Enabling World-class Decisions in 2018 with Innovative Corporate Performance Management Technology

This article will discuss what’s at stake in terms of how you leverage diverse company data types to enable optimized decision-making in 2018.

There is a lot going on right now: politically, culturally, and economically. There always seems to be a headline or a collective understanding of “in these trying times,” but these really do feel like trying times. And the business world is changing at a rapid pace, arguably due to the rate of technological innovation, with cloud computing perhaps being the most disruptive for business today. In the political space, you’ve undoubtedly heard a lot of buzzy things around resistance and engagement. In fact, regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, it probably feels like you have no option but to stay engaged. And this extends to the business realm, always driven by the bottom line. However, with the rate of change for technology (and the best practices that are related) exponentially speeding up, I feel a sense of urgency. Whether or not you also feel that, this article is going to address what’s already happening – and what you can expect in 2018.
I want to start by saying this is not just a blog article. This feels like a call to action for me as a writer who regularly covers business best practices, especially in relation to enterprise technology. Sure, it’s a new year, and we’re all looking to do better in the new year than we’ve done this year – and I have written year end lists and summaries before, but I’m taking a new approach in 2018. I’m going to dedicate my entries on this blog next year to zooming in on the importance of capturing, leveraging, and analyzing data – and how to do so with the right enterprise technology. I’ve never done a series of this magnitude before, but it seems pressing to me. Pressing in the sense that if you and your team do not get this right, it can be make or break. In other words, with artificial intelligence and automation of processes helping to expedite analyses, those who collect and analyze data correctly are going to win. And those who do not will be left behind. But how is this different than previous blogs?

 
Here’s the difference: in 2018, this blog will embrace an intentional theme that organically builds out into a series of what you need to know to remain competitive and more specifically, to make the correct investments of time, money, and energy into the enterprise technology you will need. What will I write about?
On this blog in 2018, I will cover what the future holds (and what we’re already seeing) in regard to reporting, budgeting, dashboards, consolidations, data management, and cloud versus on-premise solutions. More specifically, we’ll discuss the analysis processes that fill up our days in the business world – and the solutions that support these tasks. We’ll move from the challenges and pain points that face today’s companies to how to select the right technology solutions that you’re going to need to support your present and future business. And ultimately, this has to do with setting yourself up for success with the knowledge that enables and empowers decisions.
Let me take it one step further and say that your decision-making has to be world-class in this fast-paced, tumultuous, disruption-heavy business world. And what makes decision-making “world-class”? Quite simply, it has to do with incorporating diverse data types from across the organization to intersect or stand on its own in accessible, logical, sophisticated, and dynamic analyses that provide insight to decision-makers at all levels. It should be self-service, generally speaking, meaning that business end users do not need to be power users and do not require assistance from members of the IT department. The technology should be secure, while also collaborative and modern in its features and functionality. And let’s not forget about cloud.
Of course, we talk about cloud computing all the time on this blog – and for good reason. It is arguably the biggest single disruption in the technology world, which has implications throughout the global culture. And we are at the beginning of its reign as the way technology is delivered, managed, supported, and developed. Thus, it will be a big part of this yearlong exploration as it continues to provide new ways for processes, organizational approaches, customer service, and innovation to streamline and improve, if not be completely overhauled. I’ll explore the realities of multiple cloud systems, hybrid cloud and on-premise software management, and what the future holds in terms of whether everything will be cloud or just some enterprise software making that move, while others remain on-premise indefinitely. In some of the blogs, I will also provide you with lots of real world examples of reports, budget models and dashboards that help companies enable better and faster decisions. I’m looking forward to the uncertainty of the future in that the editorial calendar is not something you can necessarily plan out for the year with the rapid unfolding of technology developments. There’s a lot to feel excited for, but I understand that there’s plenty to feel overwhelmed by as well.
I’m dedicating a year of blogging to what will be essential for your company and for your role in it. The success of companies in the future has everything to do with data, but not in unsophisticated ways. The amount of technology, while constantly changing, can be overwhelming, and this blog has always understood that and served that sentiment. Next year will be no different in that regard, but will seek to help you build a momentum in making smart moves to achieve world-class decision-making through implementation of the right technology solutions.
Solver enables world-class decisions with BI360, a leading web-based CPM suite made up of budgeting, reporting, dashboards, and data warehousing, delivered through a web portal. Solver offers BI360 through cloud and on-premise deployment and is reinventing CPM with its next generation solution. BI360 empowers business users with modern features including innovative use of Excel in the model design process. If you’re interested in learning more, our team is excited to hear about your organizational needs and goals.