The Ledger

Finance Continues to Move Towards Strategy

“Finance teams are evolving from being centered on transactional responsibilities to being tasked with providing the business with analytics and strategic insight, helping their organization look to and move into the future.”

In addition to expanded responsibilities around data and insights, the speed at which finance organizations must deliver information will be critical. Access to better and more meaningful data will be important in helping to drive better decision making. Finance teams that have embraced data analytics for their business strategy are reaping the benefits early on.

Read More at Forbes Magazine >

What Healthcare Providers Can Learn From Retailers

“Like banks, airlines, and retailers, health care providers will need to offer an easy, digital front-end experience to their customers. This isn’t just about building fancy new websites, but undertaking true care redesign: becoming adept at delivering high-quality, cost-effective virtual care through telehealth and digital tools. To this end, they will need to move from pilot programs to large-scale efforts routinely offered across the care spectrum.” Healthcare can learn a lot from how retailers are meet the needs of their customers.

Read More at The Harvard Business Review >

Achieving Real-Time Reporting With Meaningful Data

Timeliness of reporting can deliver real returns to the business. But real-time reporting and analytics can mean many things to many people. Data in an organization is often in silos due to traditional technology restraints, and different departments have different data needs. Automating, centralizing, and standardizing data is key. Reducing the amount of data replication will get you closer and closer to “real-time” access to meaningful data.

Read More at The Digitalist by SAP >

Data Saves the Day for Retailers

Amazon has become one of the most successful retailers, mostly because they invested in data-driven technology that has given customers what they want before they even know they want it. To compete with such a large force, small retailers are focusing on their data. Consumers of all generations expect an entirely new shopping experience, one of limitless choices, fingertip access to information, convenient and seamless transactions, and transparent pricing. And if these new norms are not delivered, they will find another retailer. The more consumers search, shop, and socialize online, the more data’s role in retail decision-making will mature. To stay competitive, small retailers need to invest in strategic enablers.

Read More at The Digitialist by SAP >