The value of analytics to solve multiple business problems really makes analytics the ultimate reusable business investment, or as they say in the energy industry, it may be called a renewable resource.

As I've commented before, organizations spend billions of dollars on storing data, and unless you happen to be a storage vendor, storing data isn't what keeps your company in business.  In a similar manner, the three V's of Big Data - volume, variety  and velocity -  have more to do with handling and storing data than with providing business value.  The value of data comes when it gets transformed into information or insights, and that insight leads to the right decision maker who can use it to make a more informed decision. 

Analytics is the reusable investment that transforms data into insight.  Data storage systems change overtime from one vendor to the next based on new technology to streamline the use of data within an organization, but analytics like predictive modeling, forecasting, and optimization are assets that can be used over and over again to solve many problems across different lines of business across any industry.   

Why does SAS lead the analytics space? Because we understand not only analytics but the best way to prepare or manage data to get it ready for analysis and reporting.  Don't just take my word on that. Read this excerpt from the December 2012 GTM Research report "The Soft Grid 2013-2020: Big Data and Utility Analytics for Smart Grid."

And, if you happen to be in the utilities industry, check out our new solution, SAS Energy Forecasting aimed at providing repeatable and defensible load forecasts.  SAS also has offerings for the Oil and Gas Industry as well. If you want to hear more about SAS directly from our customers you can plan to attend SAS Global Forum next year. Our 2013 SAS Global Forum wrapped up on May 1st in San Francisco with the largest crowd ever for a SAS user conference.