SigmaWay Blog

Businesses are shifting to cloud based systems to boost business intelligence. Small to medium business enterprises are now shifting to cloud based applications to enhance their marketing strategies. However, large firms are using these solutions to expand their market. Cloud business intelligence (BI) provides productivity tools and applications that will benefit organizations. These benefits include the speed of deployment speed and implementation of various business apps, scaling up of web applications and the integration of business intelligence apps to enhance business productivity and cost effectiveness. There are many cloud business intelligence solutions available in the market today. To know more about the best cloud business intelligence solutions that you can find in the market today, read the article by Jason Bowden (contributor to Business 2 Community) at: http://www.business2community.com/cloud-computing/best-cloud-business-intelligence-solutions-marketing-analytics-01006959#4THfUeqShLhspv3m.99

According to some renowned pharmacy technicians, the application of LSS techniques in the inpatient pharmacy department at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Hospitals brought in a great deal of improvement. Kaizen ("improvement") events were conducted by the UNC inpatient pharmacy to progress work flow and customer service to patients and nurses. Overall, these improvements have refined work flow and improved employee and customer satisfaction. With LSS as a tool, UNC is constantly striving to promote the culture of continuous quality improvement. To know more read the article by Jami Mann, PharmD, MBA ( PGY1 health system pharmacy administration resident at UNC Healthcare), Allison Dipper, PharmD candidate (pharmacy technician at the Central Inpatient Pharmacy at UNC Healthcare), Erinn Rowe, PharmD, MS (clinical manager at UNC Healthcare)and Chad Hatfield, PharmD, MHA, BCPS (assistant director of operations at UNC Healthcare) at: http://www.pharmacytimes.com/publications/health-system-edition/2014/September2014/Lean-Six-Sigma-in-the-Pharmacy-Department

According to Manish Godha (Founder & CEO, Advaiya Solutions), social media seems to be the most attractive media through which a business can interact with an audience. Individuals allow an exceptional view into their thought processes, by leaving traces of their activities - personal, social and professional - on the internet. Social analytics attempts to draw relevant understanding and inferences from them which could be used by different divisions of various brands. It is very difficult to ensure that the analysis is relevant and reliable. The most common use of social media analytics is to mine customer sentiment in order to support marketing and customer service activities. It is important that the models correspond to the business context and the intervening mechanics are accounted for. Read more at: http://www.business-standard.com/article/management/social-listening-for-market-intelligence-114092100688_1.html

A data-centric management culture is as important as the technology investments in a company. Data science i.e. the extraction of useful information and knowledge from data is considered to be within the operational structure of financial technology organizations. For most financial services organizations, 60 to 65 percent of IT budgets are dedicated to maintaining the core transaction processing systems. After general operating and personnel costs are deducted, less than 10 percent of the budget is left for new systems development. To know more about how these companies who are trying to incorporate data analytics processing, go through the article by Don Campbell (Managing Principal & Founder, RightCourse) at: http://www.banktech.com/big-data/the-importance-of-fostering-a-data-centric-management-culture-/a/d-id/1315979?piddl_msgid=261430#msg_261430

According to Darian Shirazi (founder of Radius and a Forbes contributor), marketers measure success based on the dollar value of pipeline they are able to generate in order to increase revenue. The marketers, who can reach their goals, work closely with their sales team who can find appropriate customers. The ones who struggle to reach their goals are not aware of their sales team's ability to close deals. To highlight pipeline, and to find customers, marketers need to understand deeply how to market properly. Hence marketers today, have access to new data sources, superior analytics, and better integrations that allow them to generate high value pipelines. Read more at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/darianshirazi/2014/09/16/marketing-automation-2-0-marketing-intelligence/

According to Pernille Bruun-Jensen (leader in marketing efforts for NetBase) both digital marketing and customer care have moved beyond the Web to social media. Marketers have advanced technologies at their disposal. Social data is providing the higher returns on investment that business leaders are asking for. Similarly, emergencies can be detected and prevented before it is too late. To successfully lead in social media and henceforth in digital marketing, marketers need a strategy based on accuracy and speed using real-time tools. Next-generation social analytics reveals not just who is engaging with your brand and what they are engaging with, but why they are engaging. To know more about what next-generation social analytics can do for a brand go to: http://www.adweek.com/brandshare/next-gen-social-analytics-are-transforming-digital-marketing-160064

According to Jayakanthan Chidambaram (Associate Technical Architect, Aspire Systems), sustaining in the market with a persistent growth is considered to be one of the greatest challenges in any industry. Companies are focusing their investments on business intelligence technologies in order to predict behavior and consequences from patterns found in large volumes of data. Predictive analytics transforms data into important and useful information. Data analysis can be broadly categorized into 4 types - Descriptive, Simple Statistical Summations, Prescriptive and Predictive. Personalization based on location, behavior and preferences are driving how organizations should cater to customer needs and grow their business. When organizations adopted Business Intelligence, they took the first step towards understanding what is currently happening in their business. Now is the time to take that maturity to the next level where the need is not only to know what is happening but also be able to predict what is about to happen. Read more at: http://www.informationweek.in/informationweek/perspective/298003/predictive-analytics-future-business-intelligence?utm_source=referrence_article

