“We are thrilled to add a recognized leader in the data and analytics discipline to our team. We are excited about the passion and expertise Mike brings to the organization, and are confident he can continue to elevate Clarity to new heights,” said, John Papadia, current CEO, “Mike has a long history with key members of our team, an impressive track record of success, and an extensive background leading data and analytics software and services firms. These attributes, combined with his relationships and industry presence, makes Mike a compelling addition to the Clarity Team.”

Lamble joins Clarity from Xtremedata, providers of massively scalable DBMS for big data warehousing, where, as president, he focused on go-to-market execution overseeing sales, marketing, and product development. Previously, Lamble was a Partner at IBM Global Services. Lamble has also served as Vice President of Worldwide Services for Greenplum. In addition, he held an executive management position with Knightsbridge Solutions, which was acquired by HP in 2007. At HP, he led the Americas BI and Data Warehousing group.

“I have watched Clarity grow from a small start-up firm into a highly competitive, top-tier data and analytic solution provider,” said Lamble. “Over the past five years, they have built an envious team with some of the best practitioners in the industry. I’m excited to be a part of its continued evolution. I believe their collective passion for data and laser client-focus is second to none. This strong competitive advantage, along with their critical mass and national presence, clearly separates Clarity from the competition.”

About Clarity Solution Group

Clarity Solution Group (Clarity) is a data and analytics consulting firm delivering enterprise-class, full lifecycle solutions from strategy through implementation with an uncompromising focus on client success. Clarity specializes in big data, closed-loop analytics and customer intelligence, providing deeper insight and measurable results.

Clarity has created competitive advantages for its clients by tapping into advanced analytics, providing deeper understanding into customer behavior, giving companies the ability to leverage unstructured data, influence closed-loop analytics, and deliver real-time offers.

Clients choose Clarity to help solve their most challenging data and analytics problems – problems that result from rapidly evolving business needs and time-to-market demands.  Clarity delivers innovative, value-driven solutions that leverage existing investments and quickly generate results.  They pride themselves as being the easiest company in the world to do business with. Their team of experienced professionals transforms the way companies think about, organize and use their data to maximize business insight and return on investment.

With locations through the U.S., Clarity has made the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies list for the past four years and was named to the top three “Best Places to Work in Illinois” in 2012. For more information, visit http://www.claritysolutiongroup.com.

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But that’s the overwhelming and anxiety-producing challenge for marketers:  How? In IBM’s study of more than 1,500 CMOs in 2011, over 70% reported being underprepared for the data explosion. Another 68% were underprepared for social media, and 65% felt underprepared for the growth of channel and device choices. How do marketers turn these disruptive forces into market advantage, when they often “have to use tools and technologies their children often understand better than they do.” 1

The answer is that marketers have to beef up investment and spending on IT and services. Last year, Gartner predicted that by 2017 CMOs will spend more on IT than CTOs. Average IT budgets are increasing by less than 5%, while high-tech marketing spending is expected to grow by more than 10%. Gartner is not alone in reporting and predicting that Marketing will be the big spenders on the data technology front.

A new study released by Yesmail Interactive reports that 68% of marketers expect their data-related expenditures to increase “greatly or slightly” in 2013. The president of Yesmail, Michael Fisher, said: “In 2013, brands should be taking a disciplined approach to building out their data operations. Data collection has almost been the easy part; the new challenge will be connecting the dots between different types of data across multiple channels. That’s really where marketers can get to know their customers on a deeper level.”

There are many steps in climbing the ladder from “underprepared” to proving ROI to your CEO. Collecting and managing data is the first step in the value chain. After that, it’s time to design and manage the tools for campaign management, improved customer service and faster decision-making. Thinking about and organizing your data for maximum insight and campaign success probably requires outside assistance at the outset. This is why marketing budgets for data projects are projected to keep growing from 2013 – 2017. My clients – from retail to insurance and everywhere in between – have proved tremendous ROI from investments in data analytics, omni-channel analytics and closed-loop analytics. More and more marketers are climbing that ladder and developing insightful tools for taming and taking full advantage of all the available data.

So what if your kids are better at social media than you? If you arm your marketing department with the best data science and analytics available, you’ll shift from underprepared to superstar in no time. Your CEO is watching, and there are endless opportunities for meaningful and profitable investments.

Stay tuned for my next post on CEOs taking an interest in big data.

The post Marketers: Calling the Shots on Big Data appeared first on Clarity US.

That said, monetizing our dependence on these devices and the data they generate, whether in the form of advertising or improved customer satisfaction and convenience, is a key challenge facing every company, and the promise of winning omni-channel analytics and marketing strategies.

