence and big data experts assist customers in leveraging data contained in large data stores. For more information, please visit our Business Intelligence and Predictive Analytics pages or contact us.

Due to constantly evolving technologies and trends such as cloud computing, big data and social media, enterprise data centers are also going through a rapid transformation. Recent research has demonstrated that in order to keep up with growing volumes of information and new IT demands, more firms are considering data center growth over the next couple years. However, in order to ensure successful changes, it is critical to seek dba services for support.

A survey conducted by Digital Realty Trust and Campos Research & Analysis found that 98 percent of respondents plan to expand their data centers in 2013 or 2014. The primary reasons for this expansion included the need for increased security, energy efficiency, new applications and services and more storage space. Another key motivator for three in five respondents is the implementation of a private cloud. Michael Foust, chief executive officer of Digital Realty, commented on the findings.

"Data center executives face the need for cost optimization as well as the support of important existing and emerging business initiatives. The strong demand revealed by this survey indicates that senior leaders recognize the importance of data center strategies in meeting these requirements."

Major changes cited by survey respondents included more raised floor space, more power and increased cooling efficiency. Additionally, data center budgets are getting more funds, with an increase from 7.2 percent in 2012 to 7.7 percent this year. 

Changes bring challenges
A related report by Sierra Ventures determined that the dramatic shift from legacy systems to innovative solutions has posed both opportunities and challenges for CIOs and CTOs.

"We found that today, CIOs and CTOs have to wear multiple hats, such as being strategic while keeping up with ever-changing technology advances and maintaining legacy systems," said Tim Guleri, managing director of Sierra Ventures. "They have to evaluate risk, be innovative – all while keeping the lights on and the systems up and running. CIOs are changing the way they approach new technologies by sharing and leveraging the risks through strong relationships with VCs and other CIOs in non-competing industries, and we are happy to be partners in this journey."

 The most important areas of innovation cited by respondents were big data, mobile devices and cloud computing. Still, major limitations to embracing these trends included a skills shortage, maintenance of legacy systems and scaling and support of new technologies.

As companies look to overcome competitive pressures and drive innovation, database experts will be critical for successfully leveraging the technologies that drive growth.

RDX is a leading provider of advanced remote database management and monitoring solutions. For more information about database administration and management, please visit our Services page or contact us.

Introduction

In today’s business environment, being a successful DBA requires more than just being known as a technical expert. There are thousands of those folks readily available. If you want to excel in this profession, you must be viewed as someone who understands both the business and technical aspects of the applications you support. You must also be viewed as someone who understands the importance of continuous improvement and not be satisfied with the “status quo.”

In my previous blog, I provided a general set of recommendations on keeping customers happy. In this blog, I’ll continue our discussion by providing some advice on eliciting customer feedback. In the last blog of this series, we’ll learn how to process that feedback to improve the quality of support we provide to our customers.

I have read dozens of books on quality improvement, from Deming, to Six Sigma and everything in between. I have a fairly expansive library on all aspects of process improvement. The various authors, experts and industry groups provide a wealth of strategies, guidelines, procedural activities and recommendations. There are two common themes throughout all of them: the importance of effective and continuous measurement and the fact that quality is not an end goal but an iterative process.

Quality is not measured by a single success or failure, the perception of quality or lack thereof. There is no black or white, just varying shades of gray. The intent of this blog is to not rehash a laundry list of quality improvement strategies, procedures and recommendations; its intent is to provide a simplistic approach to obtaining constructive criticism from your customers. The next blog will focus on using customer feedback as input to your DBA team’s service delivery improvement process.

Obtaining Customer Feedback

One of the key measurements DBA units can use to evaluate their performance is customer feedback. We feel so strongly about customer input at Remote DBA Experts (RDX) that we have created a quality service assurance program appropriately titled, “The RDX Customer Feedback Engine.”

We have established multiple communication paths to ensure that we receive constructive criticism from all of the personnel that we support including management, DBAs, developers and end users. We educate all new customers during the integration process about the various feedback mechanisms available to them. We also actively solicit feedback throughout the entire customer relationship life-cycle.

Since we support many different organizations in virtually every market vertical (high technology, heavy manufacturing, retail, health care, etc.), it is obvious to us that each of our customers has a unique set of value drivers that they use to evaluate the quality of our service. If we don’t understand what they are, how can we be sure that we are meeting their needs? The answer is that we can’t.

