157 I NT E R V I EW Taking ownership Simon Cole explains the importance of data management, howMicrosoft technology can be used to understand information and the value of end-user computing BY A L I C E CHAMB E R S Understanding how to manage data is key to the success of any organisation. Automated Intelligence supports a range of public sector industries including government, healthcare and law enforcement, helping these organisations to understand how they can use their data effectively. Data is everywhere, we are creating it at exponentially greater rates and managing it is an increasing problem. On top of the data that is created every day it can also originate from legacy environments that use older systems, meaning that organisations often have a significant volume of data that they are unaware of. “Our customers are usually sitting on a data risk that they need to mitigate, even if they don’t know the scale or nature of the problem they have,” says Simon Cole, CEO of Automated Intelligence. “So, we help them to firstly understand what data they have, we can then measure the quality of their information and then start to bring in better information governance. It’s important to understand what exists within end-user computing systems and the opportunities it can provide.” The data that is generated from end-user computing applications such as these can be managed on Microsoft 365 and used for decision-making. The AI builder within Microsoft’s Power Platform also helps with end-user computing by allowing users to leverage artificial intelligence capabilities to derive meaning and value out of the data that they are working with. “Our platform is built in Microsoft Azure, meaning that organisations hoping to migrate to Microsoft 365 can do so comfortably,” says Cole. “We provide a level of security that is embedded within that when we’re analysing data. As our customers start to take control of their data, the Azure platform offers a rich set of extensions to enable even wider analysis, whether organisations are looking at AI builder to extract some of the intelligence within those documents, or at Power Apps for reviewing and managing information, we’re giving them the best opportunity, as a Microsoft partner to take control of their data and improve their data estate.” According to Cole, during the pandemic, some organisations may have jumped into using some platforms without necessarily taking the time to research them fully in comparison to what they would have done historically. Consequently, there is an increasing need for them to ensure their information governance standards are sufficient and many need to better manage their information life cycle. “Once you’ve taken that level of ownership, organisations can then start to move forward and make critical business decisions on what to do with that information and how to drive further insights from it,” he says. “It’s all about taking control.” Looking ahead, Cole predicts that automating regulatory control of applications will be an increasingly dominant factor in data management, especially for those organisations dealing with citizen data. “As business decisions are now being made on multiple devices and platforms, it is more important than ever to ensure that data is thoroughly consolidated, understood and managed,” he says. Organisations that want to better understand their data can contact Automated Intelligence to request a data health check or more information via info@automated-intelligence.com. “ It’s all about taking control” PUB L I C S E C TOR
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