Data predictions made easier in the cloud

Predictive analytics software maker SPSS believes the huge growth in data created by cloud computing will significantly fuel interest in its technology.

Although much of SPSS' technology operates within corporate firewalls due to the sensitive nature of data it deals with, it is also going to play an increasing role in making sense of unstructured information floating around the web, according to CEO Jack Noonan.

Predictive analytics is essentially using data capture, mining and modelling to work out likely events and the effects of actions taken by a company. For example, if a company offers a new customer service channel, the likely result on customer satisfaction of taking this action can be worked out. Equally the technology could be used by football teams to analyse their squad to work out how often individual players are likely to get injured so the coaching staff can plan accordingly.

Speaking to silicon.com at the company's Directions user conference in Prague, Noonan said: "The whole cloud thing is a terrific deployment opportunity for this kind of technology. The greatest thing that ever happened to SPSS was the web."

The service oriented architecture approach will be key in allowing SPSS technology to improve the data businesses have access to for their CRM and ERP systems Noonan explained.

SPSS already has technology embedded with the likes of HP, Oracle and SAP (with Business Objects) and this approach is also likely to continue according to the company's CEO.

Noonan's other aim for the company is to make the technology easier to deploy and use.

He said this approach is relevant in catering for the generation now coming into the workplace who want data quickly and attractively packaged as well as encompassing other kinds of unstructured data such as blogs.

"What everyone is looking for is to make their life easier and the way you do that is with data," Noonan said. SPSS customers include Kingfisher, Fiat, RSA and Greater Manchester Police.