FEATURE: BIG DATA
FEATURE: BIG DATA
The difference between generating reports from historical
data and using Epicor’s Data Analytics is the ability to
generate predictive analytics based on historical data.
(Image courtesy of Epicor)
the business will move forward. We
read the historical data, we see the
trends how it was moving, and then
we can, based on this data give you a
prediction for the coming years. You
can as a manager change the view,
adjust it and make the proper decision,”
explains Tohme.
Cloud-based Epicor Data Analytics
is also well positioned to meet
growing demands from the use cases
of Internet of Things. Historically,
administrators would plug in assumed
values of machine performance
either through legacy experience
or otherwise into the ERP workflow
variables. Now with connected
sensors and devices sitting on the
same shop-floor, sending their real-
time data directly into Epicor ERP
through cloud based databases, Epicor
Data Analytics can give a real-time
picture to administrators for assessing
actual production parametres
and productivity.
Managing data overflow
A recent study conducted by the
South African Facilities Management
Association revealed that the industry
has grown aggressively from merely
being associated with building
maintenance. For an industry that
collectively manages billions of dollars
across South Africa, the right skills
and technology are essential to drive
facilities management forward. The
study also revealed that clients want
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technology to be used in facilities
management. To fulfil these needs, a
focus on modernisation is critical.
According to Barry Diedericks, Infor
EAM Subject Matter Expert at Softworx,
the Internet of Things offers this,
but sometimes there is too much
information. “A perfect storm describes
an event where a rare combination
of circumstances will aggravate a
situation drastically,” adds Diedericks.
“In facilities management, for example,
a smart building offers unlimited
data, but do we need this data? As
technology advances, the complexity
involved in gathering and analysing
data exponentially increases.”
This has business owners begging the
question: if you bring me a report, and
I cannot use it in my business, why
do I need it? Diedericks believes that
information comes at a cost, but this
is justified if the data can be leveraged
to transform building services. If
you can operate your business with
insight, it becomes possible to take
decisions more intelligently. This can
be achieved in two ways. By asking the
right questions and collecting the right
data, and by implementing the right
tools to analyse the data collected.
Technology comes with its challenges,
and IoT is no exception. “Perhaps the
biggest challenge is its efficiency,
the ability to capture millions of
transactions per second. Can all of
this data be stored?” asks Diedericks.
In some industries, it is vital to have
this constant information at hand. In
healthcare, for example, devices must
constantly be monitored. In the food
industry, however, checking can be
done intermittently, perhaps every
few minutes. At home, however, this
information would only be required
every few hours. According to Henrique Do Vale,
Africa and Middle East Leader for
Applications and Analytics, Global
Business Center at Nokia, the
vendor is providing software
solutions and services to help its
customers transition from being
communications service providers to
digital service providers.
Use cases Communication service providers
in Africa are increasingly interested
in deploying big data and analytics
solutions for several key reasons. These
include the need to: reduce operational
expenditures, create new business
models and new revenue streams, and
improve customer experience. “With
the amounts of data being consumed
by subscribers and generated by service
providers today, big data and analytics
are not a luxury but a necessity.
Storing, processing and understanding
all that data, turning it into meaningful
information and improving business
with it, is what various platforms and
solutions bring to the table for service
providers,” says Do Vale.
According to George Etheredge,
Research Analyst for Digital
Transformation Practice at Frost &
Sullivan Africa, when talking about big
data, there is a very real risk of getting
caught up in the hype. big data, in the
end, is just data, gargantuan amounts
of data. Technological advances
certainly have played a role in enabling
collection and generation of more and
more data but, as was always the case,
data on its own is not valuable.
What is valuable, however, are the
insights that can be drawn from this
data after suitable analysis has been
conducted. Here again, technology
has helped by increasing the amount
of data that can be processed at a
reasonable speed. “As such, the use
cases of big data in Africa then are
the same as the use-cases for data in
Africa, in general. Given the extent of
poverty and disease on the continent,
two key uses would be in infection and
crop monitoring,” says Etheredge.
Analytics solutions are a major
differentiator, giving service providers
insight into network and subscriber
information. This enables them to
streamline operations and increase
efficiencies by bringing in new levels
"What is valuable are
the insights that can be
drawn from this data after
suitable analysis has
been conducted."
of intelligence and automation.
Analytics also open up new
opportunities for service providers to
monetise the massive amounts data
they are collecting.
As an example, Nokia’s Cognitive
Analytics can provide rich views
of mobile, fixed and IP networks,
bringing efficiencies to service
providers. It provides multi-
dimensional view of subscribers
to ensure a clear view of customer
experience, with predictive and
automated capabilities in customer
care and customer insight.
Monetisation through new channels
also comes into play with the
ability to see crowd movements in
cognitive analytics and to apply that
information to retail, transportation,
out of home media, travel and
tourism applications.
Inhibitors
An important driver for big data in
Africa is improvements in Internet
connectivity. Most high intensity
data projects make use of a cloud-
based component and this naturally
requires a connection to the cloud
provider. On the other side of the
same coin, connectivity in Africa is
still by no means up to the global
standards seen in more developed
markets and this acts as a restraint
to the full realisation of big
data’s benefits.
Another important restraint is a lack
of skills. “A worthwhile data project
will require both the technical skills
to manage and analyse the data,
as well as the strategic skills to draw
meaningful conclusions from the
analysis,” says Etheredge.
Retail and financial services appear to
be industries most active in adopting
big data, and made use of data before
big data was coined. Enforcement
of legislation, such as Protection of
Personal Information Act, however
will be a factor to watch in how
big data is further developed for
commercial purposes.
New demands from consumers and
businesses are putting pressure on
communications service providers
to improve customer experience by
delivering new timely, attractive and
differentiated products and services.
At the same time, they must work to
reduce costs and create new business
models and revenue opportunities
allowing them to compete effectively
in the digital era.
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(Left to right) George Etheredge, Research Analyst for Digital Transformation Practice at Frost &
Sullivan Africa; Henrique Do Vale, Africa and Middle East Leader for Applications and Analytics,
Global Business Center at Nokia; Monzer Tohme, Regional Vice President Sales, Africa and Middle
East at Epicor; and Jane Thomson, Managing Director at Softworx.
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