Due to the fast-paced evolution of technology and the expanding complexity of interpreting big data, several businesses require and seek out Qlik training and consultancy to understand the nuances of integrating Qlik into their company processes, and to improve their data literacy.
Qlik offers many incredible features that, without the guidance of Qlik experts and consultants, go unnoticed and unutilised throughout company procedures. For instance, while most enterprises reap the benefits of the first three stages of the data enlightenment process, namely, data integration, descriptive analytics, and diagnostic analytics; many do not employ the last two phases, which are arguably the most important: predictive analytics and prescriptive analytics. Without these, institutions are less likely to make full use of the data mining, statistics, modelling, machine learning, data enrichment, and artificial intelligence components to analyse current data and make predictions on high impact future events. Nor will they be able to recommend or automate the best course of action to take based on historical analysis. This means that while companies are gathering and deciphering data in the present, they will miss out on how this data can shape future business decisions and actions.
At Horsa Group, our mission is to add value for our customers by helping them manage ICT solutions, improve competitiveness and introduce the right innovation approach to enable their success. Horsa helps companies analyse the problem their business is facing, or where their data needs to evolve and designs a solution to that problem using information and communications technology solutions. Horsa offers both training and support to help identify opportunities and/or automate business functions.
Meet Horsa Insight, our software-agnostic division
Horsa provides cost-effective Qlik (Qlik Sense and QlikView) support packages which are designed to compliment your Business Intelligence resources and plans while ensuring continuity of service and your peace of mind. Horsa adds value to your enterprise through proactive monitoring practices, analytics, consulting, and prescriptive and predictive analytics. We provide support on the building of the app itself (using Qlik software) to ensure that your company uses the product in the best way possible, utilizing the total abundance of Qlik features.
Horsa will work with you to assess your Business Intelligence (BI) Team’s capacity and skills in line with what is required to support the BI and business continuity strategy. We will then help you select the appropriate support package based on software support, application support, solution administration, proactive monitoring, dedicated consultants, support calls by phone, software upgrades, rapid response resolution, and release management.
Horsa has over 20 years experience in extracting value from across the whole data lifecycle and has used this knowledge to develop a clear and sustainable path to deliver faster, smarter and more reliable Data & Analytics. When combined with artificial intelligence, we can predict, prepare and respond in a proactive and accelerated manner to this changing landscape. Read more on Horsa’s D&A strategy in the Qlik Development section.
On top of Horsa’s managed service, Qlik’s Service Desk feature provides help and advice on the use and functioning of the Qlik product, namely, software-related issues. The Service Desk is responsible for promptly responding to client issues and requests for software support, determining severity levels (and acting accordingly) and resolving issues as quickly as possible, including recommending ways forward.
Qlik Consultancy
All of our consultants have a minimum of three years of Qlik expertise working across sectors and functions. This wealth of real-world experience enables them to understand your business needs and deliver tailored Qlik solutions quickly.
The Consultant will work with you to ensure access, adoption and usage of the completed application by the end-users. Periodic feedback and identification of potential improvements should be canvassed from these end-users. This iterative development approach ensures that Qlik continues to meet the needs of its users and will continue to be utilised once deployed to BAU.
The Consultant will also ensure that access to Qlik support is available and clearly signposted to the end-user and that those providing internal support have clearly defined responsibilities for server, security and application management. For added resilience, the dedicated consultant will meet with the rest of our consulting team monthly in order to brief them on your set-up and the ongoing projects. Our wider consulting team includes members with a variety of skills sets and specialisations such as:
Business
Analysis
Data
Analysis
Advanced Analytics
Consultants
Data
Architects
Specific Software
Developers/Trainers
Project
Managers
Qlik Training
We believe in enabling your staff’s Qlik expertise by training new and existing staff members through structured Qlik courses as well as tailored at-elbow training. Our Qlik courses include Designer and Developer training, which are both two day ‘formal classroom’ training programmes, conducted at your office for up to eight attendees. Or we also offer open house training sessions in our London office. In addition, Horsa provides Qlik Management Console training or tailored training based on client-specific requirements. Through this tailored training, we also offer “train-the-trainer” training.
All of our consultants deliver Qlik training as part of their working activities, as we believe all of our staff needs to be familiar with providing practical assistance to client’s staff learning and development.
Qlik Development
We support your Data Journey with a Data & Analytics (D&A) Strategy which leverages the value of continuous real-time data and analytics combined with artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to predict, prepare and respond in a proactive and accelerated manner. Horsa will consult with your enterprise in the following areas/stages:
Horsa will learn more about the different variables that affect your business and form possible solutions. Questions are asked, hypotheses are researched and problem statements are formulated based upon the research and analysis of user needs. Horsa will then design around the implications of the idea. We will interpret and select a winning idea/method, and begin project development and project management phases, and approve project goals.
Here, the idea is transformed into a specific product or experience. During the Develop stage, the project is approved for further development and one or more of the concepts is advanced further. The Deliver stage is where we complete any final testing, finalize production needs, and then launch.
This is our favourite stage because here Horsa demonstrates how your project is generating immediate value for your business by measuring insight delivery, business transformation/automation, and ROI. We also consider sustained value metrics, by taking into account the adoption track, innovation track, and D&A strategy review, ensuring the ongoing value of your project.
Horsa’s managed service offers tailored support packages which complement your resources, skills, availability, and support the D&A Strategy. Our On-Demand services point to solutions which address specific projects or resource requirements e.g. Data Scientists as a service, guaranteeing the ongoing efficiency and reliability of your products.
