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All the data in the world may not amount to much of companies fail to make the most of their information.

When users collect and process data, they have to be able to think about it and do so quickly. Any hesitation to act based on the contents of an organization’s data could cause an organization to fall behind in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

This act is called analysis-paralysis, and was recently listed in a Bloomberg article as a bad habit data managers must break. Thomas Redman, the article’s author, explained the ramifications of this indecisiveness.

“Analysis-paralysis plagues people and companies that don’t deal well with uncertainty,” he wrote. “They can fall into the trap of seeking ‘just one more bit of confirmation’ before deciding. They delay, delay, delay, seeking to make the perfect decision. They don’t realize that not making a decision is a decision in itself and can have consequences. Delay too long and the competitor may introduce that new product line first, a great candidate may go elsewhere and an investor may withdraw its offer.”

While quick decision-making certainly requires effort from the individual tasked with analyzing the data, the process can be improved with the help of custom database software. Having the ability to collect, process, store and report on information in real time will alleviate the risk of waiting too long to make data-based decisions. This can improve the overall state of an organization by allowing it to stay ahead of its competition, rather than falling behind.

In a perfect world, customer retention would never be an issue. We would acquire new business, the relationship between ourselves and our customers would be perfect and they would stay with us forever. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world and, sometimes, people leave us. While it’s a difficult topic to think about, it’s not necessarily devastating. An incident in this vein can actually be a positive. It all depends on what we make of it.

The most successful organizations don’t go about business assuming they will never lose a customer under any circumstances. Instead, they have systems and strategies in place to capitalize on a particular situation by obtaining all relevant information pertaining to the event and using it to improve the overall company. Ultimately, by keeping an eye on the churn rate, companies can make efforts to keep it down.

A recent article in Inc. Magazine listed five metrics every marketer should pay attention to. Churn was included because of all the important bits of information that can be processed whenever a customer leaves.

“Nobody likes to talk about churn because we all want to believe that no one would leave us and move on, but it happens and it’s an incredibly powerful metric,” wrote Janine Popick, the article’s author. “If you measure it consistently and over time, you will see any unusual spikes or valleys. And you can track those back to things that may have happened.”

Suppose your customers leave primarily during the summer, or what if churn occurs consistently after prices go up, or whenever your communication systems fail (like your website going down.) This information can be collected, processed and used to adjust certain aspects of operations accordingly. For example, if it’s determined that the majority of customers who leave do so during the summer months, the next time the season rolls around it might be a good opportunity to run a promotion to entice customers to stay. While fixing price hikes or technical issues is a bit harder, having that information will at least let companies know the magnitude of those situations, which will only help in the long run.

For this data strategy to be successful, you need a system designed to process information quickly and display it in an easy-to-understand format. Building a custom database software system will give businesses the tools they need to make the most out of customer losses and turn churn from a negative to a positive.

Storing data in the cloud provides companies with numerous crucial benefits, chief among them being the ability to access information from a remote location. Instead of having to come inside the office to obtain data from an internal server or even a desktop hard drive, workers can view and report on information from a smartphone if they are across town, in another state of even on the other side of the globe.

By receiving access to information stored in the cloud, users can yield a number of benefits. They will be given the flexibility to perform their duties on the go, which can increase overall operational efficiency. They also can work from home, provided that option is available at their organization. If it is, an incident that prevents them from coming to work—an issue with the car, for example—won’t limit their ability to do their job because they’ll be able to access the information they need to be productive.

An article recently featured in the business service directory Manta discusses the best ways to manage a work-from-home policy. While giving workers access to company data via the cloud will provide them with the resources they need to do their jobs, author Rieva Lesonsky suggested keeping the communication lines open is equally as important.

“When you can’t pop your head into someone’s office to see how their work is coming along, you need to be in frequent communication,” Lesonsky wrote.

Doing this is not just a way for managers to check on their employees to make sure they aren’t slacking off just because they aren’t in the office. It gives workers a chance to collaborate and ensure everyone is on the same page when it comes to analyzing data and using it to complete business tasks.

Having the right software running in the cloud can go a long way toward enchaining communication and collaboration, and mitigating the risks associated with remote connectivity. Building a custom database software system will help with this process because it will be able to handle multiple users, will update information in real time, and contain the functionality needed to help each party complete tasks in a timely manner.

Of course, this is only possible if the solution is properly created. FileMaker development will ensure that the system responds correctly and can be adjusted accordingly to meet any changes in operations.