According to Stephanie Miller (customer advocate and a champion for marketers), to develop the results of content marketing, one needs to apply an analytics-based approach that focuses on topic, network and content. Choice, Customization, Connect and Communicate. By concentrating on these four "Cs" marketers can evolve from offers to solutions. Yet, at the end of the day there are performance metrics to be met and revenue targets to be reached. A successful content program will also invest in analytics to ensure that one is using the messaging, offers, format, and channels most likely to drive the major visitors and interactions. There is never a data quantity problem as such. The best results will come from a blended approach of channels and content types that are both satisfactory to the most valuable client members as well as wide-ranging enough to appeal to all other customers. Read more at: http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2371279/content-and-analytics-a-strategic-combination

According to Dermot O'Kelly (Senior Vice President for Oracle UK, Ireland and Israel region) for the past few years the stage is being set for an analytics based future in which large volumes of valuable information can be collected and used to take informed decisions more efficiently. The rise of big data has been rapid. But very little emphasis has been placed on trying to understand exactly how big data can impact and improve our lives. Big data tools help in linking all information together and assess it from various standpoints at once in the hope of detecting new insights, to approach difficult questions from a fresh angle, or to process huge data sets very quickly. They also make the collection and processing of this data exponentially faster than before. Read more at: http://www.in.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/Big-data-in-the-real-world/articleshow/42649169.cms

There is an increased demand for surveillance systems by civil and government agencies which has given rise to the global market for facial recognition. This is due to growing number of crimes and terrorist activities globally. Furthermore, acceptance of facial recognition in the entertainment industry and consumer electronics is expected to raise the demand for this kind of technology. Its international market comprises of 2D facial recognition, 3D facial recognition, and facial analytics. The demand for these facial recognition technologies is further influenced by increasing demand from various other industries like retail, banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), and others. The global facial recognition market is dominated by players that develop facial recognition technology solutions. Read more at: http://insurancenewsnet.com/oarticle/2014/09/16/global-facial-recognition-market-an-overview-of-growth-factors-and-future-prospe-a-555987.html#.VBkPJPmSzo4

According to Perry Yeatman (Principal, Mission Measurement & CEO, Perry Yeatman Global Partners), the growing significance of social value drivers for consumers is one of many changes in the marketplace that CMOs of different companies are experiencing nowadays. Differentiating a brand based on price, quality or convenience is getting increasingly difficult. However, it has led to a new meaning for all marketers to find new ways to make their products matter. One of the most promising new set of benefits is inherent social benefits. Discrete choice analysis is implemented across categories to identify the most influential social value drivers. Many leading companies are already reaping the benefits from this. The benefits range from increased revenue to improved loyalty. These new social value drivers are thus powerful, which is why CMOs must embrace them to build uniquely relevant and meaningful brands. Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/perry-yeatman/new-research-simultaneous_b_5828710.html

According to Laura Cole (marketer and researcher based in the UK) content marketing has emerged as effective method for promoting products, sharing information and motivating brand recognition. It differentiates between Public Relation and social media. Social media offers an advantage in case of online brands as it is entirely free to access and enables you to share and promote your content easily. One can reach a larger audience through social media platform. It also allows messages to be tailored and therefore real-time interactions can be generated with customers. This is a huge boon for business owners, traders and entrepreneurs. Read more at: http://www.business2community.com/public-relations/social-media-marketing-represents-new-face-pr-01003698

Fraudsters are exploiting weaknesses in call center and help desk user authentication processes. Common caller authentication methods are creating inconvenience for legitimate users. Current authentication methods fail in three ways. They are: 1. knowledge-based authentication (KBA) - KBA's are used to authenticate users.2. PINs. 3. Caller ID. The other two ways include PINs and Caller ID to authenticate users- all of which are accessible by criminal. The best security is always layered security. This principle holds true when securing telephony channel. Voice biometrics can catch fraudster voices and put them on a blacklist for future voice comparisons and verifications of callers. Phone printing combined with voice biometrics provides the strongest method for detecting fraudsters. To know more, read Avivah Litan's (vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner) article at: http://www.itworldcanada.com/blog/preventing-fraud-in-the-call-center-use-voice-biometrics-phone-printing/97217#ixzz3D51sGlc6

