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New advancements in cloud-based business process management (BPM) software is empowering different departments to connect and share information more easily, while automation is driving new opportunities for improving efficiency. With remote database support, companies can migrate these systems to the cloud for optimal functionality and to immediately leverage other benefits.

According to WinterGreen Research, BPM is going through a major transformation due to cloud computing. The firm's recent forecast predicted that the BPM market will grow from $2.6 billion in 2013 to $7 billion by 2018. Susan Eustis, lead author of the report, explained that the cloud is dramatically transforming BPM due to speed of deployment, affordability and ease of use.

"Cloud computing and smart devices represent the major forces impacting business process management (BPM) markets," Eustis stated. "As the enterprise managers work to implement apps that make automated process more responsive to the needs of customers, partners, suppliers and distributors, people use business process management (BPM) as the tools to help workers."

The WinterGreen study explained that BPM is the key to cross-departmental communication and productivity. For example, the report noted that if a shipping department needs to converse or collaborate with the order department, these interactions can be facilitated from within the BPM application.

Government adoption
Agencies in all sectors are looking to procure these improvements, including Ohio's Office of Budget and Management (OBM). GCN revealed that in order to drive higher performance and reduce operational challenges, the Ohio OBM sought a more automated approach that would enhance decision-making across teams, departments and systems. With a cloud-based BPM suite, the office was able to achieve this ability while also gaining deeper visibility into workflows, GCN reported. Raj Subramanian, CIO of Ohio OBM, reportedly explained at a recent Appian World presentation in Washington D.C. that previously, many processes were manually intensive. Service requests, for example, had to be made in person or over the phone and inventory assets were managed across disparate spreadsheets. Now, cloud-based BPM encompasses the OBM's service desk, business continuity planning and support, inventory management and more for easier accessibility to data and quicker remediation of issues. All of these services, GCN explained, can be used and tracked via any device.

By deploying cloud-based BPM, all staff is able to proactively address problems that interrupt performance and eliminate any delays that affect revenue.

RDX offers a full suite of cloud migration and administrative services that can be tailored to meet any customer's needs. To learn more our full suite of cloud migration and support services, please visit our Cloud DBA Service page or contact us.

Business intelligence (BI) analytics have become a top priority for enterprises in every industry, as these solutions can drive valuable insights that lead to higher staff performance, lower operational costs and enhanced customer service. While some firms may struggle to adequately leverage these advantages, dba services can support more successful BI projects by ensuring more consistent, quality analytics.

A study by Gartner and the Financial Executives Research Foundation (FERF) found that an increase in BI analytics investments will address a multitude of IT-related gaps for the CFO. In fact, 15 of the top 19 business functions that CFOs have identified as needing more technology support can be primarily addressed by BI solutions. According to the survey, the main business processes that require technological investments include analysis and decision-making (59 percent) and ongoing monitoring of business performance (50 percent). Over the last five years, Gartner has found that firms continue to have difficulty making progress with analytics. While many organizations have made initial BI investments, many of these projects fail to resolve fundamental issues of data quality. This, the report explained, demands that CFOs work closely with BI specialists in IT, such as database experts.

Research also found that CFO investments are being driven by the "Nexus of Forces," which include social, mobile, cloud and the proliferation of big data that has resulted from these technologies. Cloud and mobile technologies are a particularly key focus.

Oracle updates fuel new opportunities
One new development in the BI realm is Oracle's recent updates to it's Business Intelligence Applications system, which incorporates new in-memory analytics applications for indirect spend planning. These new capabilities will allow teams to discover opportunities for spend reduction, monitor and evaluate spend performance and improve future planning cycles, according to Oracle. The company said that by combining historical data with hypothetical scenario analysis, businesses will be able to observe patterns over time and predict expenditures to maximize budgets.

"The business applications our customers rely on daily to manage operations contain a wealth of valuable data about their business, including resources, finances, employees and customers," said Paul Rodwick, Oracle vice president of product management. "Unlocking this data can deliver undeniable competitive advantages, yet many businesses still struggle to gain access to the intelligence they need quickly and easily.

By leveraging the most robust BI solutions, enterprises have the chance to benefit from considerable improvements in both agility and efficiency, which are invaluable for growth.

