PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS SOFTWARE

IMPLEMENTATION PITFALLS

What to look for when picking an

ITOA solution

Index

Part 1: What to consider before picking an ITOA solution Part 2: How to avoid pitfalls and conduct a successful Proof of Concept

WHAT TO EXAMINE IN

AN ITOA SOLUTION?

How much will it really cost? How long before you can actually use it?

What are its limitations?

What will you do with it?

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CALCULATING COSTSLicenses Licensing structure should be scalable to accommodate future growth.

Training Consider the technical knowhow needed by end users and administrators to use the solution. Take into account any future implications for knowledge retention.

Maintenance How much time and resources will be invested in upkeep and support?

Integrations Consider the complexity of connecting the different data sources to the solution.

Professional Services Does the solution need special consultants to implement? And for how long will these consultants be necessary and available?

Hardware What hardware does the solution require to run well?

WHAT TO EXAMINE IN AN ITOA SOLUTION?

PROJECTED TIMELINE

WHAT TO EXAMINE IN AN ITOA SOLUTION?

Time to productionThe time it takes for analytics to be used in production on a regular basis.

Required technical expertiseThe expertise needed to setup and maintain the predictive analytics software. Do you need to hire or train people?

End-user trainingThe amount of time it takes end users to start using and benefiting from the software.

SizeWhat is the volume of raw data the software can load and digest?

CompatibilityCan the software easily join data from multiple sources?

SpeedHow fast can the software update and calculate data?

ScalabilityCan it handle increasing workloads and scale? Does it slow down with more users and queries? Does it require making any technical commitments that may not be feasible in the long-term ?

LIMITATIONSWHAT TO EXAMINE IN AN ITOA SOLUTION?

Relevant, actionable applicationsWhat type of insights does the ITOA solution offer?Do they have real-world, actionable applications for my team, my company and my customers?

Drill into reportsZoom into details and underlying data for enhanced analysis.

PRACTICAL USESWHAT TO EXAMINE IN AN ITOA SOLUTION?

HOW TO AVOID COMMON PITFALLS

WHEN PICKING YOUR

SOLUTIONAuthenticityAlways ask for a Proof of Concept (POC) that connects to your real data sources.

AccountabilityConsult your own IT professionals.

ForesightAddress future requirements as well as current ones.

ShrewdnessDon’t invest a lot of money in a POC.

Level HeadednessFocus on actual capabilities - not a pretty presentation.

LISTEN TO YOUR OWN PROFESSIONALSIT personnel are becoming increasingly frustrated by the solutions in place to handle their massive piles of metrics and logs. ITOA solutions are designed to make these professionals’ lives easier, which means they have to both eliminate IT pain points (without creating new ones) and answer IT needs. IT personnel are a shrewd crowd - they will ask the right questions and see through any marketing-talk and smoke screens.

Bottom line: Remember that the vendor has no interest in sharing the technicalities that make their solution more complicated. Trust your own professional network before making any decision.

HOW TO AVOID COMMON PITFALLS?

MEET YOUR PRESENT AND FUTURE NEEDSMost vendors will insist that you predefine your requirements in order to have a successful project or POC. Though this may sound reasonable, you’ll find that it’s almost impossible to know your future ITOA requirements in advance, as you are seeking to implement an ITOA solution to answer these very questions.ITOA requirements are highly dynamic - IT needs are constantly shifting, and IT personnel always refine and adjust their requirements.

Bottom line: Focus the POC on the ability to meet ad-hoc requirements, not just a set of fixed reports that may be irrelevant by the time the project ends.

HOW TO AVOID COMMON PITFALLS?

REFUSE TO INVEST A LOT OF MONEY IN A POCSome vendors promise you the world, but demand significant upfront investment to prepare the projects, hardware and software for a POC – all before you even run one report on your actual data.Don’t agree to this. Demand to have at least one solid report or dashboard running over your own data before you agree to any financial commitment.

Bottom line: If a vendor is not willing to work with you before you put significant amounts of money down, it’s probably because they’d have to spend weeks on development before delivering anything. Meaning, this vendor is either selling archaic technology or is misleading you about the capabilities of their analytics tool.

HOW TO AVOID COMMON PITFALLS?

FOCUS ON CAPABILITIES, NOT SHOWMANSHIPThe biggest mistake buyers make is to judge a vendor based on their visually pleasing package, whether it be colorful dashboard samples and/or shiny product UI.Visualization software components are a dime a dozen, and so are great UI/UX designers working on projects that are technically unsound. The real challenge of any ITOA tool will always be this: can it derive actionable insights from your data?

Bottom line: If a vendor can’t get your data to display in a comprehendible manner within just a few days, you should probably find a better ITOA solution.

HOW TO AVOID COMMON PITFALLS?

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY:

Always ask for a Proof of Concept that connects to your real data sources.

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HOW TO AVOID COMMON PITFALLS?

Predictive Analytics, Simplified.

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