| www.sas.com > SAS UK > In the Know Homepage | Search | Contact Us |
|
|
|
|
Organisations are drowning in information. In a global marketplace, data and applications are
geographically dispersed and information consumers are typically distributed across multiple
locations, working from home or on the road. The web seemed to provide an answer, but surfing
through masses of unfiltered information slows decision-making. In most organisations, 'pushing'
and 'pulling' targeted information remains a pipe dream.
Meanwhile, IT managers must support a mushrooming user community (including employees, suppliers, customers and partners) and a variety of data sources (ERP systems, relational databases, unstructured data) and applications. Yet they have fewer and fewer staff to do this. Jeremy Rankcom, Product Manager for Business Intelligence at SAS UK, sees light at the end of the tunnel. "The goal is to deliver a highly flexible but unified view of the organisation and access to a wide variety of internal and external content. At the same time, you need to maintain control over who can see what, through role-based security for example. Until now this has been a highly complex and time-consuming task." The business implications of not providing such an approach are serious. According to Ian Charlesworth, Senior Analyst at Butler Group, "Information must be available to all relevant users, both internal and external to the organisation at the right time, in the right place, and in the right format. Companies not subscribing to this model will find their competitive position being eroded by more agile, information-centric businesses." In a Nutshell The SAS Information Delivery Portal is the only portal that combines the strengths of the world's leading information delivery and advanced analytics software with a Java portal platform, allowing information to be disseminated selectively and securely. The quality of the information provided leads directly to competitive advantage, with people able to make more informed decisions using a single view of the enterprise's information. Moreover, this industry-standard open framework, which provides for centralised data management as well as content management, makes life easier for hard-pressed IT professionals. All information is aggregated - structured and unstructured, dynamic and static, internal and external, SAS or non-SAS - to provide a single comprehensive view via an easy-to-use web interface. "The days of 'one model fits all' are over, thanks to the unique culture and nature of today's organisations," says Rankcom. "Customisation capabilities of the SAS Information Delivery Portal mean an enterprise can mould the technology to their own culture and business requirements." This customisation is achieved on two levels: enterprise-wide and personal. As needs change, the portal can be quickly adapted to meet new requirements head on. Critically, a 'publish and subscribe' framework means users can control the information arriving into their personal workspace, thereby reducing information overload, increasing efficiency and promoting more informed decision making.
Any portal is only as good as the information and business capabilities it provides to a knowledge worker - and this is what makes SAS different. Although many portals offer broad access to varied data sources, their analytical capabilities are usually limited to simple queries and OLAP drill downs. "This means an individual is left to perform manual aggregation of data, which is unacceptable in a world where information overload is the norm," says Rankcom. "The SAS Information Delivery Portal neatly overcomes these limitations by exploiting other SAS technologies to combine effective information delivery with exceptional analytics." In short, the SAS Information Delivery Portal enables organisations to leverage the power of SAS to deliver information, not just data, to the entire organisation: information that's precisely tailored to individual needs. Users can access whatever they require and tap into the entire spectrum of applications and analytics available, subject to appropriate security controls. The net result is improved efficiency, higher productivity and real empowerment. The last word goes to Romain Petit, director of corporate business analysis at Bureau Veritas, a global leader in quality, health and safety, and environmental management services. "The value of a SAS Information Delivery Portal is clear; it has a huge impact on internal communications, granting access to critical information quickly, securely and at a reasonable cost." He says return on investment was clear almost immediately: "To remain a major player, you need a tool like this. The portal is about providing meaningful information in a timely manner. It enables us to be more competitive." Join us in Marlow on the 17 September for a SAS Information Delivery Portal Showcase where you will hear about the SAS Information Delivery Portal including standard reporting together with interactive Data Mining and OLAP surfacing.
For further information on the SAS Information Delivery Portal, please visit: http://www.sas.com/technologies/bi/content_delivery/portal/index.html
|