RDX's business intelligence and big data experts assist customers in leveraging data contained in large data stores. For more information, please visit our Business Intelligence and Predictive Analytics pages or contact us.

With the expansion of big data, mobile technologies, cloud computing and virtualization, many companies have become overwhelmed by a greater need for database management. And as harnessing and deriving value from data is the key to a competitive advantage, corporations depend on support from dba services.

Datamation reported that according to Robert Half Technology, the amount of available candidates for IT is decreasing, while demand for technology experts continues to climb. In fact, the source revealed that the average salary for a database manager is between $101,750 and $140,750 this year. This is an increase of 5.4 percent over the average salary for this position in 2012. In 2006, these professionals made between $81,250 and $110,250, which demonstrates how the position's value is on the rise. Further, the source revealed that Oracle database skills garner an additional 9 percent salary increase this year, while SQL Server skills offer an additional 10 percent.

Emphasis on big data
According to Information Management, one major area of focus for enterprises looking to integrate new IT skills is big data, which icrunchdata has found is generating a "hyper growth niche" career field. The company reported that currently, there are nearly 600,000 jobs centered around these skills and by 2015, this phenomenon will create 4.4 million positions around the world, of which 1.9 million will be in the United States. The vast majority of these jobs are focused on analytics, which comprise 220,767 of the total. The second largest segment, which comprises 127,329 jobs, deals with data volume and variety. These positions will be especially important as the scope of big data grows to incorporate more external and unstructured sources, such as social media or sensor information.

Icrunchdata spokesman Todd Nevins commented on the considerable hype that big data staffing has driven.

"We aren't seeing any signs of a slow down on our side from companies recruiting big data talent due to the massive opportunities in their data," Nevins said, the source reported. "We don't expect to see any pull back in the foreseeable future as long as the ROI continues to exceed the expense of finding, recruiting and retaining big data talent."

As businesses look to mine actionable insights from massive caches of data, database administrators (DBAs) and managers will continue to be an integral component of making these projects feasible and moreover, successful.

RDX is a leading provider of advanced remote database management and monitoring solutions. For more information about database administration and management, please visit our Services page or contact us.

Cloud computing has grown from merely an IT trend to an essential technological initiative that is driving a competitive advantage for many enterprises. However, it has become clear from recent research that on the whole, firms are not effectively deploying these solutions. This means that in order to gain more value from cloud initiatives, companies may need to seek the support of remote database services.

Information Management contributor David Linthicum explained that private clouds have become increasingly common because firms are often more comfortable with this approach than moving sensitive data to the public cloud. And while these solutions can be valuable, he noted that most enterprises do not select the right applications and data for migration. By moving the wrong systems and information, he explained that companies are unable to derive the inherent benefits of cloud technologies.

A recent study by Claranet found that while companies are eagerly migrating web portals (67 percent), ecommerce web apps (61 percent), online marketing services (59 percent) and email (51 percent) to the cloud by the first quart of 2014, many are neglecting to move mission-critical systems. In fact, only 30 percent are planning to move IT asset management services, and just 32 percent are transferring finance applications to cloud servers. Michel Robert, managing director at Claranet, asserted that that with managed cloud migration of mission-critical apps, these projects can be both effective and secure.

Siloes obstruct value
A related Oracle report had similar findings that suggest challenges to cloud adoption. In fact, more than half of the 1,355 senior decision-makers surveyed admitted their department had experienced downtime in the last six months due to cloud integration issues, and the same number have missed deadlines as a result of these problems. Three-quarters of respondents even experienced an inability to innovate from isolated cloud apps integration. The failed promises of cloud projects have mainly resulted from business process siloes, according to Oracle. Three-quarters of businesses aimed to leverage quick access to software in the cloud, but only half of respondents have been able to access cloud data in other departments directly from within their designated business application.

"Subscribing to a cloud service may be relatively straightforward, but how this application fits in with the rest of the enterprise, including on-premise systems and other cloud applications must be thought through," said Rex Wang, Oracle vice president of product marketing.

Wang stressed that cloud apps have the potential to drastically minimize costs and drive business performance, but only if they can function effectively across the business.

RDX offers a full suite of cloud migration and administrative services that can be tailored to meet any customer's needs. To learn more our full suite of cloud migration and support services, please visit our Cloud DBA Service page or contact us.

