Rolls Royce has over 13,000 engines in operation around the world, and they provide services to maintain those engines at peak performance. Today’s engines have thousands of sensors that can produce terabytes of data on long-haul flights. Making sense of all that data is critical in transporting customers safely and efficiently. That’s why they use a suite of tools from Microsoft to help iron out what all that data means. But adopting the right tools is easier said than done. Avoiding operating disruptions is crucial to success at Rolls Royce. In fact, a single issue with a plane, and its inevitable effect to an entire airline, can cost up to one million dollars per day! Limiting these disruptions is the biggest reason for their investment in IoT technologies from Azure. Being able to identify problems before they arise has been invaluable for the manufacturer. With early notice, Rolls Royce can reduce inventory costs and maximize availability of parts. Saving airlines...
An increasingly connected digital world has changed the way customers engage with brands. In an age of commoditized products and services, companies look to customer experience as a key competitive differentiator. Customer Service organizations are at the epicenter of a company’s ability to deliver a differentiated and a consistent engagement experience. Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Customer Service supports the omni-channel, which enables consistent experiences across any combination of self and assisted service engagements. Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Customer Service provides a robust portal for self-service and peer-to-peer community support, with seamless transitions to high-touch agent interactions, and field service when there is a need for onsite help. This solution empowers agents with the resources they need to provide fast and effective service. Implementing this powerful solution empowers people at every level of the organization with insights relevant to their role so that everyone can have a positive and meaningful impact on business outcomes. Our loyal fans are the driving force...
We get it. Change is scary. If you've been running the same operating system for many years, a large-scale overhaul is understandably intimidating. However, with service ending for SQL and Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2, now is the time to make the switch to Azure and experience the latest in innovation and security. If you are still running either of these, don't panic! Microsoft has put options in place to give you the time you need, and we at Oakwood Systems Group, Inc., are here to assist you with a smooth transition. Almost any business using technology is producing enormous amounts of data. Unfortunately, much of this data comes in a wide range of formats and most businesses don’t have the tools or know-how to fully utilize it. This is exactly what SitePro observed in the oil and gas industry, where large amounts of data were being generated but not used to their fullest extent. Using Azure, SitePro was able to compile this data and channel it all through a single, user-friendly application available to their customers. Suddenly,...
Ever heard the phrase "we have a lot of wood to chop?" Well, we just realized that Business Intelligence is number one on the CIO "must have" list for the fourth year in a row.What's Going On?It's starting to seem sort of like a "goal weight," isn't it? It's something you put on the board as a target, but never develop a plan that will get you there - or don't stick with the plan you've developed. You look at it as a great big hairy audacious goal rather than a series of smaller goals that will move you along the right path. It's daunting, costly and going to take too long.None of that has to be true. Start with small steps. Find a partner who knows how to lead you down a path with opportunities for short-term wins on the way to the ultimate goal. Aim for the first ten pounds of BI, then the next ten pounds (just...
Let's talk about business intelligence. The Oakwood Team is pretty jazzed about the conceptual metaphor: “Driving Your Business with BI”. The spot-on clarity of the comparison—and how important it relates to the business culture and competitive marketplace we now operate is astonishing. It’s critical to understand the depth of this seemingly obvious observation.Driving Success | Business Intelligence
The business marketplace is the gasoline.
Your business and the related business transactions are your business engine.
Your BI system and data architecture is the automobile frame.
You and the key personnel running your business are (of course) the driver.
Your dashboard is—well—your dashboard, providing the most critical key operational data.
Your goals and indicators are your windshields, and your long-term strategic plan is your GPS.
The Bottom LineYour bottom line is the destination (victory circle—or Pike’s Peak—or wherever you’re going). So, it boils down to whether you want a Chevy Chase vacation or a Lance Armstrong finish.While “driving the business with BI”, your car and the act of transporting...
In many clients we see the fine art of BI implementation is a challenge similar to a high-wire act, avoiding a fiscal cliff or landing a person on the moon. The adage that “things worth doing are never easy” holds true, especially with BI. Doing nothing may be the absolute wrong thing to do also. Truth is that all companies must adapt to a changing competitive landscape.BI Implementation Needs
Understanding and gaining consensus on the strategy, project deliverables and business planned results
Terminology translation between business & technology project team members
Poorly written or unwritten project charters, requirements or undone user stories, and misinterpreted data schemas or designs
Hurdles integrating the BI technology infrastructure effort and a surprising amount of tweaks or add-on work along the way
Data mart or warehouse refactoring for BI usability and ‘actionable results’ at the end of an internal project
Resourcing the project from a limited talent pool, while flexibly providing the right resource mix to meet goals timely on budget, as planned
Coordination and...
What's going on with Big Data? Bridj is the world's first smart transit system which adjusts its routes according to data from a myriad of sources, including Google Earth, Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter, LinkedIn, the census and municipal records. A passenger only needs to download the real-time smartphone app to check daily routes and receive alerts with arrival times.According to the Bridj website, the service saves passengers about an hour each day compared to a similar route other public transit systems would take. The Bridj buses also offer complimentary WiFi and plush, luxury seats to its passengers.Bridj | Big Data: How It WorksBridj uses big data to predict how a city moves, then deploy dynamic transportation networks to match popular origin and destination pairings with direct service.Bridj uses machine learning algorithms to get smarter as more users enter the system, allowing for a living, breathing, and thinking transportation system. Bridj's website claims:Bridj is the first in the world to actively and...
Your business dashboard is more than just a point-of-access into your management information system - or at least, it should be. Its purpose extends beyond acting as a graphical representation of your current business structure. By putting information like output and input data, key performance indicators and more at your fingertips, has the potential to be the very foundation of every actionable decision you make.What Is A Broken Business Dashboard?A broken business dashboard could be a major symptom of a much larger and more pressing issue: broken business processes, or worse, a broken business model.If you're not getting the types of results you are after, your business dashboard may be to blame. Here are the five key signs to watch for along with information about what you need to be doing to fix it.Tracking Marketing Initiatives and ROIIt's very likely that you have clear tactics for growth that you're trying to execute as we speak.
Paid search campaigns
Social media efforts
Content production
SEO
These are...
