Is it time to move your analytics to the cloud?

Nothing stays the same for long today—particularly in technology.

If even six years ago I had predicted that you’d have a device in your hand that could look up basically any fact in the world instantly, host video conversations and help boost your work productivity—and that you’d be able to do all this from the bus on the way to work—you wouldn’t have believed me.

Over much the same time period, organizations in great numbers have turned to cloud technologies to manage a broad variety of business analytics. But is it right for your organization?

Customers are increasingly using the cloud and software as a service (SaaS) because of ease of use, lower cost and anytime/anywhere access. However, a Ventana Research Analyst Perspective points out the some additional advantages, including enhanced scalability and flexibility, affordability, and IT staff optimization. There are still barriers to moving to the cloud, but the analyst perspective states—and I found this interesting— that “more than one fourth of analytics initiatives for companies of all sizes are cloud-based.”

Making such a transition requires preparation, coordination and effort. But it can be the difference between satisfying the needs of your company’s line-of-business managers and leaving them lacking the analytics needed to keep up with accelerated pace of change and innovation that business requires today.