Back by Popular Demand!
We're back by popular demand! We have been so busy at Insource HQ that we have let our regular newsletters slip. So many people asked us about the decline in newsletters that we just had to produce more of them, by popular demand.
Click
here to view the newsletter. We hope you take the time to read it!
This newsletter includes:
- Insource adds PerformancePoint to their Microsoft competencies
- Update on FAST Radar agreement negotiated between us and Microsoft
- News on what we've been doing for you in the NHS
- Our latest NHS Briefings series dates and venues
- Data Academy® is now recognised by the UK Patent Office
In addition, we would love to hear back from you! Let us know what you think the benefits or pitfalls are that you have encountered in your organisation. We would love to hear your thoughts on this newsletter, and what you would like to see in future ones.
Please email us at
contact@insource.co.uk or pick up the telephone on 0118 921 1555. We look forward to speaking with you!
Insource are once again leading the way in Microsoft Accreditations
Insource are pleased to announce that we have achieved the full Microsoft Business Intelligence competency. This competency comprises the "Business Intelligence Platform Specialisation" based around SQL Server 2005 and "Performance Management Specialisation" based around
PerformancePoint. The achievement of both these specialisations means that our clients are receiving leading-edge solutions and expertise from us based around Microsoft technologies.
Insource have been working with the NHS for over 12 years successfully delivering Information Management solutions. Our expertise within the Business Intelligence arena, underpinned by our Data Warehousing product, Data Academy®, has allowed many trusts to realise value from their Business Intelligence solution at a fraction of the time and cost of the typical ?writing code from scratch? approach.
Insource has been a Microsoft Gold Partner for a number of years providing evidence of continued delivery of high quality information management solutions. Our continued relationship with Microsoft allows our NHS client base to obtain the best value from the NHS Enterprise Licensing Agreement. We are proud of our relationship with Microsoft and this achievement demonstrates our proven Microsoft experience and cements our continued commitment to the Microsoft Business Intelligence platform.
If you are considering embarking on a Business Intelligence strategy using Microsoft technologies you need to speak to Insource as the recognised sector specialist.
Heart of England Attribute Recent Success to BI
Our congratulations go to Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, who's Annual Report has documented another successful year of high-value patient care.
Following the successful integration of Good Hope Hospital Heart of England is now one of the largest Foundation Trusts in the UK, achieving a number of key strategic targets including:
Reducing the maximum waiting times for outpatients from eleven weeks to five weeks, and for inpatients from twenty weeks to eleven weeks.
Achieved 98% target for A&E waiting times with more than 98% of patients seen,treated and either admitted or discharged within four hours.
Achieved all financial targets, with a surplus of £22.4m, £9.6m in excess of the Trust's business plan as submitted to Monitor.
Achieving such high levels of performance has been in part due to the excellence of the Trust's Business Intelligence system, which provides information to staff across the administartion and clinical disciplines. As Adrian Stokes, Finance Director, noted in the report, "The system has been flexible enough to accommodate urgent requirements such as High Impact Intervention monitoring and MRSA root cause analysis. Development of the Business Intelligence application has resulted in the Trust being nominated for the 2008 Obis Omni Champions Award for Leading Innovations in Business Intelligence and Dataware Housing."
Adrian is being a touch modest here as the Trust finished runners up in the award to the eventual winners ? and fellow Data Academy users ? Hannover Life Re (UK) Limited. The nomination however is testament to the innovative lead being taken by Heart of England to transform healthcare performance through accurate, flexible reporting provided by their Data Academy warehouse solution. We are very proud of the work we have undertaken with Heart of England to deliver such a strategically importantant Business Intelligence system, and look forward to being involved in their future plans to deliver even better patient care.
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals Choose Insource for BI Strategy
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has chosen to deploy Microsoft software supplied by Insource IT Consultancy to support their Business Intelligence Strategy.
The solution will comprise of a Microsoft SQL 2005 data warehouse built and maintained using Insource Data Academy with Microsoft FAST Radar as the visualisation layer delivering commissioning and operational activity reporting throughout the Trust.
