SigmaWay Blog

More and more industries are realizing the benefits that the remote working environment has to offer. Instead of calling of a meeting or walking up to employees desk for ideas, companies communicate via instant messaging, phone, video conferencing. According to surveys, remote workers sleep better, exercise more, have healthier diets and have low stress. Now a day's companies are expanding search beyond office geography. Yet owners fear the resulting lack of communication and collaboration. With the right communication tool, we can 1) encourage video conferencing. It is the most effective way of distant communication yet is harder to get used to in initial practices. 2) Instant messengers to keep updates and ask questions. 3) Central status update on project progress is a prime feature of project management tool which can be used to have general meetings.Read more at:-http://www.cmswire.com/social-business/embrace-the-growing-remote-workforce/

Retailers face hectic flurry for organizing and planning for big sales, poor inventory management system can sabotage your sales even with great customer services. Negligence may lead to small discrepancies such as colour, sizes which can destroy customer relationship and cost valuable revenue. Accurate and timely delivery requiring effective management of omni-channel system is crucial for customer satisfaction beyond friendly services. Small to medium business should focus on mobile access, real time access of disparate data, sales forecasting and product management for prior inventory. Delay in information and updates of innovated products and services will lead to disrupt business as it leads to unrealistic promises which can’t be completed in time window. Your need to empower your sales person with latest technologies and real time inventory information. Delivering products to customer on time is as sales, when investing in newer solution, its important to plan for short and mid-term growth. Changing inventory multiple times would cost resources, but will be necessary if you fail to take proper decision now. Read more at:- http://www.cmswire.com/customer-experience/dont-leave-customers-empty-handed/

Over last quarter-century, there has been a steady increase in the features available for different application of analytics industry. At one level all the features help organisation get the most value possible from their information assets. All different technologies are designed for different user types. Due to merging of needs of different user, if we want to leverage all the features, we typically need several servers and interfaces. SAP cloud analytics integrates all technologies into a fast blazing platform which we don’t even need to install. With SAP HANA, we can easily cleanse, integrate combination of data sources and provide insightful budget forecasting. We can also analyse combination of structured and unstructured data and augment data exploration with sophisticated geographical mapping with the ultimate vision of Big Data Discovery. Based on SAP HANA’s HTAP capabilities, its all possible on real operational data with instant sophisticated of data for analysis. Read more at:- http://timoelliott.com/blog/2015/10/reinventing-the-analytics-experience-sideways.html

This year's blockbuster Black Friday and Cyber Monday saw more than ever selling which implies that in future, marketing will be imperatively focused through internet transactions. International survey suggests that more than 151 people shop online. Buyers hit physical stores for available door busters. With online shopping, they get to browse around other brands and pick other things of interest. The Interactive Advertisement bureau reports that people still visit showrooms to double check prices of commodity before purchasing online. Soon special days like black Friday and Cyber Monday would loose their importance. Read more at:-http://www.cmswire.com/digital-marketing/what-you-need-to-know-about-new-retail-realities/

Surveys show that security concerns are primarily stopping user from using cloud solutions. In reality, the security provided by reputed cloud vendors is much more secure than home grown solutions as seen in Sony's email hack and target credit card breach cases. Cloud solutions are cheaper, adds flexibility, providing tremendous computation capacities to users in just second without even installing software. It updates continuously, where we can store personal data with greater security because the cloud service provider know better protection than a customer. People are reluctant towards transferring all data from premise to cloud just for analysis because they don't understand how much of the data analyzed comes from internal system. Audience at the international conferences uses cloud analytics over Hybrid Transaction/Analytical Processing (HTAP) due to risk of disruption of jobs. The visible risks of cloud solutions are acceptable because of the rule that relying on outside services run by experts completely overwhelms the potential cost. Read more at:- http://timoelliott.com/blog/2015/10/whos-afraid-of-cloud-analytics.html

More CEOs are recognizing established companies as a more formidable competitor than an outsider. In order to excel in today's game changing competition, we need to understand what game we are playing. At the beginning, employees understand their jobs, later they lack this capability as the company emphasizes more on organizing customers and products rather than their actual reason from where they started. The KPIs stays disconnected from customer needs, leading to disruption of business. Game changing innovation requires us to 1) Step outside of our organization silos by thinking new products and services from customer point of view using newer technologies. 2) Use right incentives and metrics to cannibalize the market in long run assisting employees to link their efforts to over company's strategies. 3) become faster and flexible to respond to the inevitable shifts by simplifying existing decision making processes. Read more at:-http://timoelliott.com/blog/2015/07/3-key-steps-to-game-changing-innovation.html

Big data analytics require skilled data scientists who are paid unreasonably high amount of money, because of their ability to ask right question and create the most effective algorithm in order to extract meaningful information from tons of data. But, not anymore. Researchers at MIT teamed had developed a machine of automated analytics that explores patters and designs in data structures. Read more at:- http://blogs.csc.com/2015/10/16/can-automated-analytics-reduce-need-for-data-scientists/

