Denologix

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My current title at Prognos is managing consultant, but in practice I am the head of support services for all analytic pricing solutions for our company. We offer consulting services and analytic solutions in retail. During the project with Denologix, I was the team lead of implementation services for pricing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Denologix?

For this particular project, we were partnering with SAS to provide certain services to our client. Our expertise is in analytics and mathematical solutions to business problems, so most of our employees are mathematicians or computer scientists. At the time we did not have any internal expertise in cloud-hosted services, however, as part of this contract revenue optimization, we needed someone who was familiar with everything concerning use of the cloud. They also needed to have knowledge of security constraints for multi-server infrastructure. We lacked that SAS administration capability, and that is what we sought in Denologix.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, the team led by Ahmad Damra [Senior Architect, Denologix Inc.] installed revenue optimization for us on the Amazon Cloud. Second, they configured user administration for us on the cloud, and implemented a client-directed security protocol. All of the infrastructure related to security dictated by the client was mandatory for our contractual needs. Third, they built custom solutions for quality assessment infrastructure, so that the data copies to and from the servers. Finally, they developed a web-based application to facilitate us using all of the above on an ongoing basis. In other words, they created a frontend for all of their scripts in order to allow non-programmers to easily execute their tasks within this system.

What is the team composition?

Ahmad was our project lead. Later on during the work process, he transferred his knowledge to a Prognos consultant.

How did you come to work with Denologix?

I had worked with Ahmad previously on a project very similar to this one. Additionally, both my company and Denologix are SAS partners, which made the collaboration more straightforward.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested approximately US$75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The work was completed between September 2015 and May 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Unfortunately, I cannot make a quantitative assessment of their work’s benefit for our client, other than to say that they created a very supportable tool that we will use in an ongoing basis to build a profitable model for our clients.

How did Denologix perform from a project management standpoint?

Similar to our company, Denologix’s employees are made up of subject matter experts in a very niche field. They did not need to be directed on their day-to-day task load, and they often gave us guidance on best practices. For the most part, they are very self-motivated. They did the work that was asked of them, but they also contributed in a way that utilized their own prior knowledge and experience to help finesse our procedures regarding this project. We communicated primarily through email and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their subject matter expertise distinguishes them from other companies with whom we have worked in the past. There is a relatively small community of people who work in revenue optimization as partners for SAS, and an even smaller group of people who do that very well. Denologix is among that latter group, and Ahmad is an expert at what he does. Denologix is a very good partner, and they always build something that can be supported on an ongoing basis. It was a pretty flexible and easy-to-navigate process with our consultant.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

When you are dealing with big, out-of-the-box solutions, it is important to have people who know the subject very well, but who also understand it very broadly and know precisely what the tool is supposed to be doing for the business to drive revenue. Make sure that you are engaging a partner who can do all of the above for you and your company.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’ve worked at both Bell Canada and Aviva in business intelligence.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Denologix?

I needed the SAS [statistical analysis system] licensing and support.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For Aviva, they provided and installed the SAS for me. Their ongoing support involves finding software solutions whenever we run into issues.

At Bell Canada, they were the only vendor who could do a WebLogic implementation, which was a major milestone. We had 2,000 users who we wanted to use the application. We also needed to make sure it was secure. Nobody could do an integration between the SAS and WebLogic here, but Denologic was able implement the technology.

What is the team composition?

There are three people who I can reach out to. I usually contact the lead who then passes on information.

How did you come to work with Denologix?

I’ve been involved with them at various companies I’ve worked for. Bell Canada was my first engagement, and Aviva was my second.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $300,000 for the Bell Canada project and $400,000 for the Aviva one.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2010, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Their SAS implementation for Aviva permitted the success of a multi-million dollar project that followed. It was also implemented on time and within budget.

How did Denologix perform from a project management standpoint?

I’ve always been very happy with them. I try to engage with them every time I move to a new company because I know if I hire them that they’ll deliver on time and within budget. Communication is great with them. We use email and phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re committed. They are dedicated to overcoming challenges and always make sure to fulfill my needs. If we run into a problem, they don’t blame it on other people. They will hone in on the problem and solve it. I’m very impressed with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They’re very good at what they do. Shaz [President, Denologix] is one of the most professional and honest people I’ve ever dealt with in my life. They always stay true to their proposed costs. If I omit something, he’ll usually include it at no extra charge. He’s easy to work with.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your company?

We're one of the largest banking organizations in Canada. 

What is your position?