Since I work for a remote services provider, our customers hold us to a very high standard. We won’t know how our customers feel about the quality of service we are providing unless we ask. However, do DBAs that work for a single business organization need their own “Customer Feedback Engine”? The answer is ABSOLUTELY. The majority of your customers will not tell you how they feel about the quality of service you are providing unless you ask them. In order to improve, you have to measure.

Each group that you support has their own set of value drivers. You have to understand what they want. Database administrators have a highly visible role in every organization. You can take advantage of that role to be viewed as someone who is a key player, as opposed to a mere technician.

You can obtain customer feedback by any number of physical mechanisms, but it all boils down to putting your ego aside and understanding that you need to obtain constructive criticism to get better at what you do. Some of the more popular choices are DBA “report cards” or surveys that are sent to your customer base. Customer surveys are key ingredients to RDX’s customer feedback engine.

There are numerous mechanisms that you can use to record customer evaluations on service quality. The prices range from free (Google Docs provides a very robust survey tool) to more expensive solutions provided by third party service providers.

A helpful hint with your internal customer surveys is to make sure you include a field that asks the participants to include their business unit but does not require them to provide a signature or name. This will help the participants feel more comfortable when they fill out the survey and provide you with a higher quality source of feedback information that you can use to tune and tweak your service delivery methods. You will find that many of the respondents will provide you with their contact information. If you see a common theme with any individual business unit, you will still be able to approach someone in that unit’s management chain to address their concerns. At RDX, depending on the survey content, we will require or not require a name.

Since we support so many different customers, let me give you some examples of the questions that we ask:

Frequency – Do you provide your customers with information on a timely basis? Are you keeping them aware of your accomplishments with clear updates on large projects? Do you inform them when you complete daily work requests in a timely manner? Are you providing your customers with the appropriate status reports on long-running problems that are affecting their applications?

Content – Does the level of communication you provide to yours customer match their technical backgrounds? Does the language you use seem too technical, not technical enough, too high level or are you delving too deep into the details?

Clarity – When you are providing or asking for information, do they understand what you are telling them or what you need from them?

Communication Mechanisms- What communication transfer methods do they feel comfortable with? Do they prefer e-mails, ticket updates, phone calls or quick face-to-face meetings? Our customers range the spectrum from those that blatantly tell us, “Never call me, just e-mail, and don’t do that a lot” to customers who prefer a continuous level of communication using all of the communication methods available.

As we learned in this blog, effective measurements are required to judge the success of any activity. The quality of support you provide needs to be reviewed on a regular basis. These questions allow your customers to provide you with important feedback on the quality of your support. You can then “tune and tweak” your services accordingly.

In my next blog, we’ll discuss how we use 360 Degree Reviews, Quadrant Analysis, Root Cause Corrective Action Reports and other standardized processes to analyze customer comments to improve the quality of support we provide.

Thanks for Reading,

Considering the vast array of catastrophes, from hurricanes to server failures, that can threaten a business' productivity and reputation, more firms are turning to the cloud for improved disaster recovery programs (DR). Cloud-based DR can offer assurance of optimal uptime in the face of any potential incident, which is key for maintaining an edge over competitors and supporting positive client relationships. In order to fully reap these benefits, enterprises considering cloud computing can leverage remote database support for a successful migration process.

Data Center Knowledge contributor Cortney Thompson revealed that the average cost of downtime is between $98,000 and $138,000 and hour, according to Aberdeen research. While Cortney noted that these costs will vary for different businesses, extreme weather events and other threats have forced all firms to consider improved business continuity planning in the cloud. He stressed that losing data can impact employee performance while also affecting customer confidence and profit.

Business 2 Community contributor Lindsey Nelson reported that cloud computing is ideal for these purposes because while traditionally, disaster recovery was a complicated process, requiring firms to move data and apps, execute a patch and load everything back into the data center, the cloud has empowered firms to be hardware-independent and avoid the reload at the end.

Simplified recovery with support
However, Nelson emphasized that before companies invest in a cloud DR solution, it is important to conduct thorough research. Enterprises can ensure more effective integration of these technologies by mapping all data and deploying remote DBA services for support in operating the DR process. Nelson noted that working with? a managed service provider can be optimal for these purposes, because they can offer centralized management for both production and disaster recovery. Nelson also pointed out that some firms would rather backup and restore from the cloud, meaning that data will still be stored at home on-site. This means that data is in the cloud only for emergency purposes and can be reloaded when an incident compromises on-premise systems. Additionally, some enterprises prefer to backup and restore solely in the cloud.