Baseball is an exclusive game. It has been played for over centuries and hence is defined by the long history of data collected over the years which has hardly changed. We can relate baseball and big data. Baseball combines analysis of historic structured data with real-time event data and sequential insights. The following three factors have a direct analogy in consumer marketing: 1. in baseball, a manager look at batting averages, spray charts, and righty-lefty matchups whereas a marketer might look into historic purchases, create segmentation of behaviors and demographics, and add channel preference.
2. In baseball, a manager might look into real time data e.g. how pitch is affected, player’s approach. On the other hand the marketer looks into how he can capitalize on real-time events.
3. For a pitcher, set up pitch is important On the other hand, in marketing, the flow of emails or offers dictates the next offer or product promoted.
Read more at: http://www.tibco.com/blog/2015/08/10/baseball-and-big-data-marketing-closer-than-you-ever-thought/

The relationship between structured and unstructured data in real time can be analyzed by turning the structured and unstructured data (wide data) into fast data. Origin of a problem can be found by wide data. Quicker decision and analysis can be made by fast data. With the boom of Internet of Things (IoT), new challenges relating to the structured and unstructured data may arise. By turning wide data into fast data we will be able to retrieve massive amounts of data from various sources and then use them to identify and potentially assess their behavior in real-time.
Unstructured data can also be used to meet real-time data demands. When wide data is turned to fast data it opens doors to various opportunities.
Read more at: http://www.tibco.com/blog/2015/07/17/big-datas-companion-wide-data/

Optimization has played an important role in corporate world enabling executives and managers in making best decisions. Using optimization technology and techniques has made day to day business issues easier. Optimization came into play since 20th century with the help of digital computers. Linear programming was the first optimization method used. It enabled analysts to achieve best possible outcome in a given situation. Computing capabilities became affordable enabling companies to use more complex algorithms to handle more ever difficult optimization problem. Optimization analytics is popular among businesses giving them potential to improve performance and create competitive advantage.  Read more at:http://www.smartdatacollective.com/robert-kugel/336864/optimization-analytics-comes-mass-market

Need for Chief Data Officer (CDO) in boardrooms has increased now days. Importance of CDO is same as that of big data in companies, as a person in charge of data team. There has been increase in number of companies who are employing CDOs. At present 43% of executives reported that their firm had appointed CDO, while two years back it was only about 19%. During financial crises in 2008 many companies lost their significant amount of money after their data had been shown completely wrong. That gives rise to Chief Data Officer, a person that can be held responsible for validity of data. He can protect businesses from loss due to crises and also to help appease law makers who were going to require change within reporting and storage of data.  Read more at:

https://channels.theinnovationenterprise.com/articles/the-evolution-in-the-cdo-role

With tons of data available with marketers to measure the impact of their business, one thing that need to be kept in mind is not to get entangled in measuring everything. Measuring something that does not have the capability to influence your corporate strategy isn’t a good idea. Knowing what your business is trying to achieve and then deciding on marketing metrics is foremost.  Steve Robins, principal of Solution Marketing Strategy, in an article in TechTarget provides the following points of advice to detangle your metrics:
• Separating strategic KPI’s from nonstrategic metrics
• What to measure?
• Operationalizing KPI’s
• Metrics predict the future
• Finally, looking at best practices
For more insights into this piece follow the link:  : http://searchcrm.techtarget.com/feature/Dont-get-tangled-in-marketing-metrics?utm_medium=EM&asrc=EM_NLN_45313060&utm_campaign=20150716_Spend%20management:%20Were%20SAP%27s%20procurement%20acquisitions%20really%20worth%20$15%20billion?_jbiscobing&utm_source=NLN&track=NL-1815&ad=901719&src=901719

Decisions on cloud use and spending involves various business units like engineering team, operations, finance etc. Key to cost cloud cost management is to make all the teams accountable for cloud expenditure. This can be done by putting data in hands of people, enacting policies and evangelizing best practices and finally incentivizing good spending behavior and habits. Michelle Boisvert, executive site editor for searchAWS.com in an article talks about cost conscious culture for managing AWS costs. She further talks about the 5 stages of cost management:
• Create visibility into cloud costs.
• Focus on allocating costs so you know who is responsible for what in the AWS bill.
• Promote efficient behavior to drive down the AWS bill.
• Implement cost saving methods
• Focus on unit cost, not overall cost to understand savings.
For more on this follow the link:  http://searchaws.techtarget.com/news/4500249787/AWS-cloud-cost-management-The-buck-stops-with-you?utm_medium=EM&asrc=EM_NLN_45439492&utm_campaign=20150720_NoSQL%20cloud%20database%20service%20targets%20developers_msargent&utm_source=NLN&track=NL-1839&src=901868

People are increasingly using mobile devices to interact through mobile browsers and apps. As a result mobile analytics is occupying an important position in the analytics world. Jeremy Levy, CEO of Indicative and previously co-founder of Xtify and Meetmoi, in a special guest feature in Inside Big data talks about how mobile analytics is changing and how to navigate in the changed scenario. He believes that the changes in the field of mobile analytics are driven primarily by three factors- access to attribution data, deeplinking and new platforms for some of the largest players in mobile. Again there are 3 factors that will define the success in the changed scenario- 

