Launching and Leveraging a Cloud Data Platform
Since 1948, this non-profit organization has been devoted to providing a brighter future for children and young people with respect to their educational, economic, social, and health outcomes. They are focused on strengthening families, building stronger communities, and ensuring access to opportunity by making grants that help federal agencies, states, counties, and cities create more effecitve responses to challenges facing children.
The Challenge
Many non-profit organizations such as our client face challenges with their organizational data. They collect and house lots of it but find difficulties optimizing and leveraging it to become actionable, insightful, and drive value to stakeholders. The client approached CEI to provide a solution that would allow them to utilize their data as an asset for the organization. Our client struggled to optimize and leverage their data because they had:
Many data sources, such as:
- Internal systems and reports
- External data sources (International, Federal, State, County, Local, etc.)
- Customer/constituent data
- Operational and Financial data
Disparate Structured Data:
- Economic, demographic, quantitative
- Financial and operational
Disparate Unstructured Data:
- Research papers, whitepapers
- Social media
- Customer service call notes
- Community reports
Inefficient Processes:
- Decentralized ownership of data
- Department-specific, siloed solutions and platforms
- Reliance on hard copies
- Analysis done through manual spreadsheets
- Incomplete data or analysis performed
The Solution
Through much discovery and collaboration, CEI and the client were able to devise a shared vision for a comprehensive data and analytics solution. This would be a Cloud-based, centralized platform for data collection, storage, and reporting, allowing for enhanced collaboration among all parties, increased data-driven decision-making, and robust data analysis:
The Process & Stack
In addition to creating the architecture and integration for the data platform, CEI’s UX and Human-Centered Design team coordinated user sessions, feedback on prototypes and releases, and prioritization of key requirements to assure creation of an easy-to-use and effective platform that would encourage adoption from users.
Azure Subscription | Azure Search Services | Azure API Management | Azure App Services | Azure SQL Database | Azure Cognitive Services | Azure Key Vault | Azure Active Directory | Azure Sentinel | Azure Blob Storage | Microsoft Power BI | Microsoft Dynamics CRM
The Results
By partnering with CEI, the client was able to realize significant value from their investment in a user-centric data platform. CEI’s solution for the client created:
Easy access to data and analytics for employees, constituents, and stakeholders.
Secure, scalable, reliable solutions to meet changes in demands.
Faster and more informed decision-making.
Measurable performance due to objective KPI’s and defined goals set across the organization.
Competitive advantage in attracting and engaging donors .
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