Why SAS business solutions are the top choice for data science and analytics

Technology is developing at a breakneck pace, and analytics is no exception. While SAS business solutions are still the leading analytics platform for most major organisations, other languages have started to make significant inroads into the market, as well. However, there is no denying that SAS is still the preferred choice for most organisations. In our latest blog post, we explore why SAS software is still one of the leading platforms in the analytics industry, despite fierce competition.

What are SAS data analytics?

SAS, previously known as the Statistical Analysis System, is a platform developed by the SAS Institute for data management, advanced analytics, business intelligence and predictive analytics. 

Using a combination of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, SAS data analytics solutions can collect and analyse vast amounts of data to provide actionable results which can be leveraged to get better insights into business operations and refine strategies to accomplish business goals.

Why SAS business solutions remain the top choice for organisations

It is more than a programing language

First, it is important to keep in mind that SAS software is more than just a programming language. It is a data analysis framework that comes with a GUI. When installed, there is a lot of functionality on offer, like report writing, data retrieval, and operations research.

This provides incredible value for organisations that are looking for cost-effective ways to complete several data collection and analysis functions. SAS delivers incredible value to organisations by creating a more efficient data analysis process.

SAS applications are still valuable

Despite the growth in popularity of other programming languages, SAS remains prominent because it is still a highly sought after platform. Several prominent business surveys have reported that SAS business solutions are still highly valued amongst organistions, especially those operating in healthcare, finance, and public service.

Furthermore, research also shows that several data analytics professionals above a certain tenure prefer SAS over other progamming languages.

SAS offers better data handling capabilities

Given the growing volume of data, organisations are looking for platforms that can process it efficiently. This is where SAS platforms offer tremendous value over other programming languages.

SAS business solutions are designed to handle large volumes of data. Considering that most organisations are generating big data, a platform specifically optimised to process it would reap huge benefits for the organisation.

SAS works with the latest technology

Organisations are looking to incorporate the latest technology into their operations. Technology, like cloud computing and IoT devices, are playing more prominent roles in business operations as organisations look for ways to reduce expenses. SAS business solutions are perfectly suited for this because it works seamlessly with cloud and IoT devices.

SAS is offering several cloud-based products, like SAS Cloud, allowing organisations to cut operation costs and generate insights at a faster rate. Furthermore, SAS and Microsoft have also partnered to bring more cloud-based SAS industry solutions to its customers.

SAS is easy to learn

While open-source languages have their advantages, in terms of accessibility, it does not mean that SAS software is a slouch in that department either. In addition to its GUI, SAS applications provide PROC SQL, making it more accessible to anyone familiar with SQL. Furthermore, there are several certifications and training courses on offer to help potential analysts become more familiar with the language.

SAS is constantly being updated

One of the main benefits of open-source languages is that it is easy to expand its capabilities. However, SAS receives regular updates as well. Even though it’s not open-source, SAS is updated to expand functionality, making it easier to keep up with industry and client demands.

Furthermore, SAS products are tailoured to address industry specific problems. For example, SAS has developed a solution to aid the fight against the spread of COVID-19. The model helps optimise operations vital for curtailing the spread of the virus, like critical response and medical resource management.

What can SAS do to pave the way for the future?

Despite fierce competition, SAS remains one of the leading firms for data analytics software. However, there is no denying that there are some issues SAS can address. For example, one of the biggest complaints is the cost of investing in SAS. While some third-party solutions make SAS analytics more accessible, SAS would do well to assess the appeal of open-source technology and see how they can incorporate some of those benefits into their product offering.

The data analytics industry is constantly evolving. This inevitably means new alternatives entering the industry. However, SAS has been an industry leader for over thirty years because of its ability to adapt to meet changing expectations. While there is no denying that SAS business solutions need to evolve, they remain relevant in the data science and analytics industry.

Leveraging social media analytics with SAS software

The wealth of data being amassed on social networks has given rise to a new breed of monitoring and analysis tools designed to help companies listen in on and parse the cacophony of online conversations to unearth actionable information relevant to their businesses. Social media analytics software leverages posts and other text analytics capabilities in an effort to reveal patterns, identify trends and detect potential business problems from what people are saying in these online forums.

If you think all the activity on popular social media sites like Facebook and Twitter is meaningless chatter, you might want to think again. Buried within the millions of tweets and comments and the billions of seemingly innocuous likes and dislikes are valuable insights that when mined effectively can help steer effective corporate decision making on product development, customer service, and other key business issues.

What are your top performing tweets? What time of day do your Instagram posts get the most engagement? Is your Facebook marketing strategy translating to traffic and leads? If you’re not using social media analytics tools, you’ll probably have a hard time answering these questions.

From multinational giants like Honda to powerhouses like HSBC, these impressive ventures all have something in common. They all utilise SAS software to supercharge their business by arming themselves with data insights provided by the platform, which includes expert social media analytics. It is reported that 94% of the Fortune Global 100 use SAS software.

Read on to be regaled by the key benefits of adopting an expert social media analytics software into the fold of your business.

Utilising social media analytics to analyze conversation data

The way in which you communicate and advertise your business or product may not always align with what customers find most important. By observing and analysing how your target audience is speaking about your product or service, you can determine which factors are most important within your own strategies, and make adjustments to your marketing plan accordingly.

You can also engage your customers on social media, creating a dialogue about your product, in order to find out how best to cater to their needs. By understanding how your audience views your product, you can create customer-centric campaigns that will bolster a brand philosophy into one that your audience will support. Handling your social media analytics via a platform like SAS media analytics will allow you to monitor online and social conversation data to identify important topics and content categories – in addition to how they are relevant to customers in the context of their online community.