• Clean attribution

• Tracking deeplinks properly 

• Finally, flexible analytics tools

For more on this hit the link http://insidebigdata.com/2015/07/17/thriving-in-the-new-mobile-analytics-ecosystem/

Big Data appears to be the solution of every problem, especially when it comes to IT. But, one thing we often forget is that the big repository of data is useful only when one is able to generate actionable insights from it. Otherwise, it’s just another stack of data. With organizations becoming increasingly dependent on technology for every aspect of business operations, IT enterprises are finding themselves locked with big data with no useful insights. Raja Mukerji, president of ExtraHop, in an article in Inside Big data talks about IT operation analytics as the most viable solution to this problem and how it has emerged as a framework for a horizontal approach to Big Data in IT. He believes that ITOA will help release useful insights form IT Big data and the horizontal, silo buster approach will transform IT from a mere support system into a strategic business driver. For more on this piece follow the link http://insidebigdata.com/2015/07/18/taking-a-horizontal-approach-to-big-data-for-better-it-and-business-outcomes/

Internet of Things has become the second name for futuristic technology and advancement. Automotive sector has always been the first to absorb sophistication. With increasing propagation of embedded in-vehicle connectivity and smartphone integration platform, connecting automotive technology with phones, watches and computers will be a rage. Connected cars, as we might call them, will be extremely helpful in combating traffic congestion, reducing fuel consumption and road accidents. But, with this huge opportunity comes challenges like affordability, threats like malware, odometer fraud, hacking etc. Todd Franks in a blogpost in CloudTweaks believes that connected cars will definitely be the future of automobile industry. For more insight please click the link http://cloudtweaks.com/2015/07/connected-cars-the-challenges-and-benefits/

They are often first point of contact with the customer, and a happy encounter makes a happy customer. Taking care of experienced call center agents and making employee satisfaction a priority produces numerous benefits for the company. ? Below is a list of a few things that you should be doing to take care of those employees who take care of your customers. • Excellent salary. Even in a very competitive industry, experienced agents can command high salaries befitting their expertise. They can get salaries that are higher than the average day job. Aside from their base salaries, these agents also deserve additional benefits and overtime pay for their hard work

• Incentives and commissions.  Aside from their salaries, agents also get additional money for reaching sales quotas or other milestones. 

• Awesome working environment. As a reward for their hard work, call center agents get all the pampering they can get through excellent workplace facilities. This is why most call centers provide their employees the works – immaculate bathrooms, cozy sleeping quarters, play areas, clean pantries with free coffee and so on.

• Career growth opportunities. If you’re like most agents, chances are you won’t be satisfied with being an agent for the rest of your working life. You will look for opportunities that can push you up the corporate ladder. A good call center provides its agents the chance to add more skills to their resumes so they can become eligible for higher positions in the company. A call center that takes care of its people’s career advancement produces agents who are not only successful with their jobs but also those who are actually happy staying in the organization.

Read more here- http://www.callcentertimes.com/Articles/tabid/59/ctl/NewsArticle/mid/407/CategoryID/1/NewsID/1028/Default.aspx

Big data - which admittedly means many things to many people - is no longer confined to the realm of technology. Today, it is important in any business. In addition to providing solutions to insurance companies' long-standing business challenges, big data solutions offer the power to transform processes, organizations and entire industries. Big data is especially promising and differentiating for insurance companies. With no physical products to manufacture, data is arguably one of their most important assets. Financial, actuarial, claims, risk, consumer, producer/wholesaler and many other types of data form the basis for every decision an insurer makes.

Insurance companies will realize value by effectively managing and analyzing the rapidly increasing volume, velocity and variety of new and existing data. By putting the right skills and tools in place to better understand their operations, customers and new markets, insurance organizations will be on the right track to compete and thrive in this global, dynamic marketplace.

Read more here- http://analyticsindiamag.com/has-the-insurance-industry-mastered-the-art-of-utilising-big-data/

Technology has significantly changed the environment of courtrooms over the last few years. Health technology has been one of the most used technologies in the courtroom. Lawyers are enjoying benefits of such technology to have winning edge. It is easier to present the evidences and to conclude the case. Health technology in courtrooms includes blood and personal health monitoring technology, video display, annotation monitors and evidence camera. Use of video conferencing has also became popular now a days. The most important advantage of this health technology is that is instantaneous with the results being relayed at the same time. Read more at:https://channels.theinnovationenterprise.com/articles/h-ealth-tech-in-the-courtroom

Big data and internet of thing (IOT) have made it easier for companies to collect new data. This will help companies to have comprehensive view of consumer’s buying and viewing behavior which in turn is used to make competitive business intelligence. Today businesses are struggling to face high bills of Internet Service Providers (ISP) as they already have too much data to cope with. With huge investment, industries have spent time in finding solutions for crunching large data within limited time. There is huge cost involved in storing big data. But Software Defined Storage (SDS) gave storage the operational efficiency as other big data aspects. This provides flexible and scalable architecture to empower the business to meet big data fluctuation demand.  Read more at:https://channels.theinnovationenterprise.com/articles/big-data-and-the-communications-data-bill