The system will be deployed across the Trust to create a single information repository integrating data initially from the Trusts McKesson PAS and a single portal for reports, dashboards and scorecards. Utilising the core elements of the Microsoft Business Intelligence platform the solution will provide clinicians, departmental managers and Trust executives with centralised self-service access to any number of reports and analyses that can be viewed quickly and easily through a secure web portal.
Commenting on the new system, Nick Dunkley at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital said,
"Selecting Insource was a strategic decision for the Trust. Insource have shown that their domain knowledge and expertise for delivering strategic Business Intelligence systems in a Healthcare setting is second to none and we look forward to working with them to revolutionise our information service"
Commenting further, Graham Bennett, Healthcare Director at Insource said; "Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital is a prestigious client for Insource to work with and I am very pleased to be working with a Trust with such a clear strategy and commitment to Business Intelligence throughout their business"
Bolton Primary Care Trust Selects Insource In New BI Strategy
Bolton Primary Care Trust has chosen to commission Insource IT Consultancy to carry out stage 1 of their strategic Business Intelligence solution.
The solution will provide a data warehouse to underpin the PCT's objectives to become world class commissioners and to gain increasing intelligence from their data and information in order to understand and therefore better meet patient needs.
Commenting on the new Partnership with Insource, Chris Russ and Grace Birch (Assistant Directors for IM&T and Performance) at Bolton PCT said, "We are really excited to be working with the Insource Group. We had previously acknowledged that we had an issue with the fragmentation of data and the production of valuable Information. It was clear that we needed a strategic partner to help us re-organise things and provide a future proofed Data Warehouse solution with software to provide valuable Business Intelligence at the time of need."
Commenting further, Graham Bennett, Healthcare Director at Insource said; "Bolton Primary Care Trust is a prestigious client for Insource to work with and we all look forward to enabling their clear desire to implement a strategic Business Intelligence solution to support their modern healthcare environment"
Insource and Hannover Life Reassurance (UK) Ltd clinch title at Obis Omni Awards
Insource, along with Hannover Life Reassurance (UK) Limited, one of the UK's leading life and health reassurers, have won the 2008 Obis Omni Champions Award.
At a glittering evening ceremony during the two-day event held at the Park Inn at Heathrow, Insource along with Hannover Life Re were handed the Champions Award for 2008. The companies won from a large field of candidates, including fellow Insource Data Academy user Heart of England NHS Trust who were also shortlisted.
After careful deliberations the judges were most impressed by the two companies' successful project to deliver quarterly management information packs for staff on a timely and cost effective basis, whilst also overcoming issues in data breadth, depth and quality. "We are surprised and delighted to receive this award and at receiving recognition from an organisation such as Obis Omni" said Mark Crawley, Head of Systems Development at Hannover Life Reassurance. "We feel it is a vindication of the project methodology and approach employed by both teams."
Jackie Sawyer, Director, Insource added, "I'm delighted for the Hannover team, who deserve recognition for the exemplary way in which they have approached this project; they have been model partners for our consultants throughout. I am also thrilled that Insource Data Academy is being recognised in this prestigious forum as the enabling technology."
Further details about the award, including the judging criteria, can be seen by clicking
here for the Obis Omni report on the award. You can also read an overview of the project by
downloading the case study.
STOP PRESS Heart of England NHS Trust and Hannover Life Re Secure Nominations for Obis Omni Awards
We are delighted to announce that two Insource customers have been shortlisted for the Obis Omni Awards 2008
This two-day event, being held at the Park Inn at Heathrow, brings together delegates from commercial and public sectors to discuss how to reap the maximum benefit from their BI and Corporate Performance Management strategies. The event features a glittering award ceremony to recognise the achievements of organisations and their BI strategy. Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust and Hannover Life Reassurance (UK) Limited were drawn from a list containing some excellent projects from a host of sponsors, including Business Objects, Informatica, Information Builders and Hewlett Packard. Our congratulations to them and good luck for the awards!
If you want to know more about the event, or apply for a delegate place then you can go
here to read more.
New Discussion Paper
Insource are proud to announce a new series of discussion and white papers for the Business Intelligence Community.
These documents aim to help anyone involved in data warehousing, information management or business intelligence on a wide variety of topics covering the area.
The first in the series,
A Tale of Two Suits, can be downloaded by clicking
here to read more.