Data Extraction
As the world of BI and consumer behaviour moves so rapidly, everything comes down to speed. Therefore, handling large amounts of structured and unstructured data comes down how fast it’s processed. Namely, how fast is the data being ingested, organised and interpreted? Data needs to be continually assessed and organised to allow for quick analysis and, thus, quick decision making. When it comes to data volume, at Horsa, it’s all about speed of response.
Horsa has a business division dedicated to the world of Big Data which helps companies implement an effective strategy aimed at managing Big Data and implementing an adequate IT infrastructure to support this. At Horsa, together with Qlik, there are no limitations for data volume, no data too big or too complex.
What is Big Data?
Big data is a term that describes a large volume of data – both structured and unstructured – that inundates a business on a day-to-day basis. However, not only is the amount of data significant, but also how big data can be analysed for insights that lead to better decisions and strategic business moves.
Well-managed, trusted data leads to trusted analytics and trusted decisions. To stay competitive, businesses need to take hold of the full value of big data and operate in a data-driven way – making decisions based on the evidence presented by big data rather than gut instinct. The benefits of being data-driven are clear. Data-driven organisations perform better, are operationally more predictable and are more profitable.
At Horsa, we create data load and transformation scripts that make the best use of Qlik’s engine and minimise resource usage (RAM and CPU). Horsa’s group of skilled consultants and developers have extensive experience using best practices when optimising your data scripts. In addition, at Horsa we leverage our experience of working with all popular data platforms and systems, in order to re-use scripts created for specific pieces of software in numerous solutions.
Re-usability is not just a rumination for performance, but also maintainability of solutions. Horsa incorporates standard scripts into our solutions to make the data extraction process easier to maintain. This way, common functions can be updated in one, premier location and automatically applied in the solutions that pertain to them.
Data Modelling
Horsa has years of experience working with all sorts of data, ensuring that your data is modelled using best practices. We believe that the data extraction process is the foundation of data value. If not done correctly, your data and related business decisions will not be trusted.
At Horsa, we connect disparate data sets to the dashboard to support a broader and richer analysis. To date, we have not encountered a data source which we are not able to work with. We regularly integrate with systems such as Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Sage, SAP, JIRA, etc.
Where supported Horsa uses APIs to load data immediately and at its most granular level - so all the detail is there and ready to use and analyse. If an API does not exist in your current system, Horsa has the capacity to load your data manually.
By adopting specific solutions to define and implement appropriate security management policies on various levels (perimeter, endpoint and data), Horsa supports companies in preparing the necessary measures to counter cyber threats, control access channels, and to prevent data loss. Horsa conforms to GDPR EU data protection laws.
Performance
Horsa believes in long-term partnerships which are founded on trust and a phased delivery and phased investment cycle. Each phase delivers demonstrable value which in turn de-risks and drives investment in the next stage.
Data is a strategic asset to companies which must be used at velocity and scale to support decision making. To support and continuously improve our managed service, we provide a dedicated Account Manager as your main point of contact, to understand and oversee end-to-end delivery of your requirements. The account manager ensures the entire engagement adds value each step of the way by working closely with the consultant to ensure client satisfaction and quality of delivery and reports to and meets regularly with our Head of Consulting and Sales Director. Below, we detail the Account Manager’s responsibilities in direct regard to your Qlik integration process:
High-level review of progress to date and upcoming requirements, opportunities and risks
Assess skills and capacity in light of previous months and upcoming months
Assess performance and ensures adequate scale, security and reliability for upcoming months
Pros and cons of the engagement and where we can improve collectively
Monitors and drives user adoption through ongoing engagement and enablement initiatives
Horsa presents new relevant services and technologies which will improve the Data & Analytics programme
Horsa has been delivering enterprise Qlik rollouts for over twenty years. Our extensive experience in Qlik, together with our Advanced Analytics skills, significantly differentiates Horsa’s offering. We have over 100 full-time Qlik Consultants who are not just highly experienced Qlik developers but also have the ability to solve business problems and to interact effectively at all levels within an organisation. It is this depth and breadth of skills and our commitment to long-term partnerships that will yield an unparalleled Qlik managed service for your enterprise.
Performance is also measured in a formal quarterly meeting with clients wherein our experts at Horsa consider these three points:
1. How can we improve from our learnings?
2. How many employees are using Qlik and how often?
3. What new features could benefit the client and the project?
Horsa not only brings market intelligence to the table and proposes tailored solutions and features which will benefit the specific client for their specific project, but also looks ahead of current data to guide your future business decisions and development. Horsa aspires to be your trusted data analytics advisor bearing both vast and recent experience. At Horsa, we believe that only through a long-term relationship approach can you provide support for long-term sustainability and planning.
Proactive Monitoring
A component of Horsa’s managed service is its implementation of alert solutions wherein the system automatically raises red flags. With this method Horsa is able to proactively monitor your platform. For example, this can occur if the data isn’t loaded on time, or if certain data sets are missing. These alerts go directly to Horsa’s Service Desk and are resolved instantly. Therefore, with Horsa’s attentive supervision, problems can be solved before the users are aware there was an issue.
Dashboard Design
Qlik’s interactive dashboard requires the formatting of data visualisations on screen. The User Interface needs to be easy to understand, navigate, and ultimately, use. Horsa logically groups visualisations and builds on intuitive Qlik applications so that your company can easily use, assimilate and learn from your business data. Horsa creates a bespoke User Experience (UX) that deploys all the Qlik features that will help you achieve your business goals and make smarter, targeted decisions down the line. We understand how dashboards work both graphically and technically and will propose the best way of building your visualisation to drive results. With the Qlik platform, we equip users with visual analytics at the point of decision, to allow your organisation to channel the combined intelligence of your team. Key decisions will also be instantaneously supported by the essential data harnessed.
Qlik's associative data indexing exposes relationships in complex, multi-source data sets that would be hidden in hierarchical or query-based approaches.
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