Centralisation is an important investment for any business looking to enhance operations and productivity
There is little doubt that organisations are under pressure – work faster and better to achieve more. The market is challenging, the customer demanding, and technology constantly evolving. Organisations have to develop cohesive databases that are consolidated, centralised and reliable, so that they can transform operations and improve productivity. Now more than ever, this is why centralisation has become one of the most important considerations for any organisation.
With centralisation, the business can benefit from more inclusive databases and systems that are faster, deliver better quality reporting, improve transparency, and decrease processing turnaround. Data centraliSation eliminates data silos by collecting information into one easily accessible location. The existence of a single location reduces the time required to collect data, compare multiple sources, and eliminate the possibility of conflicting information. It also improves the quality of data as fewer systems are hosting the same data and the information is extracted from the central data store on demand. This allows for improvements in data integrity as you’re hosting on a single operational data store (ODS). In addition, you can automate the importing of data and the population of fields to improve speed and minimise user errors.
Business benefits of centralisation and automation
A centralised database allows you to update a single repository and for it to then propagate across multiple systems, minimising capture time as inputs are replicated automatically. Reporting time is decreased thanks to automation of processes so this can be leveraged to drive richer business understanding, and transparency is increased which allows for single-access information retrieval and seamless updating of information.
Companies can also reduce costs by implementing platform modules instead of new systems for specific tasks. As the business grows, there is a possibility that an unconnected system could hinder the ability to manage large amounts of data. The holistic view enabled by a centralised platform can help you integrate new processes more easily and respond to both anticipated and unanticipated shifts in markets and industry sectors.
There would then be no need to bring in additional personnel and train them on different software. A consistent architecture will also help IT professionals keep track of changes they may need to make. Similarly, it is easier for employees to switch activities and learn new features within a single platform because it is based on a familiar user interface.
Centralisation streamlines information gathering as the data is converged, while simplifying systems as data is maintained in a single store instead of multiple repositories, and reduces user complexity by using a single entry language that requires fewer skillsets.
Furthermore, centralisation can add value in terms of customer engagement and experiences. With seamless access to data and information, the organisation can be more agile in its response times and its understanding of potential areas of customer friction.
Why invest into centralisation now?
Now is the right time to invest into anything that will improve business capabilities because in most scenarios the benefits of having an all-in-one platform outweigh the negativesIn the majority of instances, centralisation will allow you to reduce data capture times, improve quality of information, gain more accurate statistics, improve productivity around critical business operations, and increase data integrity. With the right centralisation tools and understanding, your business gains richer control of the data at a time when data is the black gold of the business world.
Prosolutions has worked closely with South African organisations in the development of centralised database solutions that are customised to their unique needs and requirements. We spend time with our clients so we can fully understand the challenges that they face, and we use this insight to implement architectural guiding principles and standards that deliver a robust and relevant framework. Our expertise and experience can help you build a centralised system that gets you the results you need – contact us to find out how we can customise your centralisation and reduce processing.