Insource Sponsors the Obis Omni 2008 Forum
On the 16th & 17th September Insource is proud to be sponsoring the third annual Obis Omni forum - the premier annual event for the Business Intelligence user community.
This two-day event, being held at the Park Inn at Heathrow, brings together delegates from commercial and public sectors to discuss how to reap the maximum benefit from their BI and Corporate Performance Management strategies. The event offers an unrivalled opportunity to address the information needs faced by Business Intelligence users, and forges business relationships that go far beyond the two days. By creating a personalised programme from the sessions available to them, delegates can ensure that their time at the event via a rich combination of keynote presentations, networking drinks, dinner and lunches.
With representatives from household names such as PepsiCo, Visa Europe and LloydsTSB, the Obis Omni Forum is the annual BI event that delivers huge value to everyone who attends. It's a must attend event for professionals currently in the process of sourcing or upgrading their own BI systems, and places are allocated based on a strict criteria to ensure delegates get together with their peers and gain real value from their time away from their desks.
If you want to know more about the event, or apply for a delegate place then you can go
here to read more.
Insource Data Academy ® is now officially recognised
Insource has been notified by the UK Patent Office that the term Data Academy is now a registered trade mark within classes 9 and 42, and has been placed within the Trade Marks Registry. This is a formal recognition by the Government body of the value of the name held by Insource and is an important piece of intellectual property. For our customers it means we are able to protect our name and reputation more effectively, which in turn will only serve to enhance the systems portfolio within their infrastructure.
Insource Data Academy Gets More Attention
We’ve had Insource Data Academy described to us by a couple of people as the best kept secret in the data warehouse industry. Well, it seems that dubious honour is slipping away fast. Search Engine results are showing a rapid rise in the number of sites mentioning Insource Data Academy along with a significant 30% rise in the number of hits on this web site as well with little sign of slowing down and a trebling of enquiries over the last six weeks. It’s clear that insource Data Academy, with the latest round of enhancements to reinforce its position as the foremost way to develop SQL Server data warehousing, along with the close partnerships we develop with our customers, is striking chords with more and more people connected with Business Intelligence.
Insource Data Academy - Now Coming To a Blog Near You!
Hot on the heels of the rapid increase in search engine results for Insource and Data Academy comes a request for help for more information about our premium application suite within a blog – which received several very complimentary replies in short order from customers. We’ll be inserting the comments into a forthcoming new area within the Insource web site, but for now you can visit the blog in question and see what our customers think of us.
http://staffers.co.uk/blog/2008/06/anybody-used-insource-data-academy/
FAST Launches Radar v8.2
Microsoft, the providers of Radar, the reporting application of choice in healthcare as well as within several enterprise markets, have announced the arrival of a new release.
Microsoft have launched FAST Radar v8.2, a continuation of the highly flexible and scalable reporting application, which is available exclusively in the UK via Insource. FAST Radar v8.2 arrives with a host of new features and detail improvements to expand the data source options for users as well as enhance the flexibility in customising views to improve personalisation.
To find out more about Microsoft FAST Radar 8.2 contact Insource either by telephone – 0118 921 1555 – or by eMail to
contact@insource.co.uk.
Customer Focus: Cheshire & Wirral Complete Phase One
We are delighted to announce that Cheshire & Wirral Partnership NHS Trust have completed the first phase of their Business Intelligence project.
The deployment includes a Microsoft SQL Server 2005 data warehouse created using Insource Data Academy with Microsoft FAST Radar the default reporting solution. This is a culmination of a process-driven project involving the close co-operation of both parties, and has helped Cheshire & Wirral enjoy some immediate benefits in improved data quality and better MHMDS report submissions.
A comprehensive review of the project will be available soon, and you can pre-order the reviews by sending a mail to
marketing @ Insource.co.uk
FAST's New Dawn
The 16th May 2008 will be significant for many people; it''s the last day of trading shares in FAST before it becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft.
The company, which Microsoft bid to buy in January this year, will become an important part of the Redmond firm's portfolio in enterprise search and reporting.
As the UK distributor of FAST Radar Insource will be providing help and advice to the many organisations in the UK using the real-time reporting and analysis application. if you have any questions regarding FAST Readar please get in touch via email -
contact@insource.co.uk - or call us on 0118 921 1555.