With multiple technology options, businesses need to devise a strategic way of prioritizing the most critical systems for recovery during a disaster. With the help of database experts, firms can define objectives for what information needs to be restored and how quickly during a catastrophic event. 

RDX offers a full suite of cloud migration and administrative services that can be tailored to meet any customer's needs. To learn more our full suite of cloud migration and support services, please visit our Cloud DBA Service page or contact us.

Cloud computing has quickly transitioned from a trend to an inevitability for enterprises, as these tools promote efficiency, productivity and savings for a competitive edge. However, as organizations deploy cloud solutions, the objectives for and application of these investments have become deeper and more meaningful. In order to reach more dynamic goals with cloud technologies, companies will need to seek third-party dba services for support.

A recent survey by Unisphere Research revealed that nearly 37 percent of organizations now run private clouds in one form or another, an increase from 29 percent just two years ago. Another 26 percent of firms use public cloud services for enterprise applications, up from 14 percent. Among the public cloud users, 32 percent are employing remote services to host at least part of their private cloud infrastructures. Additionally, private clouds are being extended deeper into the organizations that have them: Currently, 38 percent of firms report that a significant segment of their workloads are now running within their cloud formations, but by next year, a majority, 51 percent, expect to be running substantial parts of their workloads within private clouds.

The primary benefits to private clouds cited by respondents included achieving cost savings through consolidation (61 percent), operational efficiencies (44 percent) and eliminating duplication across the enterprise (43 percent). However, a lack of skills and organization may be posing a challenge to some firms. When asked what is hindering cloud deployments, 37 percent of enterprises said they lack expertise or knowledge, while 35 percent cited budgetary issues.

Advanced skills needed
Silicon Republic reported that successful cloud migration depends on a highly-skilled team of IT professionals. Graham Quinn, chief technology officer with Auxilion, told the source that enterprises very often fear that using as-a-service IT delivery will reduce their control over managing systems and staff.  He advised that instead of taking a back seat to cloud adoption, IT teams need to be proactive in these deployments.

"What you need, and what I've seen work, is a strong CIO who can communicate the business values to the senior management team," Quinn explained to the news source. "They need to be advertising what value IT can deliver for them."

By getting more involved in the migration process, seeking remote database experts and engaging employees in user training, enterprises can maximize ROI by optimizing IT systems.

RDX offers a full suite of cloud migration and administrative services that can be tailored to meet any customer's needs. To learn more our full suite of cloud migration and support services, please visit our Cloud DBA Service page or contact us.

While enterprises are eager to capitalize on the potential benefits of mining big data, these initiatives come with considerable challenges. Traditional business intelligence (BI) solutions are not always adequate for analyzing these large stores of information, which can come from a variety of sources and in a range of forms, some of which is unstructured. To address these obstacles, more enterprises will need to seek remote dba services to aid in fully leveraging the advantages of big data and achieving more actionable insight.

CIO Magazine reported that Dustin Kehoe, IDC's Australia telecommunications group associate director, believes that big data analytics have become a complex business issue because enterprises are struggling to determine what tools and knowledge bases are necessary to invest in.

"There is lack of alignment, not knowing which technologies are appropriate, employing skill sets such as data scientists and the cost of the infrastructure," Kehoe said, according to the source.

Meanwhile, Anand Rao, principal at ​PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), told the news provider that companies are investing considerable amounts into gathering data but not enough to integrate and analyze it. CIO also revealed that 32 percent of organizations have spent more  than $1 million in gathering and storing internal data, but only 26 percent have invested that same amount in the analysis of it.

Old methods hinder growth
CIO concluded that organizations are merely hoarding information instead of mining it because IT and other departments are stuck in outdated and insufficient habits and methodologies for working with data. Rao explained that enterprises will need to incorporate database experts who understand the business and can translate analytics into a solution to any potential question or problem. This is especially important in regard to predictive analytics, which empower firms to forecast trends that can greatly impact the bottom line.

Gartner analyst Boris Evelson cited IBM research that fewer than one-quarter of enterprises worldwide feel confident they have the skills and resources to analyze unstructured data. Evelson emphasized that firms will need to deploy remote database services for proper expertise and experience in reaching BI objectives. He explained that seeking third-party support can relieve many burdens as well, since DBAs can take on the task of building, maintaining and delivering BI reports and alerts.