The internet is becoming a more centralized resource for businesses of all sizes. Two major issues, though, are storage and security. How can a company keep large amounts of data safe, and ensure access to that information whenever necessary?

The Federal Times explained in a recent piece how cloud technology gives businesses the opportunity to store large amounts of data, but only use a few data centers. The news source used the CIA's recent $600 million agreement with Amazon Web Services as an example. With large government agencies willing to invest in such innovations, smaller companies could be more willing to follow suit.

An organization like the CIA relies on secure data storage, and will need large amounts of information to be kept safe.

Accelera Solutions president Joe Brown explained to the news source that cloud technology is a great way for companies to handle big data.

"Customers have a much more dynamic way to store, retrieve and operate in cloud environments," Brown told the Federal Times. "They don't have to call someone and say, 'Retrieve data, bring it to my office and let me reconstitute it on my server,' or format the data to be analyzed."

Brown added how cloud computing could eliminate the need for businesses to rely on local hardware constraints.

As more organizations work toward implementing cloud technology into daily operations, it is important that they have the necessary tools to make the process as smooth as possible. Having a custom database software system in place will help businesses better incorporate the cloud and big data into daily operations. When companies are able to develop in FileMaker, it guarantees that they have flexible solutions for numerous situations.

The way we collect, manage, report on and analyze data has changed dramatically in concurrence with the emergence of new technology. In the past, information needed to live in lavish environments in order to be effective. However, modern tech has allowed users to simplify the data management process.

One of the key terms pertaining to this phenomenon is "hub-and-spoke," which describes the type of data infrastructure necessary for managing a successful operation in today's business climate. According to a new study from Forrester Research, this is the future of information management, as it helps organizations maximize the value of their data.

Forrester analyst Brian Hopkins spoke about this in a corresponding report, indicating that the old ways of managing information have become cumbersome and unnecessary.

"Yesterday's correct data architecture involved centralized warehouses, marts, operational data stores and a lot of ETL [extract, transfer and load.] Because data warehouses were expensive, building one and forcing all data into it was a logical approach," he said, suggesting that new-wave methods have become more conducive for today's needs. "Hub-and-spoke … features rapid analytics and extreme-scale operations on raw data in an affordable distributed data hub. Firms that get this concept realize all data does not need first-class seating."

To go along with simplified data infrastructure, organizations must have a system in place designed to effectively manage and report on their information. By initiating FileMaker development, companies can build custom database software systems that will allow users to control their information. This will complement all modern storage and infrastructure strategies and allow companies to truly get the most out of their data. 

Businesses that want to better understand customer habits, so they can create and develop more fine-tuned advertising campaigns, can benefit from custom database software systems. With tools such as FileMaker development solutions, organizations can sift through large amounts of information and draw conclusions on customer habits. From there, the right marketing approach can be taken to ensure that a company finds success while still meeting customer needs.

Giovanni DeMeo, VP of global marketing and analytics for Interactions Marketing, explained to InformationWeek that his company was able to use Big Data to gain insight on the connection between weather patterns and consumer shopping habits.

Specifically, Interactions studied which products had the most significant sales increases and decreases during specific weather events. The company also took into account how geographic location, time of day, day of the week and a retailer's proximity to competitors' locations had an effect on shoppers' habits. The results showed that one day prior to statistically similar weather events, sales in 28 product categories jumped from 20 percent to 261 percent over the same day one year earlier.

"Anything with more than 20 percent or greater increase in sales, over sale-day [the] previous year, gives us the opportunity to identify those categories, and have enough time to communicate with retailers and manufacturers," DeMeo said.

Having information like this allows businesses to create campaigns that educate customers. Depending on the type of product or services sold, they could be more useful depending on what type of weather patterns are occurring, DeMeo explained.

Weather is just one of many details that could affect consumers' purchasing habits, which is why custom database software could be so critical to an organization's advertising campaigns' success.

With more information readily available online, it is hard to find organizations that are not connected in some way. Even public schools have information online, which was the driving point behind Zynga co-founder Steve Schoettler starting Junyo.

According to a recent TechCrunch article, Junyo was created to solve many of the problems that K-12 schools face, such as being able to understand student performance. A new company product, EdLights, launched two weeks ago. The news source explained that it takes publicly available data points on schools and makes a simple user interface that schools and marketers can understand.

