Automation has long been considered as an entrepreneur’s best friend. However, most times, it is only utilised for managing processes and to simplify menial, routine tasks. Very rarely does a business undertake automation as a tool for data management, especially in the early years of business. But as you grow, it becomes quite evident that, over a certain limit, it is nearly impossible to make sense of data without automated reports and analysis.
Just to get an idea of how important automation is, with respect to data management, here are some statistics that you will find interesting:
- More than 95% of companies state that their primary problem that they face is of managing unstructured data. (earthweb.com)
- 49% of businesses state that the biggest cause of inaccuracies in data is due to human-error. (edq.com, 2018)
- IoT will be delivering 95% of total data to businesses, by 2025, out of which, more than 25% will be real-time data. (IDC, 2017)
These statistics are just a glimpse of the importance of automation in data management. But how does it directly connect? In general, there are 4 benefits of implementing automation:
Integration from all data sources
It is imperative for business owners and decision-makers to get an overview of all the different departments in one place. Manually collecting the data can be a tedious task, followed with its segregation and assortment. Automation does this with a single click. It is even more useful if the data needs to be collated from sources that are not present within the business’ private network. Integration of data-collection from different departments can be easily streamlined by using automation tools and software. Once it is set up, then minimal manual intervention is required and this strengthens the decision-making capabilities of the business.
Clinical Data Management
Data, in its raw form is of little use. In addition, human error in data collection and data management is a major factor that creates a negative impact on businesses. Clinical Data Management (or CDM), by definition, is the collection and management of data, that complies with regulatory standards. This can be easily achieved with automation. Automation tools can help segregate unstructured data into usable data, manage accessibility of data, periodically check for its relevance, and sort it in ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ data, with very little initial set-up. This saves a lot of time and efforts on the part of the business.
Automated Report Generation
From employee management, to operations, sales and performance, internal and market reports, decision-makers require lot of data in easy-to-understand formats. In fact, many times, they would be requiring real-time data to make split-second decisions, as well as to monitor market status. This is next to impossible with manual data management. Automated data management tools help in automatically generating sales reports, employee performance reports, market trends, competitor study reports, operational status reports, etc. Machine learning capabilities help in receiving more accurate data and can immensely improve data-quality, for better decision-making.
Data Backup and Security
Cloud services for data management helps in complete security of data. However, automation additionally helps in taking up periodic backup, so that all your data remains secure, while being easily accessible. Automation tools also help in detection of any suspicious activities, as well as restrict unwanted access and data breach. It helps in taking preventive safety measures so that business owners are immediately notified of any discrepancies. In the long-run, cloud capabilities can help you migrate easily to the newest platforms, which makes data migration secure and simple.
In a business world, where data is constantly flowing in, businesses need to implement automation practices if they want the data to be of optimum use. With technologies evolving at a rapid pace, automation techniques are helping businesses to improve their data management capabilities and to make the most of it, with very little human intervention.
If your business is dependent on manual efforts for your data management needs, it’s high-time to shift to automation. Talk to our Saransh experts on how you can get started. Connect with us at info@saranshinc.com.