To truly generate ROI from big data, enterprises must consider implementing new solutions and expertise to aid in supporting accurate, real-time and actionable analytics.

RDX's business intelligence and big data experts assist customers in leveraging data contained in large data stores. For more information, please visit our Business Intelligence and Predictive Analytics pages or contact us.

Healthcare organizations are collecting ever-increasing volumes of data that can either challenge or improve patient care, depending on the staff's ability to effectively organize and analyze the information. To capitalize on potential opportunities to elevate service quality while driving down costs, more firms are seeking business intelligence (BI) solutions and database experts to aid in mining these large stores of information for insight.

A new study by the TechAmerica Foundation found that 87 percent of federal IT officials and 75 percent of state IT officials say big data can have a significant and immediate impact on operations. One benefit cited was savings: Respondents believe that real-time analytics can aid the government in cutting at least 10 percent annually from the federal budget by detecting improper healthcare payments before they occur. Further, federal and state IT officials believe that the use of big data solution could save a significant number of lives every year by identifying patterns that could suggest outbreaks or lead to more effective treatments.

Challenges persist
Despite all the potential opportunities for improvements, the survey also revealed that there are several factors hindering big data initiatives. According to 47 percent of federal IT officials, the main obstacle to taking advantage of these projects is privacy concerns. Another 39 percent of officials are worried about the expenses involved in investments, and nearly 40 percent are concerned that database queries might take too long. Overcoming these barriers to adoption demands remote database administration services for support in accelerating analytic insight while securing information.

Healthcare Global reported that data analytics have become unavoidable due to the rise of electronic health records (EHRs). By analyzing revenue, staff performance and patient conditions, doctors can better identify risks and provide enhanced treatment. Richard Merkin, president and chief executive of Heritage Provider Network, explained that this capability is crucial for maximizing budgets.

"Hospitalizations are very expensive and cost this country a lot of the resources we're using in health care," he told Healthcare Global. "Imagine if you could effectively predict who was going to be hospitalized. You could reallocate resources to prevent unnecessary hospitalization and put those resources to use for cure rather than care."

Successful treatment and care depends on research and analysis. By leveraging the massive volumes of data that are constantly accumulating, providers can ensure consistent improvements while controlling costs.

RDX's business intelligence and big data experts assist customers in leveraging data contained in large data stores. For more information, please visit our Business Intelligence and Predictive Analytics pages or contact us.

While business intelligence (BI) technologies have long been valuable to many industries, enterprises are increasingly seeking remote dba services to enhance decision-making from big data and optimize ROI from these analytics.

Recent IDC research demonstrated this trend, revealing that many organizations are outsourcing for BI services, including infrastructure database experts and functional solutions. According to the firm, one of the key factors driving third-party support is a lack of resources, including analysts, statisticians and data scientists. Additionally, IDC asserted that the rapid emergence of new mobile and social technologies has made BI more complicated due to big data. The firm concluded that as BI providers now are able to better manage these solutions for enterprises, which can result in more transformative use cases.

"Talent gap and lack of knowledge base in the analytics space will continue to force businesses to rely on service providers to fulfill their business analytics needs in the near future," said Ali Zaidi, senior IDC research analyst.

Boosting sales with big data
One industry that is capitalizing on the benefits to big data solutions is the retail sector. CNBC reported that after Macy's deployed new BI software to analyze millions of terabytes of information, including unstructured types from social media and store transactions, the company has been able to boost sales by 10 percent. Karem Tomak, vice president of analytics for Macys.com, told the source that big data has allowed the firm to predict trends, streamline operations and drive profit, which has driven a competitive edge.

Jeff Kelly, lead big data analyst at Wikibon, told CNBC that many chains are investing heavily in real-time analytics from big data. These technologies can allow decision-makers to price items more effectively based on their popularity as well as other factors. Additionally, these solutions give companies the ability to gain greater control over inventory, ensuring nothing is over or understocked.

Mark Beyer, a big data analyst at Gartner, explained to the source that retailers have outgrown their database infrastructure. To make sense of the "noise," however, CNBC asserted that organizations will need to integrate external big data, such as social media activity and weather reports, with internal corporate information.