Only two years ago, 97 percent of ecommerce transactions were completed via desktop or laptop. Current estimates predict that number will decrease to 43 percent by the end of 2012 – smartphone or tablet ecommerce purchases will top laptop or desktop purchases. Considering the iPad was introduced just two years ago, those are some staggering growth numbers.

This mobile explosion is changing the entire in-store retail experience as well. A study by Pew Research showed 52% of shoppers used their mobile devices for some form of in-store shopping, with 38% calling a friend for purchase advice.  It also appears that many shoppers are becoming savvier, leveraging the in-store experience to touch, feel and test, then foregoing the long lines to price shop and check out with their mobile device.

All indications point to the same thing – we are all Going Mobile.  Whether tablet or smartphone, these devices continue to be an ever-increasing part of our lives…allegedly more important than a toothbrush. For businesses, this presents a huge opportunity – true 1:1 marketing.  Sending a relevant message to an individual customer (that you know a lot about), at the right place (because of location-based services) at the right time (when they are standing in front of your product) is now a reality.

While most companies I work with today have some kind of mobile strategy, many struggle with marrying that strategy with other corporate initiatives, and “big data” (or NEW data) can add a lot of confusion.  Between new vendors, traditional vendors, and so many other players in the mix, it’s difficult to determine where and how to start.  Here’s my advice on getting started:

Think Ahead, Start Small

Think Ahead

• Consider all of your data regardless of size, type, or volume
• Strive for true 1:1 marketing
• Think about every screen, any place, any time
• Develop a complete feedback loop
• Perform deep data mining, predictive modeling and analytics – employ machine learning
• Ensure minimal IT impact and thereby lower costs and faster time to market
• Implement metrics for predictable, measurable business value

Start Small

• Capture New Data – Twitter, Facebook, NYSE, US Census – any publicly available data source that can help you get customer insights
• Plan for zero IT impact
• Provide measurable value with minimal investment (and without all the Big Data Hype)
• Learn and iteratively improve

Thinking Ahead but Starting Small is manageable, measurable, and scalable.  Our strategy, whether you are going mobile or for any other kind of big data opportunity, allows companies to generate value from their data.  Depending upon the size of your organization, in the amount of time it took you to read this post, you could have mined and analyzed hundreds or thousands of tweets, likes, posts, trades or other pieces of this NEW Data and generated a completely fresh data set to explore…and for a fraction of the cost of a typical internal meeting.

There is an unprecedented opportunity for businesses today to tap into that kind of information.  Where are your customers stopping?  What are they saying?  And most importantly, how are you going to engage?

Image Source

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In a stagnant economic environment, median growth rate of 2012 Inc. 500 | 5000 companies remains an impressive 97 percent. The companies on this year’s list report having created over 400,000 jobs in the past three years, and aggregate revenue among the honorees reached $299 billion.

For more information, see the complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria.

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The awards program, which began in 2006, was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Illinois, benefiting the state’s economy, its workforce and businesses.  The 2012 Best Places to Work in Illinois list is made up of 31 companies in the small/medium-sized list (15-249 U.S. employees) and 19 companies in the large-sized list (250+ U.S. employees).  Clarity has been named #3 Best Places to Work in Illinois in 2012.

For a full list, visit the results of its Top 50 Best Places to Work in Illinois

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While the subject is certainly trendy, the fact is that big data is here to stay, and offers huge potential to organizations that can carpe data.

So how big is big data?  We know the market is large, and growing at a 40 percent-a-year growth rate.  We know the corporate need is significant, for both solutions and the people that can deliver them. We know that emerging technologies that initially impact enterprise-level organizations eventually trickle down to the small and medium business level as well (look no further than the rapid explosion of web analytics over the past decade for proof). Given all of that, does it really matter whether we’re talking about terabytes, zettabytes, or petabytes?

What does matter, however, is giving companies an easier path to address the big data possibilities inside their organization. Internal champions are struggling to establish the business case, and that is where the concept of new data comes into play. Too many companies are stuck on the idea that a big data initiative requires a complicated process of ordering, racking, stacking, buying networking hardware (even if it’s cheap) and then loading and configuring software (even if it’s free). For a marketing executive who is primarily concerned with getting better insight into a Facebook advertising campaign or tracking how Twitter activity impacts client sentiment, it’s daunting to think about “bothering” the IT team with these seemingly complex requirements.

With new data, both the marketing exec and the IT team can deliver big data insights faster, with better accuracy, and cheaper. It does not require a team of data scientists and big data experts to get started.  Nor does it require a cluster of hardware or any kind of security control—after all, we’re talking about public information.  This new data is immensely valuable. When our clients first see a NEW data solution, they are like kids in a candy store, except they not only want to select and consume the candy, they want to start figuring out what other types of candy they can create. From new, you can easily expand to big, but at your pace and with your specific needs in mind. And all without a huge upfront investment of hardware, software or human capital.

