The value of data is continuously increasing and data is becoming an important asset in companies, but only if companies use the data to improve business performance. To create a data-driven culture where decisions are made based on data, it is important to have secure data sharing capabilities, so that the right data reaches decision makers at different levels in the organization.
Excel has been the standard way of collecting and doing advanced analysis of data. But sharing data across an organization using Excel files is not easy or friction-free, and security can become an issue. If the Excel workbook is not protected and secure, data can be accidentally changed, formulas overwritten or data shared outside the organization. In short, Excel is not built for sharing but for data analysis.
With the need for more shared data and advanced analytics, organizations need a tool that can leverage Excel and be a simpler solution for sharing data. By using Microsoft Power BI to share data, investments in Excel can be used and structured so that all parts of the organization get the data they need with the right level of access. With a Power BI dashboard that is easily shared with other users or departments, insight and analysis can be distributed to enable employees to drive innovation and collaborate to develop business strategies.
With the Power BI dashboard, Excel files can be maintained in the same way as before, and by storing the Excel files in OneDrive, data can be updated in real-time in the PowerBI dashboard. Excel becomes one data source among many, as PowerBI can be connected to additional databases and data sources such as Azure, Salesforce, DropBox and Google Analytics. There are more than 70 integrations to access data in other systems, giving PowerBI the ability to consolidate data from different systems to create a unified picture.
Security is important when sharing corporate data. Power BI is protected with encryption to ensure that data can be created and shared with the organization without the risk of leakage. Power BI is built to meet data security requirements at both the country and industry levels, and sharing data using Power BI decreases the risk of security issues, while keeping the underlying data structures.
Using PowerBI to share data across the organization makes it possible to leverage existing data sources, and at the same time gives you access to the analytical capabilities of the entire Power BI platform, which includes highly advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to find insights and manage very large data sets.
Decision Labs can help your organization define what you want to measure and how to present and share it across the organization to improve business performance.