By outsourcing for BI services, enterprises can get ahead of competitors with quicker access to meaningful analytics that drive more sustainable, effective and insightful business decisions.

RDX's business intelligence and big data experts assist customers in leveraging data contained in large data stores. For more information, please visit our Business Intelligence and Predictive Analytics pages or contact us.

Trends such as big data, cloud computing and BYOD have become so pervasive that experts are predicting that business intelligence (BI) is rapidly evolving, posing new challenges as well as creating fresh opportunities. In order to capitalize on the potential benefits of these innovations, firms will need to seek DBA services for remote assistance in monitoring and analyzing data.

ZDNet reported that the major factors contributing to this transformation include visual analytics, unstructured data, cloud-based solutions and mobile BI. Visual analytics allows enterprises to gain a deeper understanding of information because interactive 3D diagrams allow decision-makers to quickly identify trends at a glance. These solutions are becoming increasingly powerful, enabling users to plot data points to observe patterns at different angles over a specific time frame. In other words, the source explained that visualization "brings data alive," unlocking new potential insight. 

While unstructured data can be an obstacle for many businesses, ZDNet asserted that tapping into this unrealized information can be immensely valuable. According to the source, big data is the key to a competitive advantage in today's economy because firms that draw conclusions from large unstructured stores can better predict market changes and understand consumer behaviors, which empowers them to optimize product development  and innovation. Ultimately, companies with big data solutions are able to make not only faster decisions, but more effective ones.

Additionally, ZDNet revealed that more businesses will be embracing BI through mobile applications. The convenience of having access to analytics on a mobile device not only makes these solutions more usable, but allows for quicker reaction to information on the go.

Democratizing analytics
However, many enterprises are still finding it difficult to address big data, mainly due to a lack of resources. As a result, ZDNet forecast  that cloud-based BI and analytics will become increasingly popular. Because BI can be too costly of an investment to implement and manage for some firms, the cloud is a viable solution because users are able to more affordably deploy these applications.

In a Computerworld report, Veeam's Charles Clarke emphasized the cloud's role in the evolution of BI.

"For me, Big Data and the Cloud fall into the same category. It describes a methodology rather than a technology, so companies are going to leverage the opportunities that they both present to achieve results that are meaningful for them," Clarke said, according to the source.

Big data, cloud computing, mobility and visualization will continue to have a considerable impact on the future of analytics. By leveraging support from database experts, firms can ensure optimal insight from these initiatives.

RDX's business intelligence and big data experts assist customers in leveraging data contained in large data stores. For more information, please visit our Business Intelligence and Predictive Analytics pages or contact us.

While big data undoubtedly offers immense opportunities for meaningful insight that drive revenue, there are many potential challenges to achieving success with these efforts. In order to address issues with big data projects, enterprises will need to deploy dba services and remote database support to reach objectives with analysis.

A recent survey by Teradata revealed that 72 percent of organizations see the need to gain control over growing volumes of information as a main reason driving big data solutions, while another 75 percent cited better possibilities for analysis arising from such tools. Additionally, two-thirds of respondents have already identified the value of unstructured data from sources such as social media and sensors. Not only did the study find that companies have identified big data issues, but these firms are also willing to invest considerable funds into new technologies that offer in-depth analysis of large caches of information. Participants said that their enterprises have spent the majority of big data budgets on software, hardware and consulting with database experts.

Additionally, expectations for these big data technologies have risen, according to the survey. Companies now expect these tools not only store and analyze data in a profound and reliable way, they want these solutions to function as quickly as possible. In fact, 27 percent of the companies' data is updated for reporting and analysis once a month, and 45 percent of firms' information is updated on a daily basis. However, only 4 percent of data is analyzed in near real-time. The study demonstrated a clear trend toward shorter intervals between updates.

Capitalizing on social
Enterprises are especially interested in leveraging big data for social media analysis, which provides a new opportunity for measuring and understanding client interactions. Destination CRM reported that firms harnessing social information can gain a significant competitive advantage, but accurate and real-time analysis is still an issue.  Capturing and organizing social data rapidly depends on implementing the most robust business intelligence (BI) tools, the news source pointed out. The report further revealed that firms will need to deploy tools with effective search and indexing capabilities, which allow queries against both internal and external content.

While massive volumes of unstructured and structured information do cause challenges, overcoming them provides endless opportunities for driving business value and profit. Optimizing big data projects depends on the right tactics, technologies and methodology.