The analysts are right—companies that do not take advantage of big (new) data will indeed get left behind.

Challenge your leaders and coworkers to consider those new data opportunities that you may be missing, listen to the right experts, and you will find that big data will start to feel invigorating, not daunting.

The post Forget Big Data, It’s All About New Data appeared first on Clarity US.

With the launch of this blog and the redesign of our website, we aim to challenge convention, visualize new possibilities, and share ground-breaking solutions. Our consultants, as well as our management team, are trusted business advisors who are passionate about developing and maintaining a dialogue with the data and analytics community and about broadening our impact.

If you’re a member of the business intelligence community, an aspiring big data consultant, a company trying to navigate the data and analytics maze, or someone who follows and covers industry developments, you have a new home.

We hope you’ll subscribe to get our blog posts delivered straight to your inbox and be an active participant in helping guide the future of the data and analytics industry.

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Chicago, IL, April 30, 2012 — Chicago-based Clarity Solution Group strengthened its position in the market this week with the purchase of Bay Area-based NxGen Consulting. The announcement, made April 27, 2012, expands Clarity’s presence in the West, increases collaboration with leading- edge technology companies, and deepens its expertise in data visualization and predictive analytics.

Clarity Solution Group (Clarity), a national data and analytics firm, provides expert solutions to some of the biggest brands in the nation. Clarity is headquartered in Chicago, IL, with an office in Austin, TX, a Development Center in Palatine, IL, and an Innovation Center in Reston, VA.

“Adding complementary solutions from NxGen increases our ability to provide additional depth in data and analytics services our clients ask for,” said John G. Papadia, CEO of Clarity Solution Group, “Clarity distinguishes itself through a laser-focus on our client’s needs and NxGen shares the same values and visions of quality and personal service.”

NxGen Consulting, founded by Matthew Feyling and Andy Rizzuto provides focused solutions helping clients answer business questions they couldn’t answer before. With their strong customer focus and ability to identify and solve problems, they have quickly built a great reputation as leading provider of data visualization services.

“I am excited to join Clarity and blend our capabilities and expertise nationally,” said Matt Feyling, Co-Founder of NxGen Consulting, “Collectively, the team has some of the most talented individuals in the industry leveraging leading-edge technologies and building ground-breaking solutions. We truly are changing the way businesses think about, organize and use their data.”

NxGen will formally become the West Coast Practice, with both founders taking on leadership roles within Clarity Solution Group. Clarity will leverage partnerships with Tableau, QlikTech and Teradata developing a dedicated data visualization practice, increasing and enhancing the technology skills of its nearly 200 consultants, and extending those relationships geographically.

About Clarity Solution Group
Clarity is a data and analytics firm providing expert consulting services and solutions with an uncompromising focus on client success. Clarity delivers enterprise-class, full life-cycle solutions – from strategy through to implementation. Clarity delivers solutions focused on emerging technologies, data integration and customer intelligence and has created competitive advantages for its clients by tapping into advanced analytics providing deeper understanding into customer behavior, giving them the ability to leverage unstructured data, influence closed loop analytics, and deliver real-time offers.

Clients choose Clarity to help solve their most challenging data and analytics problems – problems that are the result of mismatched business processes, rapidly evolving business needs, time-to-market demands, and new, but unproven technologies. Clarity delivers innovative, value-inspired services and solutions that leverage existing investments and quickly generate results. Clarity also prides itself as being the easiest company in the world to do business with.

With offices in Austin, Chicago, and Reston, Clarity has made the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies list for the past three years in a row.

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Reston, VA, February 12, 2012 – Clarity Solution Group, a data and analytics service and solution firm, today announced it has established its Innovation Center in Reston, Virginia. Led by Andy Souders, Clarity’s Chief Technology Officer, the additional office increases the company’s geographic footprint and is the base for Clarity’s Product Development Organization and Emerging Technologies Practice.

“Clarity has been solving big data challenges for some of the world’s largest companies,” said Souders. “Collectively, our consultants have literally performed thousands of projects managing and analyzing massive amounts of data. With our Emerging Technologies Practice, we have rolled all of this knowledge into a repeatable and reliable methodology, which enables our clients to realize their big data opportunities. And with our soon to be launched platform, clients will be able to take advantage of a SaaS-based solution to securely deliver predictive big data analytics. Simply put, Clarity is at the forefront in helping companies transform data into wisdom.”

