For companies with large data stores, the benefits of performing analytics are impossible to deny: an IBM study revealed that enterprises which conduct analytics have up to 1.6x revenue growth, 2x EBITDA growth and 2.5x stock price appreciation of those that don’t. [1] However, as data volumes continue to escalate, the cost of providing analytics climbs as well. 90% of companies with 1,000 or more employees access several distinct data sources to complete their accounting close, and 43% use four of more. In the finance industry, professionals spend only 22% of their time performing actual analysis – the rest is spent waiting for data or verifying its authenticity. [2]

Because large datasets lead to longer downtimes for maintenance, most IT departments perform automation to manage systems. These custom built systems tend to be fragile, require updates when source systems are updated or added, and rely on the knowledge of a few key members of the team. Issues that do arise require substantial involvement of IT personnel, and if critical members of the team are absent, they can cause massive delays.

IBM Cognos Command Center is a new product offered by IBM that facilitates database management by consolidating all of your resources into one dashboard. Cognos Command Center is designed to be usable by business professionals without extensive technical knowledge, and provides enterprises with a robust alternative to custom data warehouse management.

Why should you use IBM Cognos Command Center? Here are a few reasons:

Command Center is Intuitive

Cognos Command Center comes packed with plugins so you can snap-in functions that would normally require custom coding and maintenance from IT. Perform file operations, secure data transfers, and native database functions without writing one line of code. Save money on IT resources, and better utilize your existing employees by allowing them to spend less time on routine tasks. Command Center takes the guesswork out of process failures by alerting you immediately by email, and translating commonly encountered errors into plain English. IT can even add procedures to deal with recoverable errors automatically and silently.

Command Center is Secure

Manage your servers from anywhere in the world via the web or your mobile device. Many complex systems involve the use of stored login credentials, but most companies do a poor job securing this data, representing a major security risk from both internal and external sources and accounting for 13% of all breaches according to a Verizon’s 2013 Data Breach Investigations Report. [3] Cognos Command Center encrypts sensitive data, and users can run processes that utilize stored login credentials without ever being able to read them. In the event of failure or intrusion, any change, no matter how small, can be traced to a single user.

Command Center is Flexible

IBM Cognos Command Center uses global variables to aid in synchronization of data between servers. Manage your workflow centrally, and update parameters on every server you own with a single click. Never lose hours of uptime to rolling back data because of a forgotten parameter again! Command Center integrates workflows for heterogeneous environments into one management system, and its plugin-based system means functionality can quickly be added for new storage systems as they are introduced.

Command Center is Supported

IBM Cognos Command Center is the newest member of the IBM Cognos Business Intelligence family. IBM was ranked a clear “leader” in Gartner’s 2013 Business Intelligence & Analytics Magic Quadrant. The Cognos platform’s ability to serve as a complete BI solution has been bolstered by IBM’s recent high profile acquisitions. IBM Cognos received high marks from clients regarding road map and future vision, product quality, and ability to integrate with information infrastructure. [4] The addition of Command Center to the Cognos family represents IBM’s ongoing commitment to deliver the most full-featured business intelligence platform available.