RDX's business intelligence and big data experts assist customers in leveraging data contained in large data stores. For more information, please visit our Business Intelligence and Predictive Analytics pages or contact us.

Retailers are continually looking to improve the customer experience by customizing offerings and services. However, maintaining an advantage is challenging in such a competitive market, and therefore, these companies are increasingly deploying big data solutions and dba services to gain valuable insight into consumers. By mining information about shoppers' habits and behaviors, marketing and sales decision-makers are able to execute more targeted campaigns and strategies.

ClickZ contributor Krishnan Parasuraman explained that tailoring content and experiences is one of the major benefits to big data for the retail industry. He asserted that automated, guided selling is another way in which analytics can drive a heightened experience. Observing previous purchases and searches can allow stores to "know" customers better, which can then enable the company to suggest similar offerings. These intelligent product recommendations are even more effective when made in real-time, emphasizing the need for robust analytics systems that can quickly assess a customer's considerations and allow businesses to immediately respond. Parasuraman cited Kraft as one example of a company that has leveraged video analytics to make recommendations based on physical characteristics and purchase history.

These efforts are particularly advantageous for digital commerce, as Parasuraman pointed out that these businesses can observe and measure all user activity over time. Tracking every click, page view and transaction allows retailers to identify trends and optimize page design, product placement and marketing campaigns. Big data has played a major role in helping storefronts collect and analyze trillions of shopper data points from surveillance cameras and POS systems and then enhance store layouts, fixtures and staffing.

A more efficient database for leads
Infoworld reported on how Shopzilla has been able to analyze terabytes of data on a daily basis with new tools to track and process inventory data in real-time, which increased profit through higher quality leads. Using a big data solution also eliminated complex caching and data pre-loading processes by simplifying the architecture and allowing information to interact more directly with the database. This technology gave Shopzilla the power to filter offers coming into its system and remove duplicates, saving the company on operational expenses. As a result of implementing big data solutions, the firm is able to constantly update sales and feedback for online merchants and advertisers and has experienced a five-fold increase in performance, according to Infoworld.

The benefits of big data are especially prevalent to retail companies. Analyzing customer information more deeply and quickly with the help of database experts can fuel more intelligent decision-making and personalized tactics, driving both loyalty and revenue.

RDX's business intelligence and big data experts assist customers in leveraging data contained in large data stores. For more information, please visit our Business Intelligence and Predictive Analytics pages or contact us.

Mining big data has a range of benefits for enterprise marketing and sales, but more businesses are now deploying these initiatives to improve human resources. By incorporating big data analytics into HR strategies with the help of database experts, firms have the opportunity to gain deeper visibility into the hiring process, develop more skilled and productive teams and increase employee retention.

Smart Data Collective reported that firms stand to gain many advantages from big data for HR. However, Jon Ingham, technology consultant and analyst, asserted that unfortunately, many organizations are not effectively applying these efforts to the hiring process.

"What you have is a huge gap between what organizations are doing and what they could be doing, in one of the areas that is becoming the most important for business," he stated, according to the source.

Smart Data Collective emphasized that data analysis could empower HR professionals to improve decision-making in a variety of ways. While the hiring process can be lengthy and complicated, including background checks, determining the accuracy of application information and speaking with references, business intelligence (BI) solutions could enhance efficiency by enabling professionals to keep track of these steps more easily. Additionally, the source reported that Wendy Hirsch, principal at Mercer's workforce strategies group, believes analytics tools could enable businesses to think more strategically about important compensation decisions.

Surprising findings
A recent report by Aol Jobs revealed that Evolv, a San Francisco-based workplace performance solutions company, has been able to bust several HR-related myths with big data projects. The company found that the correlation between unemployment and capability is null and void, as employees that were found to be out of work for more than six months are just as likely to stay in new jobs as workers that haven't endured these conditions. Further, the company determined that a criminal background is surprisingly an asset in certain careers. Analysis showed that a criminal record not only has no bearing on a worker's performance, but can actually be helpful in customer-support call center work. Xerox is just one firm that has leveraged big data for these purposes, and after six months, was able to cut the rate of worker turnover by 20 percent using Evolv's findings.

The potential for insight from big data is limitless, and by deploying new solutions to observe patterns and trends in HR-related information, companies can optimize hiring strategies for a significant competitive advantage.