Identifying threats to your company’s reputation and brand

Quality has many definitions, but when it is time to make a purchase decision, your customers’ perceptions trump all of them. At a time when product recalls, government intervention, and lawsuits are front-page news, customers are now questioning brands that seemed to have been above reproach.

The ability to monitor, measure and manage those perceptions has a significant impact on your ability to detect field issues, differentiate your products and increase profitability. By utilising SAS-driven social media analytics to expertly analyse media, you are able to have an early warning system to identify what could be benefitting or hurting your reputation or brand name.

Quantifying interaction among traditional media /campaigns and social media activity.

By expertly analysing online and social media sources through your social media analytics software, you are now able to better understand how to reach consumers through improved behavioural targeting, media buying, and planning. This marketing method uses web user information to strengthen advertising campaigns and involves gathering data from a variety of sources about a potential customer’s online browsing and shopping behaviours.

This information then helps businesses create content that is relevant to your target user’s habits and interests, which can be used across your social media platforms without conveying messages the viewer may find unappealing or irrelevant.

Establishing a platform for social CRM strategy

Social media is a treasure of customer insights. It is a place where your customers can talk about your company, products, and services – not to mention, enabling them to share their opinions and reviews. Businesses also want to learn what their customers have to say about their brand, what their current tastes and preferences are, and if they have any issues or concerns.

By merging market data and customer data, market research analysts in your business can validate approaches and then act upon a consumer need or sentiment shared across a customer base or market.

Key takeaways

SAS Social Media Analytics lets you listen to and monitor details of conversations
about your products and services that are taking place on social media and online channels – ranging from social media to customer transcripts residing on internal CRM systems.

By continuously accumulating and archiving these conversations, you are given the ability to understand trends and predict future conversation volumes to determine how they will affect your business results. Together with their global partners like Selerity, SAS software has been dedicated to delivering unprecedented insights in a way we’ve never seen before. For more information on how you can revolutionize your business by utilising expert social media analytics software, please feel free to peruse our services.

Analytics platforms – when is it time to change yours?

A barrage of changes in the world of data has sent organizations scrambling to manage their requirements through comprehensive analytics platforms. In this day and age, organisations are increasingly under competitive pressure to not only acquire customers but also understand their customers’ needs to be able to optimise customer experience and develop long-standing relationships.

Data analytics platforms help organizations harness their data and use it to identify new opportunities. That, in turn, leads to smarter business moves, more efficient operations, higher profits, and happier customers. Research done by MIT Management Review and SAS back in reports that 67% of companies gain a competitive advantage by using analytics platforms. Each year, this percentage grows exponentially with more companies opting every day to adopt an effective analytics platform.

With such an emphasis on analytics, it’s important to know when you need to make a shift. Here are a few signs that indicate its time to change your analytics platform.

Is your company using the right analytics platform to complement your industry?

More often than not companies are not fully utilising their current data analytics platforms because their platforms are not complementing their company’s needs or taking into account the industry they are in. It is no secret that data analytics can prove to be exponentially valuable for companies of all sizes. After all, 61% of corporate decision-makers have said they struggled to access or integrate the data they needed last year. This begs the questions, are they using the right platforms to support their company within the context of their industry?

For example, if you’re in insurance, you need greater visibility over your claims and how your payouts are taking place. This needs to be facilitated by your platform. Similarly, these requirements will vary from one industry to another. Therefore, it’s imperative that your analytics platform has the capacity to uniquely cater to your industry-specific needs.

Expansion to multiple sites means you need a platform that can grow with you

Businesses are constantly growing – especially ones looking at cross-regional expansion. This level of growth will require much more than what an ordinary data analytics platform can offer. The ability to share and host data through multiple sites is integral for operating seamlessly and effectively.

In this day and age, companies are on the lookout for effective data analytics platforms that accommodate multiple sites. Analytics platforms like SAS facilitate the accommodation of multiple sites in this manner.

This renowned platform has a deep bench of analytics solutions, bolstered by experts with broad industry knowledge, that can facilitate any company in seeking immediate value from data across multiple sites and location. Identify what’s working, fix what isn’t, and make more intelligent decisions. This will drive relevant change.

A comforting statistic to mull over is that over 90 per cent of the largest global firms have SAS – organizations and companies like Bank of America, the World Wildlife Fund and Honda have all adopted SAS into the fold of their companies and are reaping the benefits of this intricately designed analytics platform.

You’re not happy with the support services

Analytics companies know that not everyone is as data-minded as they are, so they put a lot of effort into building platforms that have interfaces that are simple and easy to use. You can get most of the information you need with very little effort. However, even with this emphasis on user experience, some analytics users require additional assistance and guidance.

It’s with this in mind that many companies rely on support services that come with analytics platforms – as opposed to standalone platforms themselves. One major advantage of an analytics platform like SAS is that it has many partners around the world capable of both selling SAS software and facilitating services. As a company that offers comprehensive support services in this regard, we are one of the first organisations in Australia to obtain the Visualisation competency badge from SAS.

To accommodate the ever-changing landscape of data analytics, we are constantly developing new, efficient, and creative ways to improve the insights companies obtain through their SAS systems.

Key takeaways

The analytics industry is evolving rapidly, both in terms of the data it can collect and the myriad of ways software can slice and dice this data to help you find actionable trends. This data is there for the taking and you can easily use it to optimise your business’ operations – especially with SAS. Additionally, keep in mind that your competitors are doing this too — so be sure not to get left behind.

Businesses, both large and small, can benefit from analytics. Whether you sell one product or a thousand, whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or a multinational conglomerate, the principles, techniques, and goals of analytics are the same — identify which business activities generate revenue, and use this to guide future decisions.
For more information on how you can supercharge your company’s impact through an effective and comprehensive data analytics platform, visit our site.