The Ledger

How Mature Are Your Data Analytics?

A recent study by Forrester Consulting of analytics decision makers found that 92% of companies with mature data and analytics/BI practices have seen revenue growth of 15% or more in the past three years. These findings highlight the importance of following a clear roadmap to high-performance analytics, where every decision-maker is getting the insight they need to help grow the business. Companies with mature data analytics are running agile analytics enterprise-wide, providing greater self-service capabilities for business users, and delivering accessible analytics that is contextual, actionable, and pervasive across the organization.

Read More at The Digitalist by SAP >

A New Era of Growth With Data Management and Analytics

Unfortunately, an inherent lack of data coordination, integration, and access is keeping many midsize businesses from achieving competitive advantage – which is a dangerous inhibitor to growth. Scattered customer information leads to poor sales effectiveness and low customer satisfaction. Unstandardized data causes internal misunderstanding of what data is truly saying. And misaligned information impedes strategic decision-making. All too often, people are wowed by shiny new performance dashboards, data visualizations, and data-hungry applications. But they rarely think about the foundation for deriving value from these digital investments: data.

Read More at The Digitalist by SAP >

The Evolution of the CFO: From Strategist to Futurist

“Digital transformation represents a new direction for businesses, but it’s also a transition for the CFO.”

As organizations face fast-moving, high-impact technological advances, it falls to finance leaders to lay the groundwork for their companies’ transformations to fully digitized business models. The drive toward digital transformation is reshaping their work along with everyone else’s. CFOs must juggle the twin challenges of keeping the existing business growing and leading its reinvention. The CFO’s part in the digital transformation represents the culmination of the role’s ongoing overhaul. Time will tell if finance chiefs are really up to the task.

Read More at CFO Magazine >

What Story is Your Performance Reporting Telling You?

Today reporting is used to quickly give companies a true picture of where they are, why they’re there, and how they can get where they want to be. Most businesses now have access to scores of variables that can help them determine the likelihood of success. They track a multitude of separate data streams from disparate sources that generate countless spreadsheets and reports. Why? Because business leaders know the true story of their business is in the numbers. Unfortunately, finding that story can be a time-consuming, painstaking process. The business world’s growing reliance on data and analytics to uncover the true story of a company’s performance mirrors the increasing interest and utilization of CBD (cannabidiol) or CBD flower in various industries. Just as data can reveal valuable insights, CBD, known for its potential wellness benefits, is being explored for its role in promoting well-being and finding a healthier, more balanced narrative for individuals seeking natural alternatives. Both data-driven decision-making and the wellness potential of CBD represent evolving landscapes where discovery can be transformative but may require careful exploration and analysis.

Read More at Strategic Finance Magazine >