RDX's business intelligence and big data experts assist customers in leveraging data contained in large data stores. For more information, please visit our Business Intelligence and Predictive Analytics pages or contact us.

Recent research has shown that in 2013, enterprises will be making IT innovation a top priority to gain an advantage over competitors. However, managing these new solutions, including cloud, social and mobile technologies may require remote dba to support the influx of data that comes with adopting them.

A survey conducted by Gartner found that a ratio of more than four to one of CEOs and senior executives plan to increase IT investments this year. Mark Raskino, vice president and Gartner fellow, explained that these commitments are no longer an option for businesses looking to get ahead, but that these investments also require additional considerations.

"The greater risk now is assuming that your lackluster technology capability can remain a 'back burner' issue for another couple of years," he said. "After more than a decade of modest investment and sorting out the basics, it's time to think ahead. Business leaders tell us they recognize the need to invest in e-commerce, mobile, cloud, social and other major technology categories, and the capabilities they enable."

For businesses to truly apply these solutions to drive change, Jorge Lopez, Gartner vice president and analyst, explained that firms will need to link all technological deployments to the core business strategy. He encouraged CIOs to embrace digital demands by implementing new information governance and exploration tools to fuel success with these initiatives.

Database management is key
A related study by Forrester also emphasized that traditional IT new expectations for data analytics speed and quality. The report asserted that all new technologies, including collaboration, big data and cloud-based services rely on monitoring to be useful. By leveraging remote database services, businesses can ensure enhanced visibility and ROI from these investments. One of the major conclusions Forrester made was that fragmentation of infrastructure management is hindering the value of new tools. Integration and consolidation have become essential to effective IT administration.

"As companies pursue cloud computing, big data, a mobile workforce and other grand initiatives, certain IT programs form the foundations upon which these exciting business capabilities will be constructed. Like any foundation, it must be sturdy or else the structure above it may crumble to the ground," the report noted.

By making infrastructure management a top priority, enterprises stand to maximize investments in new  technologies for an an enhanced insight from analytics system and efficiency from business functions.

RDX is a leading provider of advanced remote database management and monitoring solutions. For more information about database administration and management, please visit our Services page or contact us.

Data visualization tools have continued to revolutionize the way companies understand business intelligence (BI) analytics. A recent update to Oracle's offerings has demonstrated that as these solutions evolve, businesses stand to gain even further valuable insight from big data projects. By deploying database experts, businesses will be able to optimize decision-making by fully leveraging BI.

Harvard Business Review contributor Bill Franks reported that the primary reason for investments in visualization tools is that they bring analysis to life, decreasing the time it takes to apply analytic conclusions to particular objectives. In addition, Franks asserted that another fundamental benefit of these tools is that they give users greater flexibility by allowing decision-makers to explore and summarize information in whatever way is most relevant to the business.

Franks explained that in traditional environments, businesses can access big data sources but only through predefined paths, limiting insight. Additionally, common desktop tools that provide visuals are often too complex to operate, and charts and graphs are not typically very interactive. However, Franks revealed that new tools for visualization empower users to view information from any source and at any angle, maximizing the advantages of analytics.

Oracle leading the revolution
According to InfoWorld, Oracle recently revised two of its BI products, Endeca Information Discovery and the Business Intelligence Foundation Suite, to provide flexibility in leveraging a wider variety of data sources, including social media channels, Hadoop and spreadsheets. The new version of Endeca will allow users to analyze unstructured information that has not been captured in a database or warehouse. A native JavaScript Object Notation reader and support for OAuth authorization will give businesses the capability to import data from social sites for sentiment analysis. Additionally, Endeca users can now analyze their own Microsoft Excel files. The upgrade also comes with a new interface that provides the ability to drag and drop visualizations, allowing the software to render a visual representation of data in any chosen format.

Furthermore, InfoWorld revealed that the Oracle Business Intelligence Foundation Suite version 11.1.1.7 enables firms to work with a greater number of data sources. Because BI dashboards and reports can source directly from Hadoop, users no longer have to move information into a database. This new version comes with a variety of visualizations, including Waterfall Graphs and Performance Tiles.

By deploying the latest BI solutions and Oracle experts, businesses gain the freedom to join disparate data sources, view patterns in real-time and discover trends more quickly.

RDX's business intelligence and big data experts assist customers in leveraging data contained in large data stores. For more information, please visit our Business Intelligence and Predictive Analytics pages or contact us.