According to Jason Bowden (a contributor to Business 2 Community), branding is a means by which a company is able to build their own identity and to communicate what their products and services are. In order to promote branding, brand managers always try to point out that their marketing campaign's focus is on consumers. These brand companies can learn more about their target customers with the help of big data analysis. The entry of data provides plentiful information that helps these companies in determining the various aspects that will yield better profit. Big data provide a window of opportunity for brand companies to know what products their target customers want. By instilling big data analytics, it is easier for marketers to know about their competitors and thus improve their digital marketing. There are other benefits in using big data. To know more about these benefits, follow: http://www.business2community.com/big-data/infusion-brand-marketing-big-data-analytics-0994537

Big data generated by drones is useful in every sector including monitoring data of animal cruelty on farms and surveillance data from military drones. The drones' usage needs a revolution in big data cloud services. However, flying a drone and taking pictures is the first step in data collection process. Since software to reason directly from video feeds is still in a research phase, drone data handling needs to be improved. The use of a cloud-based in-memory computing platform can enhance analytics, processes, and predictive capabilities. Amazon recently proposed to increase sales and revenue by providing the delivery of food using drones. By gathering data on a large scale, service providers will be able to process unique levels of details and turn it into usable information. To know more, go through Abhishek Sharma (author of InfoQ)'s article: http://www.infoq.com/news/2014/09/drone-data-big-data-analytics

There is no privacy in the era of big data. Personal data is collected and traded and there are few ways to control it. "We're being monetized in essence. We are being mobilized as products with inducement of the services of we use such as Facebook and Twitter" says Rob Livingstone, a fellow of the University of Technology and the Head of a Business Advisory Firm. However, major problem that regulators are facing is - how they can regulate the collection, storage and trading of personal data on the internet, when all of these activities, and corporations, operate across multiple continents and jurisdictions. Read more at: http://analytics.theiegroup.com/article/53a4371c3723a8398400014e/Little-Privacy-In-The-Age-Of-Big-Data

Information available about consumers on the web is enough to scare marketers. There are large rewards for those who confront and harness big data. Big data can create problem for brands. Information collected from large, complex data sets weblogs, social media, smartphone analytics and even medical records is difficult for brands to manage and process within traditional database systems. According to a report from the McKinsey Global Institute, Big Data is the next big thing for innovation, competitive advantage and productivity. But, some companies are missing this opportunity because of a lack of data management expertise. Retail is one industry that has a great potential for big data. Customer transactions (on & offline), conversations and intentions can all be brought together so that brands can get ideas how to reach potential consumers. Read more at: http://analytics.theiegroup.com/article/53a2f6693723a807f3000029/Big-Data-Embracing-The-Elephant-In-The-Room

The most important part in determining a company's stock growth is extremely difficult. But, by asking a few key questions, investors can improve the accuracy of their guesswork. Firstly, take some time to examine the market growth rate- For example, Apple less than a decade ago, was known only for computers, but now it has a market share on the phone and tablet market. To get some hints of their future prospects, you need to estimate the percentage of people who already have smartphones and the percentage of customers who will buy new smartphones etc. Secondly, a company's market share impacts in a big way on its future sales growth. Coffee-retailer Starbucks and automaker Honda are examples of companies that have used their brand name to grow their market share. Also, pricing is an important factor and needs to be considered as it has a big impact on sales revenue growth of any company. Read more at: : http://www.investopedia.com/articles/stocks/04/100604.asp

Six Sigma improves quality and efficiency by identifying and treating the causes of errors and defects and minimizes variability in manufacturing and business processes. The Lean Six Sigma principles- define, measure, analyze, improve and control, were applied to a rural Indian hospital to improve quality and care for patients. The approach was also able to identify other administrative issues. The successful implementation of this approach surprised the management and eventually brought about a cultural change within the organization. This could be a significant step towards improved healthcare for rural communities in the developing world. Read more at: http://www.news-medical.net/news/20140813/Six-Sigma-approach-in-manufacturing-industries-can-improve-healthcare-for-rural-communities.aspx

According to Tor Constantino (Director, Global Public Relations and External Affairs at IMS Health) Nexxus Mobile Sales is the first complete cloud-based sales performance which aids companies to implement national brand strategies at local levels by linking updated industry and customer data with expert decision-support tools for sales representatives. IMS Health provides life sciences commercial organizations with a new app for driving actual, smart local customer engagement. For increased productivity in the field, Mobile Sales issues alerts to the sales representatives about specific territory and customer opportunities and incorporates advanced voice-command technology to provide easy access to all solution features. As a result, sales teams can deliver greater value and spend more time with customers. Read more at: http://www.imshealth.com/portal/site/imshealth/menuitem.c76283e8bf81e98f53c753c71ad8c22a/?vgnextoid=70f32cf8cb7a7410VgnVCM10000076192ca2RCRD&vgnextchannel=5ec1e590cb4dc310VgnVCM100000a48d2ca2RCRD&vgnextfmt=default