The exponentially increasing volumes of digital data have given rise to new opportunities for businesses of all sizes. Where once BI platforms were the sole preserve of large organisations that had large IT budgets and large IT departments, today’s smaller companies have access to powerful analytics capabilities that can help them unlock new sources of business and provide fresh insights.
However, the fact that information has become superabundant is also creating a host of difficulties for companies looking to leverage this data. Glen Rabie, CEO of Yellowfin, explains that a lot of complexity has been introduced through new big data technologies, and that as companies try and work out what this means for them, a simplified approach is key to achieving value.
“The hottest topic in BI at the moment is big data – and probably at the peak of its hype cycle as companies try and work out what it means for them,” he says, speaking ahead of his upcoming visit to South Africa in July, where he will be a keynote speaker at a series of business breakfasts looking at consumerisation and the future of BI.
“We believe that a simplified approach to providing organisations insight into their businesses is where the market will turn to in order to achieve rapid value.”
The growth of the company, the international analyst recognition it has received, and the many awards Yellowfin has won, are testament to the value of this approach. Yellowfin’s mission is to simplify the whole BI and analytics experience, and it’s easy to use interface, mobile platform and collaborative BI capabilities have established the company as a recognised leader in the BI space.
“We have stayed focused on the front end or presentation of data. So when thinking about big data, we want to ensure that no matter where data is stored, users can access that data easily for analysis and presentation. We have done this with enabling connections to Hadoop or analytical databases like HANA, Vertica and Vectorwise. But our real value is in our very user friendly and engaging platform,” Rabie says.
Trends like big data, mobile BI, collaborative BI and greater emphasis on self-service BI or data discovery are just as relevant to South African companies as those in other markets, Rabie points out.
“People want easy to use solutions that they can use anywhere and allow them to work in a collaborative way, and this is as true in South Africa as anywhere else in the world.”
Until recently, South African SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) looking to harness the power of their data had a limited choice of tools with which to capture, process and share all the information available to them. However, with Yellowfin’s increased presence locally, the landscape is changing.
The company has identified South Africa as a key expanding market, and is rapidly raising its profile locally with partner Yellowfin South Africa. “Our compelling offering and competitive price point are already seeing a great response,” says Premie Naicker, MD of Yellowfin South Africa.
“South African businesses now have convenient local access to one of the world’s best BI solutions, and are reaping the benefits. Resellers are growing their businesses with appropriate Yellowfin representation and end-users now have easier access to the right tools to deploy the Yellowfin solution that will meet their specific needs.”
