Over the past generation, the calls for virtually all organizations to become better stewards of our natural resources, embrace environmentally friendly practices, adopt fair-trade policies and implement “sustainability strategies” have shifted from a small but vocal number of advocates to broad majorities of consumers and governments worldwide. Today, issues such as climate change, energy consumption, labor practices, food safety, pollution and waste management are strong factors in the impressions that organizations make with consumers, investors, regulators, watchdogs and other stakeholders.

The key is to invest the right amount of time and manpower to carefully research and understand all sustainability-affecting aspects of the business. Organizations must identify the green-related metrics that apply to the business, and it’s crucial to find the right data to describe and measure those metrics. Predictive analytics tools can help identify the proper leading indicators that predict and measure sustainability performance. Read more.

Cisco Senior VP Laura Ipsen discusses how partnership with SAS helps support Cisco's sustainability initiatives (.asx, requires Windows Media Player).

How Do Your Analytics Measure up?
Business Development Program Brief

Every wonder how your analytics measure up? This Customer Dialogue Program provides a communication touch point for Data Mining and Advanced Analytic team managers to discuss their data mining activities with SAS’s leading industry specialists.

Discussion Points:

• What are your competitors doing
• Latest trends
• Benchmarking against competitors
• Are your resources working to prime capacity
• Discuss the data mining evolution
• Where do you fit in the evolution of data mining
• Are you ready to take your company to the next level with data mining
• Tips and techniques

Common Customer Challenges:

• Are you struggling with:
  - lengthy data extraction processes and data quality issues
  - share data mining models within your department
  - complex algorithms
  - reusability of analytic code
  - operationalizing and deploying your models
  - lack of model standardization and documentation

Deliverables:

• Recommendations for immediate concerns/pains
• Offer ideas on analytics directions and vision for future
• Rate your position in the market place (Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats)

Target Audience:

• Customers using SAS Enterprise Miner or SAS STAT with focus on Data Mining Managers

For more information, please contact Heather Allan Brown at Heather.AllanBrown@sas.com.

SAS® Global Forum - Call for Papers and Participation Open!
This year, papers are being accepted for the technical sessions focusing on SAS software, tips and useful techniques, as well as for the more-specific industry solutions section. Click here for more information about each session and the types of papers being solicited.

The call for papers is open. Papers must be submitted online no later than October 13. Click here to submit a paper.

News from Education

SAS® Certification
Learn how to save on exam fees and get program information by attending a free SAS Certification Web seminar.

Data Mining Conference M2008 Training Opportunities
In addition to the two-day conference, M2008 offers the latest hands-on technical training in the industry. Plus, you’ll get the opportunity to earn a SAS certified professional credential in predictive modeling. Check out what we have to offer.

Upcoming Data Mining Courses Available
Applying data mining and survival analysis techniques allow you to look deeper into your data and make better informed business decisions. Michael J.A. Berry and Gordon S. Linoff will open the doors to their secrets on data mining and survival analysis. As data mining consultants, they will share with you how they have solved problems for customers around the globe.

The following courses are for business analysts and their managers, statisticians and anyone who has a professional interest in data mining:

• Data Mining Techniques: Theory and Practice
• Applying Survival Analysis for Business Time-to-Event Problems

The Training Path Solution (TPS)

The TPS gives a both an individual and organizational view of training, starting with assessing the needs of department heads and progressing to each individual in the department or on a particular project team. Over the years SAS has met with several hundred customer staff in many departments to ensure they have the knowledge they need to be self-sufficient and productive using SAS in their roles. Read more..