SPSS to launch new division
LOOKING TO DRIVE the value of analytics across the organization, SPSS on Monday will launch a fifth corporate division, known as CustomerCentric Solutions.
Through the new unit, the analytics vendor will offer software and services designed to help customers get the most out of their CRM systems, according to Susan Phelan, CustomerCentric's general manager, at SPSS in Chicago.
"CRM is not going to reach what it was intended for without analytics," she said.
Indeed, this past week saw SAP and PeopleSoft touting products designed to help companies analyze CRM data as well as provide a big-picture view into how smoothly a customer is operating. Oracle, Siebel Systems, and Computer Associates also offer similar analytical capabilities.
Additionally, N.Y.-based PricewaterhouseCoopers is extending the scope of its data warehousing practice to include integration of enterprise applications and running analytics on top of them.
Although PwC and enterprise applications vendors are offering a broader range of analytics than simply CRM (customer relationship management), SPSS is concentrating primarily on customer-related data at this point.
"We are looking at other places this can be applied, but CRM is where we started," Phelan said. She added that SPSS began with CRM because companies are collecting a lot of customer data and looking for a return on their CRM investments.
In keeping with perhaps the most significant BI (business intelligence) trend of late, SPSS is also aiming to make its analytics solutions accessible to more users within an organization.
One means to do just that is the Executive Center, which Phelan explains as a dashboard replete with key performance indicators, as selected by users, pertinent to a company's particular business.
So a typical dashboard includes 8-10 performance indicators as well as forecasting and modeling capabilities, and the analytics are run behind-the-scenes. The Executive Center and the overall software will be customized for every organization, Phelan added.
"We want to translate analysis into dollars and cents for executives so they can understand the impact of their customer relationships," Phelan said.
Henry Morris, an analyst at IDC in Framingham, Mass., said analytics can help companies realize a return on their enterprise application systems.
"Using analytics with applications is a good way to earn back the price of the software," he said.
InfoWorld
Symantec Backup Exec 12 and Backup Exec System Recovery 8 deliver industry leading Windows data protection and system recovery. Download this whitepaper to find out the top reasons to upgrade and how to get continuous data protection and complete system recovery.
Data and system loss — from a hard drive failure, malicious attack, natural disaster, or simple human error — can happen anytime. Don’t leave your business vulnerable. Make sure you have a secure recovery strategy in place. Symantec's latest backup and system recovery technology can efficiently restore critical applications, individual emails and documents and even restore your entire system in minutes in the event of a loss.
Businesses face a growing challenge to ensure that the IT environment is properly protected. Backup Exec 12 integrates with other applications in the Symantec family of products, to complement your current data protection strategy, keep your data securely backed up and make it recoverable when you need it most.