With the emergence of IT trends such as cloud computing and mobility, enterprises have realized that previous security efforts are inadequate for mitigating the new risks that come with these technologies. While looking to upgrade the security infrastructure, firms are may need remote database support to ensure improvements in data protection.

The information security job market continues to expand. In fact, Help net Security revealed that according to a report by Burning Glass Technologies, over the past five years demand for cybersecurity professionals grew 3.5 times faster than that for other IT jobs. These needs will continue to grow as enterprises deploy new solutions that create vulnerabilities not previously dealt with. Help Net Security revealed that  ISACA International Vice President Allan Boardman believes the skill​ set for these jobs has also been evolving.

"Security professionals need to be knowledgeable about the main threats and issues related to key current technology trends, such as cloud services, social media, and consumerization of IT, including BYOD," Boardman told the source. "They also need to be well-versed in data privacy and data protection, particularly if they are in financial services or healthcare. It is highly desirable to have strong technical skills, including security architecture and forensics skills."

Additionally, Eric Presley of CareerBuilder explained to Help Net Security that while information security analysts are among the most sought-after professionals, there is a rising need for network architects and engineers that can manage security protocols, particularly in the realm of healthcare.

Filling the gap
In an interview with BankInfoSecurity, Boardman asserted that there is a considerable shortage of IT security skills. He pointed out that cybersecurity is a top priority for organizations in all industries, but the required knowledge has become more specific.

"Some of the gaps I would see specifically are around providing specific security guidance to organizations to address the issues in the current topical areas like big data, cloud security and mobile computing," Boardman explained to BankInfoSecurity. "Those are all topics where people need more detailed specific guidance and tools to be able to help them through that."

It can be difficult to find professionals that have the technical and architecture skills, such as database experts and security specialists. By seeking third-party support, enterprises can leverage the required knowledge for safeguarding sensitive information.

RDX's highest priority is safeguarding customer information. To learn more about how RDX ensures data security, please visit our Focus on Security page or contact us.

As companies have come to realize that attracting and retaining customers depend on providing a personalized experience, more firms are looking to mine big data for enhanced analytic insight. By leveraging support from dba services, enterprises have the opportunity to understand consumers on a deeper level, develop more targeted strategies and thus, secure stronger and more loyal relationships.

CIO Magazine reported that Nationwide, a 90-year old insurance company with a multitude of databases and compliance requirements, has spent billions on big data initiatives for these purposes. Matt Jauchius, CMO of Nationwide, explained that these efforts are invaluable to his company.

"The ability to collect vast amounts of data on individual consumers – their consumption habits, their preferences, their interactions with the company – and then analyze those data sets for predictive behavior and proactively apply those insights … [that's] the basis of competitive advantage in the future for the CMO because you can provide a better experience," he told CIO.

Elana Anderson, vice president of IBM Enterprise Marketing Management, noted that big data projects have the potential to give marketers predictive capabilities that could result in more successful campaigns.

"Marketing has long been on a quest to get to the individual," she said, according to CIO. "Smart marketers…have been trying to get beyond the demographic for a long, long time. If you're able to address the individual at an individual level, if you're able to sense needs or meet needs before the customer is explicitly saying, 'I have a need,' that requires big data and analytics in order to get to that point. We're seeing tremendous value with uses cases around that."

More profitable relationships
Forbes revealed that successful big data initiatives can even lessen customer churn rates. The source explained that understanding this rate is critical for identifying and addressing any ineffective tactics or weak relationships. By patching these faults, businesses can retain more clients and ultimately drive profit long-term. According to Forbes, recent research from a data visualization firm found that if a customer had made just one purchase from a specific store, there is a 27 percent chance that he or she will repeat business with that company. Further, after three purchases, the customer is twice as likely to return in the future.

By analyzing big data from an ever-increasing variety of channels, including mobile devices and social media, enterprises can gain a stronger grasp on customers' needs, desires and preferences. This can eventually strengthen client loyalty and as a result, boost revenue.

RDX's business intelligence and big data experts assist customers in leveraging data contained in large data stores. For more information, please visit our Business Intelligence and Predictive Analytics pages or contact us.