When Denologix worked with us, I was responsible for some risk technology solutions development. I was managing the development and maintenance of our warehouse. It’s a risk data warehouse, which sourced information from various legacy systems in the bank. The tool provided us with a single integrated view of the bank’s retail risk for regulatory reporting, internal risk management, and more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenges were you attempting to address with initiating the projects with Denologix?

The data model that we acquired had to be customized to fit our organization and reporting needs. That’s essentially why we needed to source outside expertise. Even though SAS had dedicated some resources from their own shop, we still required additional resources.

SOLUTION

How did you select Denologix as your solution partner?

I was not directly involved in the selection process because I joined the project to turn it around. I think Denologix had done some work with one of the senior executives in the bank on separate projects. I believe they were then referred, and that’s why they were brought in to deal with a few reporting and data requirements.

Was SAS the only platform used?

Yes. They brought in SAS as the main vendor to set up the infrastructure. They had brought their data model.

When was that project completed?

The project was completed in late 2007. There was some post-implementation work in early 2008 as well.

Can you give us a sense of the size of the initiative in monetary terms?

The entire project, including the work and technology, was approximately $40 million range. We had about 50 consultants. Our In-house employees numbered around 15, but we had brought in another 35 to supplement during the implementation of the project on the technology side. On the business side, I think there was an equal number of stakeholders.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work they've delivered?

It’s still alive and well. That’s what I can say. I wish I could offer more, but I don’t work with that team anymore.

How did Denologix perform during the project?

It was a very tough project, and we had a tight timeframe. There were very hard deadlines to meet. There were also plenty of new developments as the regulators refined their reporting needs for us. It was a very challenging project.

Overall, everyone came through and delivered. There was a need to work very hard, long hours. I think even though everyone was under pressure, Denologix staff never complained. Sometimes, in this kind of project, things can get nasty and people can point fingers. Even though we faced challenges and issues, it remained a collaborative effort. That’s what I liked about Denologix: they know how to maintain the highest standard of professionalism and accountability. 

When working with Denologix, is there anything you'd consider unique or special compared to other vendors you may have worked with?

Their ability to understand customer needs is quite special. Generally, consultants are stuck in their own ways have the tendency to remain intransigent. They may try to impose it on an organization even if that solution doesn’t fit the organization or the information needs of the organization.

Denologix was very good at listening to us and coming up with solutions, which they were able to sell to our own internal clients easily.

In retrospect, are there areas you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently when approaching this type of project?

Overall, it was a successful project. There were some challenges along the way, but I wouldn’t say they could have been completely avoided. I wouldn’t say we could have done something better.

I would say Denologix was there alongside with us, and that’s what matters. We can always say there’s always room for improvement. I cannot pinpoint a single thing that we didn’t do well.

BACKGROUND

Can you please provide a brief description of your company?

I have worked for a number of large enterprises that worked with Denologix. I’ve worked with large software companies but this particular project is for a Canadian insurance firm.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I was head of the business intelligence practice at the time.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What were your company’s business goals for this particular project?

We were looking for somebody to install the SAS business intelligence platform. I needed the platform to be installed to enable the business units to share. My organization had got multiple business units.

SOLUTION

What was your process for selecting Denologix?

A fixed price to me is a safety net and I liked how Denologix provides this pricing model. That was one of the big things that I really like about Denelogix. They come in. They assess the work. They talk to you about what you want. They also tell you other options.

They were bidding against SAS. Denelogix came in with a more reasonable bid and they did their job.

Can you please describe the scope of the project and what Denologix did?

This was a migration of the SAS platform, migration of the data, implementation of a new version and also installing all the products that we got from SAS. This wasn’t just an install, walk away type of project.  It was a complicated project because SAS isn’t easy to learn and we wanted many portals and features.

The scope was very specific. I wanted a SAS install, 9.3 install. 9.2 first, and then some customization. We wanted 9.2 installed so the business units could share data. We wanted it in one computer, not multiple computers like a big server. We wanted one big server. We wanted the fastest IO possible. We wanted the data to be processed. We didn’t want the data to max out. So we wanted to make sure that we purchased the proper equipment.

They also did a data migration onto 40 work computers. Denologix sent us an amazing installer. The programmer spent over three months and they also provided an expert SAS administrator.

The implementation went very smoothly, Denologix has helped a lot with all the details, every communication piece. The experience was very pleasant, they totally communicated everything that they were doing. We had a project plan that we were following step by step. The only thing that caused trouble at the end, was the migration.

