From Reports to Outcome: Crossing the Chasm with Actionable Insight

At HfS Research, we often see that the best analytics technologies and the brightest minds can only make a difference in an enterprise if they are channeled within the context of finding and solving the right business problem. What also makes a difference is the right changes in human behavior – from sponsors to analysts to operators. Our research recommends that services buyers focus investments on actionable intelligence to drive business decisions, enabled by the technologies and services that fuel them, rather than starting from the technical specifications and procuring tools in isolation.

Over the last 18 years at IBM, Dr. Chitra Dorai has taken all of these factors to heart. She has undertaken award-winning research in a wide range of technologies including multimedia systems, data mining, image processing, pattern recognition, machine learning, stream processing and cloud computing. Dr. Dorai is an IBM Fellow and Master Inventor, a member of IBM Academy of Technology and IBM Industry Academy and recipient of IBM’s Highest Honor, the Gerstner Award for Client Excellence. Armed with her technology background, she now channels her analytical mind at IBM Global Business Services, bringing industry analytics innovation to life by embedding it into business operations.

HfS recently caught up with Dr. Dorai to get some insight on the current activity and future direction of analytics. We covered analytics adoption challenges, enterprise analytics readiness and evolution, the concept of “actionable insight” and its importance in bringing enterprises into the As-a-Service Economy.