Big data has become an increasingly critical focus for enterprises in every sector, but decision-makers are still struggling to make sense of these vast volumes of information. In order to extract value from these sources, enterprises need to seek reputable database experts to aid in capturing and analyzing both structured and unstructured data.

According to CMSWire, a major reason that big data projects fail is that departments often aren't on the same page in terms of defining the scope, objectives and technological needs of these initiatives. In order to effectively mine this information, the source asserted that business and IT groups need to be aligned on the goal of these efforts. By committing to a specific problem to solve or question to answer, firms are much better prepared to derive the right analytics. Another issue, the news source revealed, is that access to data is often too restricted, preventing certain team members from finding useful answers. This is mainly due to siloes that have been formed around sales, marketing, HR, financial and other data that has been strictly guarded and inhibits the gathering of real insight from big data. While some of these siloes are necessary for compliance, CMSWire explained, buy-in needs to come from top executives so that adequate information can be made available to those who need it.

Expertise and support
And even with emerging technologies for big data analysis, CMSWire pointed out that many of these solutions are so foreign that enterprises lack the ability to work with them to drive results. It is critical to have the right skills on board when executing these initiatives because these projects go beyond traditional analysis. CMSWire asserted that big data requires an understanding of machine learning and natural language processing, knowledge that many IT teams lack. Fortunately, firms can partner with database experts to fill this shortfall.

Lifehacker reported that Gartner Analyst Brian Burke recently emphasized the importance of acknowledging the big data skills shortage at the Gartner Enterprise Architecture Summit.

"Some of you are already wrestling with the issues of big data inside your organization," he said. "Some of you know that it's coming but aren't quite sure how to prepare for it. This challenge is about skills that aren't just about IT. They're clearly also about business… You must help your organization gain clarity so there are two sides of the house working together in unison."

By deploying third-party services for database management, monitoring and analysis, firms can start to fill that gap and drive big data success.

RDX's business intelligence and big data experts assist customers in leveraging data contained in large data stores. For more information, please visit our Business Intelligence and Predictive Analytics pages or contact us.

There are a multitude of emerging trends that have the potential to offer enterprises considerable cost savings, including cloud computing and collaboration technologies, but many firms are still failing to capitalize on these rewards. Poor planning and a lack of visibility into the infrastructure have hindered enterprises from integrating such solutions. By leveraging remote dba services and support, businesses can more effectively customize deployments to fit any unique needs and demands for reduced long-term spending and further, a competitive edge.

A recent study by Forrester revealed that despite continual efforts to minimize unnecessary IT costs, many firms miss out on savings each year by prematurely upgrading networking infrastructure and insufficiently considering maintenance contracts. Although 76 percent of decision-makers are concerned about these pressures to lower spending, many are actually unaware of the their options. Still, an overwhelming 80 percent of firms would leverage third-party maintenance if they found it to be more affordable than their current contract. Mike Sheldon, president and CEO of Network Hardware Resale, commented on the survey's findings.

"Businesses of all sizes need to know that there can be incredible value and cost savings with a reliable third-party maintenance service provider – helping to ease worries about tightening IT budgets without sacrificing quality," he stated.

In order to maximize value and ROI from the network infrastructure, Forrester Consulting advised that enterprises carefully scrutinize ongoing maintenance contracts. Additionally, the research firm stressed that metrics are key for measuring quality and longevity in regard to these solutions over time.

A seamless migration
One technological transition that can have a profoundly beneficial effect on the network is cloud computing. Computerworld reported that a hasty migration to the cloud can actually lead to higher costs and ineffective functionality, however. Casey Coleman, CIO for the General Services Administration (GSA), explained the importance of strategic cloud deployments.

"It is the case that it has to be well thought-out and methodical," Coleman said, according to the news source. "You have to plan for change management, promote user awareness, ensure cybersecurity in contractual terms, like with any IT project."

After moving to a cloud-based email system, the GSA was able to eliminate a large amount of unnecessary applications and consolidate workflows from the legacy email system, thus enabling the agency to turn off 300 in-house servers. Coleman revealed the GSA predicts it will save $16 million over five years as a result.

RDX offers a full suite of cloud migration and administrative services that can be tailored to meet any customer's needs. To learn more our full suite of cloud migration and support services, please visit our Cloud DBA Service page or contact us.

