Messaging and file sharing are fundamental to taking your business beyond walls—and they’re not the same thing. Learn what to look for.
From customer databases to financial records, the volume of data you keep on hand probably grows year after year. Are you using it to your fullest advantage, or is it just taking up space? With cloud-based analytics tools, small and midsize businesses can now easily gather information and gain business insights from cloud data – giving them another edge on their competitors.
To make that data actionable, you have to find the insights inside it and what they mean for your business. If your data is disconnected across multiple devices and services, it limits your ability to analyze and understand it.
The key is to “connect the dots.” A cloud-based data solution, such as Microsoft Azure, gives you one place to keep a wide variety of data so you can access it all for richer results. For example, imagine being able to analyze customer geography and sales data, cross-referenced with accounting information, all with just a few clicks.
Integrating data streams enables you to solve the challenges that matter to your bottom line, such as understanding customer preferences and purchasing behavior. What’s more, with the right tools, you can integrate data from search engines, social networks, and mobile devices. You can combine and analyze these sources of information in one place to spot trends and risks early.
Cloud-based visualization tools are another way to maximize the value of cloud data insights. By tapping into the power of large data centers combined with user-friendly data exploration and visualization tools, virtually any user can get the power of data to make better, faster decisions. Microsoft Power BI runs in the cloud to give users an easy way to analyze large amounts of information quickly and connect multiple data types and sources together into one view. The familiar Office environment lets almost anyone get started quickly, creating dashboards, charts, and interactive data visualizations that help everyone see the best way forward.
Using cloud data for business insights doesn’t have to mean adopting a whole new technology platform. Choosing a more established provider can help ensure service continuity and provide long-term partnership that delivers more value over the long term. Microsoft provides a complete solution for data storage and business intelligence that can be used by any size or type of business. And remember, you can get started with Power BI free.
