Infrastructure Woes Halt Real-Time Gains

A recent survey by Appfluent Technology claims that the greatest impediment to companies attempting to create a real-time enterprise is infrastructure snafus. According to the survey, companies want and need real-time data, but simply do not have the right corporate culture in place to achieve the real-time enterprise. More than 200 U.S.-based companies took part in the survey, and one in five organizations said they need up-to-the-minute data; one in 10 responded that they need data refreshed on an hourly basis; and 35 percent said they need fresh data daily. Some survey participants also said they realize the need for fresh data, but noted that they felt the costs and other headaches involved with implementing real-time data systems outweighed potential benefits. John Hagerty, vice president at AMR Research, says this problem arises from people not approaching their real-time data needs correctly. "Some people think that if they don't get everything in real-time, then they shouldn't bother, but most companies do not need real-time access in every department," Hagerty says. "It's useless to get all real-time data just for the sake of having real-time data." Hagerty says companies should pick areas where real-time data capture is most important, and develop platforms around those needs. "There is great promise for the real-time enterprise," says Charles Gold, Appfluent vice president of marketing. "But we've found that even if a company has real-time enabling applications in place, their infrastructure often does not support them. Gold says that companies need to change the way they look at data to achieve real-time efficiencies. This means getting data and data processing applications in the hands of as many people in the company as possible, so that information can be processed through the company faster, he says. Hagerty agrees. "If you want everyone in a company aligned, you have to give them access to the right information," he says. But Hagerty warns that flowing too much data to employees can be dangerous. "It can be like pointing a fire hose at them," he says. "It's important to give them just the right amount of information so you don't overload them with too much data."