Big data analysis has come to play a major role in providing enterprises with a competitive advantage. However, many firms are still struggling to effectively manage and mine these large caches of information, which are only continuing to grow, integrating new sources and formats that complicate the process. As a result, businesses need to deploy the skills of database experts in efforts to fuel more accurate and efficient decision-making.

Network World reported that a recent panel discussion at Interop in Las Vegas discussed the immense potential opportunities that come with big data analysis. According to the news source, these initiatives enable companies to gain a new level of visibility into current operations and tailor products and services based on consumer trends. And as new data storage, analytics and visualization tools emerge, enterprises have the chance to understand this information more easily than before. Bruno Aziza, vice president of marketing for SiSense, explained that the market for big data has been growing, forcing more enterprises both small and large to take notice.

"Businesses are starting to take control of the issue and figure out how they can use it," Aziza said, according to Network World.

He noted that due to the expanding amount of data available to businesses and advanced platforms for handling it, firms of all sizes can capitalize on the benefits of these analytics.

Breaking down barriers
Enterprise Apps Today reported there are still obstacles to big data implementation, however. In order to move beyond these roadblocks, firms need to adapt to demands for new skills, develop a clear plan for these projects, achieve more synchronized strategies between IT and other departments and deploy the latest solutions for handling analysis. The source explained that by "reskilling," enterprises can better train IT teams to utilize new technologies as well as empower other areas of the company to apply these analytics. This is a complicated process, however, and may require remote dba services for support. Enterprise Apps Today pointed out that IT needs to understand how to handle sensor-derived or unstructured data, such as social media information and other external sources. Unstructured sources could include smartphone photos or GPS tracking data, and is often the most valuable for providing companies with insight into customers.

The real advantages of big data come with customization, however. With support and guidance, firms can automate unnecessary tasks and engage in new ways with customers using in-depth analytics and searches that are tailored to address specific issues or concerns.

RDX's business intelligence and big data experts assist customers in leveraging data contained in large data stores. For more information, please visit our Business Intelligence and Predictive Analytics pages or contact us.

Due to the emergence of new mobile devices, the proliferation of cloud computing and other complexities contributing to the "Internet of Things," many enterprises have had to overhaul IT departments to meet new needs and objectives. However, a growing skills gap has left many firms unable to capitalize on the advantages of these IT trends. By leveraging remote dba services, enterprises can support effective database administration and ensure the analytical and operational benefits of these new solutions are realized.

According to research by TechServe Alliance, IT employment has grown 5.1 percent since April 2012 totaling 4,424,200 total jobs as of last month.

"I am pleased to see demand for IT professionals remains very strong," said TechServe Alliance CEO Mark Roberts. "With April's numbers, IT employment has grown for the 17th consecutive month hitting yet another all-time high. IT continues to handily outperform most other sectors with an annual growth rate of more than three times the growth rate of the general workforce."

Meeting new demands
But there are more factors that are driving complications in IT staffing. A Cisco study revealed that as businesses increase the number of new application rollouts, IT organizations face challenges to aligning network strategies to fulfill the requirements of the business. Cisco's research found that while 63 percent of IT professionals are confident in their ability to respond to business needs, almost one-third still cited very limited visibility into the company's initiatives. This lack of understanding has the potential  to greatly hinder any possible positive impact from new technology-related projects.

Survey participants ranked cloud readiness (29 percent) as the most important network initiative in the coming year, followed by "converging IT technology and operations technology" (28 percent) and data center consolidation and virtualization (27 percent). When asked about what main factors were slowing new application rollouts, most cited the budget, while 26 percent claimed data center infrastructure readiness was hindering these efforts.

"More than ever, IT has the potential to make a profound impact on the business – and opportunity to act as a strategic partner – by building a network architecture that can leverage multiple technology transitions," said Rob Soderbery, senior vice president and general manager for Cisco Enterprise Networking Group.

By working with a reputable IT services provider, enterprises can ready the network for bring-your-own-device (BYOD), cloud migration and any other trend that can promote a competitive advantage, all without the risk of business interruptions during the deployment process.

RDX is a leading provider of advanced remote database management and monitoring solutions. For more information about database administration and management, please visit our Services page or contact us.