John Papadia, Clarity’s Chief Executive Officer says the company has ambitious growth plans for 2012 and believes the investment in the Innovation Center will separate Clarity from its service competitors providing its customers with realized business value. “The Northern Virginia region offers a great talent pool. Clarity is providing an opportunity to work at the forefront of some of today’s most exciting technologies,” said Papadia.

Andy Souders, CTO
Souders joined Clarity from identity theft solutions provider, EZShield, where, as CTO, he led all product, application and systems development, security, analytics and IT Infrastructure. Previously, Souders was Vice President of Interactive and also Vice President of Client-Facing Infrastructure at National Electronics Warranty, a NEWAsurion Corporation. Souders was also CIO with Access National Corporation and led global development for AOL’s Audience and Corporate Systems groups. He also held senior management positions with Collaborex, KPMG and EDS, developing and integrating solutions for customers in complex environments.

About Clarity Solution Group

Clarity is a data and analytics firm providing expert consulting services and solutions with an uncompromising focus on client success. Clarity delivers enterprise-class, full life-cycle solutions – from strategy through to implementation. Clarity delivers solutions focused on emerging technologies, data integration and customer intelligence and has created competitive advantages for its clients by tapping into advanced analytics providing deeper understanding into customer behavior, giving them the ability to leverage unstructured data, influence closed loop analytics, and deliver real-time offers.

Clients choose Clarity to help solve their most challenging data and analytics problems – problems that are the result of mismatched business processes, rapidly evolving business needs, time-to-market demands, and new, but unproven technologies. Clarity delivers innovative, value-inspired services and solutions that leverage existing investments and quickly generate results. Clarity also prides itself as being the easiest company in the world to do business with.

With offices in Austin, Chicago, and Reston, Clarity has made the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies list for the past three years in a row.

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Reston, VA, November 10, 2011 – Clarity Solution Group today announced that it has hired experienced technology leader Andy Souders as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO). As CTO, Souders will be responsible for extending and executing Clarity’s technology vision. He will ensure that Clarity continues to drive innovation, and that Clarity’s clients continue to receive the industry’s leading Business Intelligence and Analytics solutions. He will also establish Clarity’s Innovation Center in Reston, VA.

“Andy’s diverse and impressive experience as a leader delivering technology solutions across multiple industries and business models makes him the perfect fit for taking Clarity’s solutions-based strategy to the next level. He has the right mix of technical acumen and managerial experience,” said John Papadia, Chief Executive Officer at Clarity. “To continue serving our clients with business-focused analytical solutions and innovative approaches, Clarity needs leadership that is not only focused on business value, but is also at the forefront of the constantly evolving world of data. We are all very excited to have Andy on board, and are looking forward to his leadership here at Clarity. He is a fantastic addition to the team.”

Souders joins Clarity from identity theft solutions provider, EZShield, where, as CTO, he led all product, application and systems development, security, analytics and IT Infrastructure. EZShield was recently ranked first by Javelin Strategy & Research for ID Fraud Resolution Services for the second consecutive year. Previously, Souders was Vice President of Interactive and also Vice President of Client-Facing Infrastructure at National Electronics Warranty, a NEWAsurion Corporation. Souders was also CIO with Access National Corporation and led global development for AOL’s Audience and Corporate Systems groups. He also held senior management positions with Collaborex, KPMG and EDS, developing and integrating solutions for customers in complex environments.

“Clarity has assembled the best talent in the Big Data space, and I am thrilled to be joining the team,” said Souders. “We have all heard about the opportunity and challenge around Big Data and the ever-growing importance of consumer intelligence. Clarity’s strategy is to deliver innovative, yet pragmatic solutions to these challenges. Our Innovation Center is developing solutions that marry the emerging trends in the Big Data space with our many years of expertise around information management and delivery. This investment in technology gives our clients a competitive advantage and separates Clarity from pure-play services providers. Simply put, we have the talent and vision to deliver amazing solutions for our clients.”

About Clarity Solution Group

The biggest brands choose Clarity Solution Group to help solve their most challenging data integration, information delivery, and business analytics problems – problems that are the result of mismatched business processes, rapidly evolving business needs, time-to-market demands, and new, but unproven technologies. Clients engage Clarity for innovative, value-inspired business intelligence and analytical solutions that leverage existing investments and generate timely results.

Clarity is a niche Business Intelligence (BI) and Analytics consulting firm with national reach. Clarity delivers enterprise-class, full life cycle BI and Analytics solutions – from strategy through to implementation. With the most capable BI and Analytics consulting team assembled, a unique perspective on traditional and emerging approaches, and tailored methodologies based on industry-leading frameworks, Clarity delivers solutions that work. Clarity also prides itself as being the easiest company in the world to do business with.

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