The extraordinary spread of smart technology, and the ready access it has provided to a mother lode of real time data, is changing the way companies deliver customer service in a slew of Australian industries, including the utilities sector.

Michael Tschanz, Director of Technology and Analysis, Design and Engineering Technology and Analysis at Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Today, Hitachi Vantara announced that we have become the Official Ride and Show Analytics provider of the Walt Disney World® Resort and the Disneyland® Resort. Working together, we will bring new levels of efficiency to attractions while enhancing the guest experience at both locations.

Studies conducted on IT executives are great at revealing some of the key issues in the world of data analytics. In recent surveys, 71.8% of executives agreed that AI will have the greatest impact on their firms over the next decade and 54.4% of them signified that an inability to leverage data as an effective weapon against competitors is their greatest data threat¹. Based on this, it is clear that data and data analytics are key to an organization’s success.

APIs (Application Program Interfaces) are a set of protocols, functions or commands used by programmers to develop software programs. What makes APIs important is that they allow the capabilities of one computer program to be used by another. APIs are the means for two different computer programs to communicate. Barriers to change are reduced and makes it easier for people to contribute to the success of an organization.

Data is a powerful tool for enabling businesses to get the upper hand over their competition and for optimizing revenue streams. For data-driven companies to make right business decisions based on accurate insights, they need access to trusted data in a timely manner, no matter where the data is - in the cloud, on-premises or in both environments.

With so many people in so many parts of the business with a variety of data analysis skills wanting access to data for business intelligence, IT is expected to provision access to it all. However, IT’s budget and resources are relatively flat. There is a growing gap between business expectations and what IT can deliver.