"All in all, this means EdTech companies and school suppliers have access to 650 district and school data points, which aim to help them identify market opportunities across 55 funding categories and 57 expenditure categories that break down where money is budgeted and spent," the article explained. "The new service also comes with mobile access in a web app customized for tablets and mobile devices."

Schoettler gave an example by saying that if a startup that created a math product and wanted to ensure it brought it to the right schools, the company could search for schools that have Title One funding and low math scores.

Furthermore, similar organizations that have had success with similar products could also be identified, helping the startup understand what needs to be done for both parties to benefit.

Companies that have the right custom database software can take mass amounts of information and organize it in a way that is easy to understand and is accessible for numerous users. With tools like FileMaker development, businesses can ensure that they are able to effectively use Big Data to their advantage.

Just because the term is called "Big Data" does not mean that it is relegated to only large companies and organizations. With more information becoming available online and accessible from different computer systems, businesses can fine-tune their marketing approach or even improve inner office operations.

Steve King, a partner at Emergent Research, spoke with Forbes on how Big Data is influencing the business world.

"The growth of the internet, wireless networks, smartphones, social media, sensors and other digital technology is fueling a big data revolution," he said. "Big data was the exclusive domain of statisticians and large corporations but not anymore."

King added that small businesses can also benefit from Big Data. For example, when a company is able to bring sales and staffing data together it can help the organization achieve more cost-effective processes. Scheduling and tracking supplies can be streamlined and a business could cut costs.

Additionally, digital marketing can help companies find the best ways to reach current and potential customers. For example, a study by Catalina found that 53 percent of a brand's sales volume comes from outside its demographic target. The report looked at 10 different types of brands that tried to cater most ads to women ages 25 to 54.    

Specifically, when it came to mayonnaise and frozen dinners, 60 percent of those sales came from customers outside the demographic target.

With custom database software, businesses of all sizes can take advantage of the Big Data trend. Taking in large amounts of information doesn't have to be overwhelming, and can in fact, help companies find more efficient ways to reach out to customers and improve daily operations.

The Chief Information Officer's role is changing in the era of big data. While these executives will still be relied upon to manage business technology and information systems, the way businesses as a whole are using their information is shifting, which means the CIO has to adjust his or her own responsibilities accordingly.

This has become an even bigger issue recently as technology has evolved to a point where many systems don't necessarily require management from an executive. Cloud computing, for example, is typically managed by a third party provider and many other solutions are self sufficient and streamlined, which has led some analysts to question exactly what the CIO does now. 

An article in the online publication Smart Data Collective suggests the CIO has an opportunity now to adjust his or her title as he or she become less about managing systems and more about evaluating the data collected in these systems.

"The best way Chief Information Officers (or CIOs) can regain past glory of their role is to adopt and grow with changing technology and evolve to become Chief Insights Officers," the article says.

But making these key insights to benefit the organization requires help. If the CIO is to be relied on to evaluate company data and make smart decisions based on its contents, there must be a system in place to cater to this need. FileMaker development can help build custom database software systems that give users easy access to information. The CIO will be able to use this information to better his or her own responsibilities.

Recent events in Oklahoma have once again shown the resolve of individuals in the face of a crisis. We are a strong species and when disaster strikes, whether it’s in Oklahoma, Boston, New York or anywhere else in the U.S. or even the world, we come together to find solutions and strategize recovery efforts. Today, much of this initiative is being aided by the use of technology, particularly big data management systems.

A recent Forbes article examined the power big data can have in assisting with humanitarian efforts. Organizations leading the way are able to obtain valuable information, perhaps from a tweet of an eye-witness, and report on it in a way that can map out successful recovery plans.

“Crisis-mapping technology has emerged in the past five years as a tool to help humanitarian organizations deliver assistance to victims of civil conflicts and natural disasters,” the article said. “Crisis-mapping platforms display eyewitness reports submitted via e-mail, text message and social media. The reports are then plotted on interactive maps, creating a geospatial record of events in real time.”

Recovery efforts can not afford to suffer any kind of delay. Organizations must be able to extract pertinent information quickly because time is always of the essence in these types of scenarios. Building a custom database software system can allow users to view the information they need and make proper decisions based on its value. This will expedite a number of processes and allow those assisting with crisis management to get to work right away.

FileMaker is an ideal platform to build this solution on as it allows for developers to create the functions needed to assist with data management of this magnitude.