We can all agree that the amount of data being generated is growing by leaps and bounds.  And when harnessed the right way, that data can impact the bottom line for each and every business.

When you turn data into insight, you can place the right information, in the right hands, at the right time. These actionable insights are delivered through the power of business analytics. Analytics-driven organizations can detect patterns and anticipate demand to drive customer satisfaction. 

More and more organizations are recognizing, however, that the answers they’re looking for in driving their daily operational decisions are locked away in an island of information. Data warehouses have become the new silo of information and organizations may not have the skills or tools to access the data. Every organization wants to achieve better outcomes—whether it’s a retailer that wants to drive revenue growth and manage expenses, or a government organization that needs to control expenses while offering important services to its constituencies.

The key to unlocking the possibilities lies in a centralized IT environment that can effectively pool and analyze information from across an organization to make better decisions, enable larger sales, protect against fraud, and lower costs through better utilization of resources.

For example, Florida Hospital has used System z as its data warehousing platform since the ’90s.  The Orlando, FL-based hospital is transitioning to have both source and warehouse data on System z. They will take it a step further and mine the data on System z to determine effective treatments for patients with diabetes and kidney disease, while identifying those who are at high risk for complications and adjust treatments accordingly. The organization is using data to uncover actionable insights and to deliver improved patient treatment.

A Single View of Data

Systems are dispersed throughout organizations, allowing information to enter at many points. Businesses collect data in their transactional systems and then integrate it to create a data warehouse that presents a comprehensive, single view of the business. This allows enterprises to analyze their data, generating the information necessary to make better business decisions.

Over the last few years, IBM System z has substantially expanded the set of products available to help you benefit from business analytics, making it an attractive platform for deploying a robust information infrastructure:

• The IBM Smart Analytics System 9700 is an appliance-like integrated solution of hardware, software and services that enables you to rapidly deploy cost-effective, game-changing analytics across the data center. 
• The entry-level IBM Smart Analytics System 9710 offering delivers a z/OS-based foundation for growth. With optional service components for implementation, businesses can start small and grow the environment to meet their needs.  
• The IBM DB2 Analytics Accelerator for z/OS V2.1 is a high-performance analytics appliance that integrates easily within the DB2 for z/OS environment, delivering dramatically faster business analysis transparently to DB2 users.
• IBM Cognos raises the bar with mobile and social analytics to complement its dashboard and multi-dimensional capabilities, deployed in a Linux on System z or z/OS environment.
• IBM SPSS brings predictive analytics to a new level to uncover unexpected patterns and associations as well as develop models to guide front-line interactions.
• These offerings are augmented with the IBM InfoSphere product set that includes data integration, data warehousing, and master data management.
• And finally, the IBM Optim and Guardium offerings provide a full range of data administration and data protection offerings.

When you use a centralized IT environment, such as System z, you’re lowering data latency (the time between creation and use) to accelerate the speed of your business.

An IBM Business Partner, Numius, helped its customer consolidate to Linux on System z from an Intel-based server environment. The System z with Cognos business intelligence deployment resulted in a 400-time improvement in reporting performance and a 15-time increase in the number of users supported.

In addition, the customer didn’t need to redesign its application to achieve the objective of supporting a large community. The solution is helping improve waste control in one European country by providing producers, consumers, and authorities with faster and more thorough information.

Consider the possibilities for your organization when you unlock your data. There’s unique value in having your entire business analytics and data warehousing infrastructure built on top of the core strengths of System z. Each layer of the environment builds upon the next; IBM’s analytics offerings are designed to interface with DB2 for z/OS, which anchors the data warehouse while taking full advantage of the solid zEnterprise hardware base—one that’s renowned for its availability and security.