It took millions of years and countless stages of evolution for humans to get to where we are today. Besides the biological traits we share with our ancestors, they also shared our affinity for data analytics. Although their version may have been limited to a tally of how many mammoths walked past their cave, it did eventually lead to where we are today — the age of data.
Charts were designed to help us make sense of whatever information we were working with. But in the digital era, pie charts and bar graphs simply aren’t enough. We expect data to be interpreted brightly, interactively, and delivered to us in the format we want, wherever and whenever. As this need continues to grow, more small- and medium-sized businesses are turning to business intelligence (BI) software.
Business intelligence is a technology-driven process used to analyze data and present actionable steps that help end users make more informed business decisions. BI encompasses a plethora of tools, applications, and methodologies that enable organizations to collect data from internal systems as well as external sources. The data can then be used for analysis, ultimately to develop and run queries and create reports. Dashboards and data visualizations help make the analytical results available to both decision makers and operational workers.
However, many organizations are tempted by free or open source solutions. The decision to do so might be due to multiple reasons, including budgetary restrictions. This can prove to be a false economy since open source often fails to meet your demands. Before choosing to invest in a free or open source solution rather than a customized BI system, consider their limitations first.
It’s not as user-friendly
One of the biggest challenges facing BI is user adoption. If intelligent results are hard to access and results are difficult to interpret, users won’t be able to make the most of the system — thus compromising business value. It’s essential for dashboards to be visually appealing, but with free BI software, you aren’t afforded that luxury.
Untrained professionals tend to find a lack of flashy visuals underwhelming, meaning that there’s a good chance the platform won’t get used. Opt for custom dashboard software that combines graphics and charts with intelligent business analytics to easily see how your organization is doing and plan the next step.
Quantity and quality
BI is responsible for turning raw data into useful information that lends itself toward better decision-making. Therefore, the technology behind it needs to be able to handle large volumes of easily understandable structured and unstructured reports that deliver insights and provide a competitive advantage for long-term stability — all without the need for hours and hours of setup and administration.
Sacrificing functionality
When it comes to BI, data users have high and ever-growing demands. They expect instant access via mobile devices, customized interfaces, and the ability to easily target relevant information. Not only can customized hardware meet your business’s demands, it’s also capable of integrating with your databases — something free dashboard software might not be able to accomplish. Some companies believe that using free software is a good way to test the benefits of BI before fully committing, but the problem is that you’re comparing apples and oranges.
Free software might not have features such as real-time reporting, user interfaces, visualizations and collaboration tools. Other limitations include how many users can access it, and how many can simultaneously view a dashboard. Or in the worst cases, the solution starts charging fees associated to add users, which directly affects deployment and maintenance costs.
Security concerns
Tools developed independently aren’t designed to integrate with other business applications. This exposes your organization to a variety of safety and compliance issues. Self-service functionality is especially challenging since role management and access rights across multiple tools become more complex. Also, once you use open source software, you’re on your own. You have to figure out how to install and implement applications without disturbing existing data and hardware. It also lacks the infrastructure to support a growing customer base as well.
It’s been a long time since the age of cave drawings, so why would your organization want to take a step backward with an inferior version of great technology? An open source BI system might meet your requirements for small-scale projects, but ask yourself at what cost. At Complete Technology, we can help you harness the power of Business Intelligence software that provides the advanced functionality, streamlined business operations, and staff productivity you deserve. Contact us today!
