6 Key Steps for Successful BI

Some companies often believe that Business Intelligence (BI) is too costly, but that does not have to be the case. There are BI options that are less expensive than is often assumed, and BI can do a great deal for a company. Additionally, the ROI received makes the investment a no brainer if the funds are available.

There are six strategies that can be used for successful BI, and these can be employed by growing enterprises as well as larger corporations. They’re all part of the solution, which is to use a comprehensive  enterprise portfolio software package like IBM Cognos.

1). Start small, but think big

It is not necessary to do everything all at once. Starting small is fine, and is often what works. When that is the case, though, it is very important to remember to think big. Even when a company is not yet doing big things, those big things are generally the goal. Planning for them and making sure the company has a BI solution that can handle bigger things when the time comes is an excellent way to see a higher level of success.

2). Support all types of reporting

Ad hoc reporting and managed reporting are both important, along with production reports, transactional and operational reports, analytical reporting, and dashboards that can provide you with the knowledge you need in order to be more successful with your BI goals. The company may not need all of those types of reports at once, but making sure those types are supported means they can be incorporated later.

3). Enable access anytime and anywhere

Reports generally have one author, but when they are published in multiple locations it is possible for everyone to need find them quickly and easily. That makes things easier for everyone, and can help advance BI in any organization.

4). Keep all the data accessible

Data is very valuable, but it has to be extracted and used the right way. Using Business Intelligence the right way means handling data properly, and making it available to be used as needed by anyone in the organization. A key distinction of enterprise solutions is having a centralized place where all business users can access the data they need all in one place. Many desktop analytics tools do not have this capability and should not be considered enterprise solutions.

5). Optimize the delivery of information

Everyone in the company needs to be working from the same data in order to keep things moving forward properly and avoid confusion. When delivery of that data is optimized, it is much more likely that each person will have the right information, and will not be using an outdated data set.

6). Make deployment and maintenance easy

With maintenance and support solutions that are flexible, a company can use BI to its advantage and still keep costs low. The ability to do both of those things protects the potential future investments, and helps ensure that the company can grow and adapt as its needs change.

Using the right software is among the best ways to make sure Business Intelligence is handled correctly. A lot of companies use IBM Cognos software, because the solutions it offers are comprehensive. That means users can see what they want, when they want, and get the information they need, so they can keep moving forward.