User Forum Welcomes Insource Clients
The Insource User Forum will be welcoming customers to the first in-person event focused purely to clients on March 5th 2008. With a comprehensive range of topics including overviews of the new Insource Data Academy 5.3 and presentations from users, the User Forum promises to be a busy and highly beneficial day for all involved.
If you wish to come along to the User Forum, please contact Charles Hill via email at
charlesh@insource.co.uk.
Insource Invited to Oracle User Group
Following the sterling work undertaken in delivering cost-effective data warehouse solutions to NHS Trusts, Insource were invited to attend an Oracle User Group event.
The meeting showcased the successful deployment of an Insource Data Academy SQL Server 2005 data warehouse within a NHS Trust. It also demonstrated how, using an Oracle Financials application as one data source, data could be brought into the data warehouse using Insource Data Academy from other applications such as PAS and ESR to provide a complete Business Intelligence strategy. The User Group was attended by NHS Trusts across the UK, and included a Q&A session with Insource staff providing some of the expert advice.
Graham Bennett, Healthcare Director at Insource, commented on the productive day. “We were naturally delighted to be invited to the Oracle User Group event and to have the opportunity to assist a number of NHS Trusts with their questions and issues. We’ve helped a number of Trusts transform their data held within Oracle data sources into usable management information with Insource Data Academy. The user group event provided a relaxed environment in which to show our specialist skills and domain knowledge to a wider audience.”
Microsoft Announce Bid for FAST
Microsoft has announced plans to purchase FAST, providers of Radar 8.1. The deal, which is estimated to be around $.123Billion, has already been voted and accepted by the Board and Shareholders of FAST.
Insource Reaches Out to the Regions
Insource has extended the reach of the current events programme with a successful pilot series of briefings in the North and North West.
The briefings, which were held in Barnsley and Chester, attracted over 30 NHS Trusts in the areas for demonstrations around information management solutions. The success and feedback of both has encouraged a repeat of these two venues, along with further events in the East and South Wales regions. To find out more please look in our events section
here.
Insource Announces New Partnership
Insource has announced an exciting marketing commitment that they have made with Obis Omni, in order to increase the brand awareness of Insource Data Academy, its flagship data warehouse builder that reduces the cost of building and maintaining SQL Server data warehouses by up to 80%.
The Obis Omni marketing network focuses specifically on the BI marketplace and by joining its marketing network Insource Sales Director, Jackie Sawyer says, "This puts us into a peer group of serious players, which is where our products belong. We will be providing an opportunity for customers to see the alternatives we are able to offer alongside the industry's market leaders. We anticipate a positive response to our emergence as a significant force within the industry."
FAST Radar Releases New Version
FAST Radar, the reporting tool associated with Insource's product suite , has released version 8.1, complete with security enhancements, extended platform support for SQL Server 2005 and the Firefox Browser, enhanced data source management and enhanced scalability for report delivery.
You can find out more about Radar in our
Products area.
Insource Attains Microsoft Gold Partner Status
Insource, through its commitment to Microsoft technologies has attained one of the highest accolades in the Microsoft partner repertoire, by achieving Gold Partner Status in 2 disciplines: "Business Process and Integration" and "Data Management Solutions".
This milestone was achieved as a result of a combination of: extremely rapidly approved platform tests for Windows Server, Managed Code, Web services and .NET framework of our Insource Data Academy application; successful case studies; certified Microsoft professionals and entrance to the royalty programme.
This enabled Insource not only to meet the necessary level, but to exceed the number of points required to achieve Gold status.
"We are very pleased and excited about attaining Microsoft Gold Partner status" says Steve Aitken, Managing Director of Insource. "Pleased because we have made a significant and continued commitment to the Microsoft platform, through the development of our Data Academy product suite which is based entirely on Microsoft SQL Server technology and this award is formal recognition of our efforts and successes; and excited about the prospect of working closer with Microsoft to build on the success of Data Academy, which is receiving unprecedented praise in its ability to deliver Microsoft-based BI solutions significantly faster than using conventional development techniques."
"We see this as a significant milestone in the history of Insource and are optimistically looking forward to the next phase of our development as a fast growing, major player in the Business Intelligence arena."