Can you give us a sense of the initiative in dollar terms?

It was over $1 million but I can’t recall the exact figure.

When was the project completed?

I believe it was 2006.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did Denologix perform during the project?

Their top people do a lot of important projects in Canada and are willing to work on-site and make sure the job gets done. I have worked with them for over a decade now. I’m very happy with them. I’m still happy. I still do business with him.

Are there any areas that you feel Denologix could improve upon or maybe you would do differently?

I am tough on vendors and always ask them to deliver more. However, I love that they stick to a fixed price and deliver what is promised. I can’t make any complaints.

When working with Denologix, what is unique or special about them compared to other vendors?

Their team is very honest. Their leaders are very transparent and open. Partnership like this, you don’t find anywhere. I met very few vendors that I could say that I trusted.

This vendor is amazing. I am happy I chose Denologix and would do it again.

BACKGROUND

Can you provide a brief description of your company?

We are the world’s largest privately held analytics software company. We have more than 13,000 employees in more than 100 countries, and we’re the market share leader in advanced analytics. We are based in the United States.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I’m the vice president of alliances and business development. I have various responsibilities including being responsible for all partner relationships in Canada. I own the responsibility for one of our global systems integrators. I also have global responsibility for one of our top 20 customers, and I do special projects in the corporate development area as needed.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was the business goal for this particular project with Denologix?

Denologix was selected as a primary subcontractor for SAS as we delivered the first ever Basel risk solution in one of the top five Canadian banks. That was probably the first large project that we collaborated on with Denologix. We selected them because their reputation preceded them in the data management space. We knew that their principal [Shaz Ahmed, the president of Denologix] had an interest in further developing his analytic capability. We invested to build up their SAS technology capability with the existing data management strength they had. The goal was to have Denologix grow apart after being part of one of the largest SAS Canada implementations we’ve done to that date. It was highly reference-able for us with a high degree of client satisfaction.

Following that success with Denologix, we made various commitments to them, and they became our go-to partner for installations of various SAS software products. They gained particular expertise in some of our data quality, master data management, and other analytic products.

SOLUTION

What are the advantages of SAS for data analytics?

There are many. One thing is SAS’s business model. SAS has had a subscription-based business model since its inception. They don’t sell perpetual licenses, and you don’t pay for upgrades. You subscribe to an offering and SAS commits a very large percentage of revenue to continuously upgrading that software, and those upgrades are available at no charge to clients. SAS invests approximately 25 percent of its revenue in R&D, and that’s about 10 times the industry average. That’s how SAS maintains a significant lead on all competitors in the capability of products.

Customer retention of products is much better than anyone else in the industry. They have a single-digit percentage cancelation rate across the world. When clients buy SAS software, the software capability accelerates rapidly. They keep the SAS software for a long time. Then company staff gain great depth of expertise in using it. These firms become more effective at deploying analytics in their business.

Can you give us a sense of the size of that initiative either as a ballpark dollar figure or personnel work hours?

The services business was in the order of $5 million to $6 million in services fees for that project. I would say that Denologix business delivered at least a quarter of that. That’s just ballpark figures. They did a lot of the data management work. They did a lot of the software configuration. They supported the development of the actual risk analytics.

When was that project completed?

It was about five years ago. I would guess that Denologix has worked on more than 20 projects since then with us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Are there any statistics or metrics to track improvement from that project?

There are some metrics, but they were not as impressive as most projects because this Tier 1 Canadian bank need a committed deadline to comply with a Basel regulatory regime. They were unable to do so. We completed our project on time and on budget. The bank achieved compliance with the Basel accord. It’s a compliance thing as opposed to an ROI type of project.

How did Denologix perform during that project?

Terrific. Denologix has a fantastic reputation with tour business in terms of being flexible. They are very rapid in acquiring new capabilities. They have established strong customer relationships and relationships with internal SAS departments. I have nothing but good things to say about them.

Compared to some other SAS vendors that you’ve worked with, what is unique or special about them?

They’re not global in scope. They’re focused on a particular geography. We don’t expect them to have global scale. They’re not Accenture or Deloitte.

Within the sphere of regional systems integrators, they are fantastic. We judge them by looking at the expertise of their staff, their approach to customer service, and their ability to develop effective relationships with both SAS ad the customer. I would score Denologix at the top of the heap for all three of those factors.

Looking back on the project, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or maybe you would have done differently?

I can’t think of anything on that project they should have done differently.