Companies Choose Cloud Analytics to Address Failed Data Initiatives

Independent research reveals 88 percent of professionals have recently endured failed data analytics projects; More than half say existing analytics infrastructure is too inflexible and find compelling benefits in cloud solutions

SAN MATEO, Calif. – Sept. 26, 2016 – Snowflake Computing, the cloud data warehousing company, revealed today that an overwhelming interest in data analytics has been overshadowed by organizations struggling with failed projects and looking for better solutions. Eighty-eight percent of surveyed data professionals and senior executives responsible for data initiatives said their projects failed because of low end-user adoption, projects went well over budget, the system didn’t provide the analytics users were expecting, and too many initiatives evolved into “zombie” projects that were almost completed but not ready for end-users. Survey respondents also said the complexity and inflexibility of their existing technology infrastructure was a barrier to delivering the analytics they desired.

The findings emerged from a new study by Dimensional Research, “Data Analytics: Beyond the Hype,” commissioned by Snowflake. The goal of the study was to understand current experiences, challenges and trends associated with data analytics initiatives. The findings reveal a significant gap between the insight professionals hoped to get from their projects and the end result.

“The importance of data analytics to organizations is universally recognized; yet, very few organizations have avoided significant issues with critical data analytics initiatives,” said Diane Hagglund, principal at Dimensional Research. “Executives in particular are recognizing that the complexity and inflexibility of their existing solutions has become a significant barrier to analytics success.”

Just over half of data professionals, 51 percent, identified their company’s existing data and analytics architecture as a barrier to achieving project success. Other underlying barriers included the inability to find the right expertise and taking too long to access data sources for their analytics. At the same time, 53 percent have adopted cloud analytics and another 26 percent are considering their options. Fewer than one in five companies have no plans to adopt cloud analytics.

“How easily and cost-effectively a company can acquire insight from all of its data will determine its success in today’s data-driven economy,” Snowflake CEO Bob Muglia said. “Only a data warehouse built for the cloud can address complexity, performance and cost barriers, and unlock the full value of data.”

Nearly all of the professionals surveyed, 99 percent, acknowledged the potential benefits of a cloud-based solution. They also listed the following functionality that could improve their current data environment:

  • Implement and deploy faster
  • Significantly reduce the time to make data available for analysis
  • Reduce the overhead of managing infrastructure
  • Combine diverse data in one place
  • Scale up and down rapidly
  • Create a more secure environment
  • Have a more secure environment

The report found that all data professionals surveyed said data analytics were important to their business. Among the executives polled, 48 percent characterized data analytics as critical to their organization. The goals of their data analytics initiatives over the past two years focused on: increasing operational efficiencies, informing strategic decision-making, enabling growth, managing costs and responding to competitive pressure.

The Dimensional Research report, sponsored by Snowflake, was conducted in August 2016 and included more than 375 individuals, including over 100 executives, responsible for data initiatives. The goal of the survey was to understand current experiences, challenges and trends related to data analytics initiatives.

Tweet this:  New @DimensionalR survey says companies choose #cloud #analytics to address failed #data initiatives https://bit.ly/2d3xavf @SnowflakeDB

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About Snowflake Computing

Snowflake Computing is the only data warehouse built for the cloud. Snowflake delivers the performance, concurrency and simplicity to store and analyze all of an organization’s data in one location. Snowflake’s technology combines the power of data warehousing, the flexibility of big data platforms and the elasticity of the cloud at a fraction of the cost of traditional solutions. Snowflake: Your data, no limits. Find out more at snowflake.net.

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