Closing the gap between data integration and business intelligence is key in allowing your business to make effective use of data and translate it into action. And trust in your data is vital, as outlined by global professional services network PwC, which says organisations that don’t trust their information tend to waste time debating the data itself, rather than discussing what the analytics mean[1].
This point was reiterated by Tuna Yemisci, Regional Director – Middle East, Africa & East Med at Qlik®, a global real-time data integration, data quality and analytics solution provider serving more than 38,000 active customers in over 100 countries. He was speaking at the recent Johannesburg leg of the QlikWorld Tour – an annual global conference for professionals working within the field of data analytics and data integration .
During his keynote address, Yemisci clarified: “Qlik enables our customers to move from raw data to informed action, even to the extent of having human action triggered when it is needed, in real time. Qlik enables organisations to connect everything in order to be business ready, allowing you to act on your data – enabled by both artificial intelligence and machine learning – as well as taking comfort from knowing that trust and governance issues are included.”
In this regard, Yemisci added that Qlik was proud to have been recognised by Gartner, the US-based global technological research and consulting firm, as a Leader in Analytics and Business Intelligence platforms for the 13th year in a row.
He noted: “The move to the cloud has helped business facilitate many of IT’s previous infrastructure challenges, but also raised new issues. Companies in emerging markets like South Africa face the same IT challenges as the rest of the world, but with additional key issues of their own. This includes data collection and data quality; infrastructure and how to invest in cloud, hybrid or on-premises; data integration and governance; scalability; and ensuring that best-of-breed tools are used, which should be easy to deploy.”
Yemisci also introduced delegates to the breaking news of Qlik’s global unveiling of a comprehensive suite of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, known as Qlik Staige: “With Qlik Staige, companies can accelerate their innovation and decision-making processes by integrating secure, governed AI and automation seamlessly into their workflows.”
In addition to the keynote address, delegates also enjoyed the benefits of a panel discussion on the ‘Data Analytics and Integration Landscape in South Africa’, during which Qlik’s partners in South Africa discussed past trends and future prospects in the realm of data analytics and integration within the South African context. This was followed by real-time product demonstrations of the power of Qlik’s data analytics solutions, presented by senior experts.
The day was concluded after local Qlik customers, including South African financial services group Sanlam; Armscor, the acquisition agency for the Department of Defence; and software developer IsoMetrix, gave presentations around business transformation and their data strategies, encompassing initiatives in data literacy, seamless data integration, and cutting-edge analytics leveraging