While the benefits of cloud computing are too considerable to ignore, security remains a top challenge for enterprises that are considering migration. By utilizing dba services, however, these firms can effectively move critical applications and data to the cloud while minimizing any risks.

A recent SilverSky study revealed that 97 percent of businesses expressed the same or more confidence in cloud security than a year ago, but privacy concerns are still hindering widespread adoption. On average, respondents have moved one-quarter of business functions and services to the cloud, and many respondents plan to migrate additional applications in the next 12 months. The most popular functions for cloud migration included ecommerce (41 percent), email (39 percent) and storage (30 percent). However, 74 percent of respondents cited worries around privacy and security, and for some firms, these worries outweigh expected benefits. Andrew Jaquith, CTO of SilverSky, commented on the findings. 

"Moving to the cloud should be career-defining, not career-limiting," he said. "When CIOs and security decision-makers move their critical workloads to the cloud, they seek providers that cut their costs, simplify their architectures and protect their data … The data in the Silver Lining Report show us why transparency, clarity and assurance are so essential."

Strategy and support
Coping with these concerns demands a strategic approach to cloud migration that assesses any and all risks. According to Silicon Angle, Jon-Michael Brook, senior principal cloud security architect at Symantec, asserted that weighing these factors as well as compliance requirements against a provider's capabilities is critical.

"The first step is to know your business requirements, the type of cloud service you'll be using and your risk tolerance levels. Every organization's security needs and expectations are different, so it's important to understand how the cloud service provider can meet those needs," he explained, according to the source.

One way in which businesses are dealing with security complications in the cloud is with managed services. An Infonetics research report found that the global cloud managed security service market grew by 12 percent in 2012, totaling $13 billion. The firm forecasts sales of these services to grow another 69 percent over the next five years.

As enterprises look to gain a competitive advantage from cloud computing, security considerations are essential. By seeking remote dba support in dealing with the complex cloud environment, businesses can ensure maximum uptime and data protection.

RDX's highest priority is safeguarding customer information. To learn more about how RDX ensures data security, please visit our Focus on Security page or contact us.

Recently, more businesses are realizing the benefits of cloud computing go beyond cost-saving and increased mobility. As more enterprises deploy the cloud for business intelligence (BI) technologies, these firms can leverage support from database experts for improved accessibility to analytics and a more effective decision-making process.

A recent study by MarketsandMarkets reported that the global Cloud Based Business Analytics market is expected to grow at an estimated rate of 25.8 percent to reach $16.52 billion by 2018. The research firm cited emerging trends such as big data and cloud computing as the primary drivers of the market. As enterprises struggle with a shortage in IT expertise and a rise in operating costs as well as employee mobility, traditional BI and analytics solutions are no longer adequate. However, cloud BI, which uses the SaaS licensing model and pay-per-use pricing, is more scalable and easily implemented than tradition installations. As a result, MarketsandMarkets determined that cloud-based analytics will be essential to driving innovation and maintaining a competitive edge.

Accounting Technology contributor Rob Ganjon explained that businesses utilizing BI solutions in the cloud can eliminate errors and inconsistencies while reducing manual work and gap time that hinders decisions. This, he revealed, is the key to leveraging the cloud for collaboration. Since these BI technologies better organize, standardize and analyze data in real-time, users can focus on more high-value tasks such as identifying new sales opportunities or developing future marketing strategies. In other words, these tools empower firms to look ahead instead of reporting on the past.

Better use of time through automation
By enabling businesses to automate processes that were previously manual and labor-intensive, Ganjon asserted that enterprises are capable of adopting more forward-thinking tactics than ever before. Cloud BI solutions will be especially critical as firms are collecting higher volumes of data, at a faster pace and from an ever-increasing variety of sources. This information can give enterprises insight into clients as well as the overall market. By sharing insights more easily on a cloud platform, decision-makers can apply BI analytics in new, more useful ways.

Ultimately, Bi solutions in the cloud are just one component of a strategy to deliver more valuable messages, campaigns products and services. In mining big data through cloud-based BI technologies, enterprises are on track to fueling more relevant, informed strategies and advantageous differentiation in the market.

RDX's business intelligence and big data experts assist customers in leveraging data contained in large data stores. For more information, please visit our Business Intelligence and Predictive Analytics pages or contact us.