29
Fri, Nov
0 New Articles

What Does It Mean To Be an Insights-driven Business? Paving the Way for Organizations Running on IBM i / AS400

Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

In its most recent report on insights-driven businesses, Forrester found that those with advanced business intelligence infrastructure are confidently growing by at least 20%. These are organizations that have been successfully enabling smarter and faster decision-making across the board through technology and data governance.

By LANSA, An Idera Company

Intelligent use of data analytics is key to optimized business processes, high customer satisfaction rates, and increased profits. With the ability to closely monitor performance and trends, companies are able to respond faster to the market – even make reliable forecasts and ultimately gain a competitive advantage.

Being able to process big data and serve up reports to key decision-makers make a good start, but it’s enabling self-service business intelligence that truly powers an insights-driven business. The question then becomes: How to democratize access to data and bring intelligence to the point of decision-making?

Democratizing access to data: the three stages

Democratization means empowering all stakeholders — employees, managers, and executives alike, even third parties in certain cases — to leverage real-time data in generating insights for taking calculated next steps in day-to-day work, especially when planning and problem-solving. Let's break that down into three stages:

1. Data consolidation

Bringing together data from various sources is critical in forming comprehensive views and cross-variable analyses that would be the baseline of reliable business intelligence. A centralized repository of data including but not limited to financial, customer, sales, and supply records is foundational to good governance. From here, querying and tabulating otherwise disparate data become possible. However, where coding is required and data is far too granular, non-analysts would have a hard time making practical use of this data. Meaning, adoption for day-to-day decision-making is still near impossible at this stage.

2. Data presentation

Leveraging analytics platforms that deliver real-time data in the form of charts, graphs, and infographics is one giant step toward democratization. Visualizations help stakeholders make meaning out of data, facilitate comparisons, and interpret trends. With data already aggregated and then graphically presented in dashboards, it becomes easier for non-analysts to generate insights independently to inform their actions and decisions. In instituting an insights-driven business, these dashboards should be made available not just to executives but also to members on the ground to facilitate smooth and optimized operations.

3. Data integration

Here, data integration means bringing analytics into the very applications that power your business to extend insights to day-to-day work. Instead of offering data in a separate platform, integrated business intelligence removes the barrier between action and insights generation wherein analytics blends seamlessly into work. Business intelligence is no longer a separate dimension that often alienates end-users but an element that empowers them to course through work more efficiently and effectively. Embedded analytics harnesses the full potential of data democratization by allowing everyone to impact overarching organizational goals instead of keeping insights exclusive to select stakeholders.

Delivering advanced analytics to businesses running on IBM i / AS400

It is important to recognize the integral role developers play in building an insights-driven business. From consolidation, presentation, and integration, developers are at the center of implementing the right technologies to truly democratize data. For businesses running on IBM i / AS400, reporting is still typically done manually or with outdated tools at best, hindering the transformative use of data and analytics.

Nowadays, developers turn to low-code platforms to be able to quickly respond to rapidly evolving business needs. It provides developers with ready-made frameworks to deliver advanced applications and out-of-the-box solutions for incorporating new technologies. However, many low-code platforms lack robust reporting modules. They may have slick drag-and-drop functionality to turn data into charts, but sophisticated features that truly deliver business intelligence are found to be lacking.

Introducing LANSA BI, from the pioneers in professional low-code development on IBM i / AS400

For more than three decades now, LANSA has been helping businesses modernize their IBM i / AS400 applications. By offering developers a professional low-code solution, it enables the rapid development of well-integrated, mission-critical applications at the time of digital transformation. 

This year, LANSA is rolling out a BI solution that doesn’t just supplement the creation of beautiful dashboards but makes insight discovery far faster through embedded analytics and more. For LANSA, truly modernized applications made for competitive businesses should be leveraging data and analytics. While LANSA has cross-platform capabilities, its native integration with IBM i / AS400 makes it an asset for developers looking to implement self-service analytics to help cultivate an insights-driven workplace. 

LANSA BI will offer core features such as best-in-class dashboarding and reporting complete with intricate drill-down and filtering capabilities that don’t sacrifice data integrity. Supported innovations also include Natural Language Queries (NLQ), collaborative presentations, and interactive stories – many of which will be made available as both stand-alone modules or deeply embedded widgets that can be accessed contextually within existing or new LANSA applications.

Bridging the gap between theory and development with the right tools

Understanding what it means to bring intelligence to the point of decision-making and the whys of doing so is a fundamental milestone in developing organizational best practices for sustainable growth in today’s market. To succeed, it is important to equip developers with tools that can significantly accelerate their work and boost their productivity. 

Modernize the way you handle reports and maximize data to gain that competitive advantage. Say goodbye to manual reporting and facilitate insights generation within your organization using LANSA BI. Learn more at lansa.com/business-intelligence and reach out to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for early access.

0 0

LANSA is a low-code, high-productivity software development platform for mobile, web, and desktop applications. Visual LANSA's unique low-code development platform, system integration, and digital transformation technologies reduce hand-coding, support multiple languages, and empower development teams to build applications up to 10 times faster. More than 8,000 organizations in 65 countries use LANSA's platform to develop, maintain, and integrate their business applications, ensuring a consistent look and feel with minimal coding. Customers include JPMorgan Chase, Kawasaki, TruGreen, Vistar, and Walt Disney, among others. LANSA is a division of Idera, Inc.

BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: