Business intelligence software market in Egypt exceeds $10m, says SAS

With aims to help Egypt-based customers maximise BI technologies, the company recently hosted a 'Corporate Strategy and Performance Management' (CS and PM) seminar in Cairo, which was attended by over 30 customers from government organisations and companies from the banking, telecom and manufacturing sectors. Gary Cokins, a SAS thought leader, writer and expert in SAS PM solutions, delivered powerful and insightful talks on how to implement successful PM methodologies to achieve the attendees' strategic objectives.

Under the patronage of the Ministry of Social Solidarity, the event was sponsored by public offices, including the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), Egyptian Electricity Authority, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Petroleum, Leaders Management Development Centre, and Egypt Stock Exchange.

During the seminar, Cokins underlined the importance and value of using a defined methodology for CS and PM especially in a growing economy such as Egypt, and gave his thoughts on their current programs and initiatives. In addition, the seminar also highlighted SAS' 'Strategic Performance Management Solution' and 'Activity Based Cost Management Solution', and the role they can play to assure success for the organisations' initiatives.

"The Egyptian market is overtly embracing analytics, with demand that is growing at a much faster pace compared to the average global growth rate, and more businesses are realising the value on these investments and the kind of positive impact it is having on their decision making process,"

said Sherif Fathy, Business Development Manager, SAS - Middle East.

"We designed this seminar to focus on the actual business drivers for performance management rather than talking about the technology. Through the experience of a real practitioner, Gary Cokins, who has had experiences as a customer and as a management consultant, we have helped educate Egypt-based customers on the potential of BI to pave the way to a significant growth in their operations."

"In a developing country like Egypt, we need these methodologies even more than developed countries, as we do not have the luxury of wasting our limited resources on projects that do not significantly contribute in achieving our strategic objectives of enhancing the quality of life for the average Egyptian citizen," said Noha Kaptan, Advisor to H.E. Dr. Aly Mesilhy, Egyptian Minister of Social Solidarity.

'Strategic Performance Management Solution' helps organisations manage their strategy, support measures and initiatives to build alignment, and better execute on their goals and objectives. An analytic application that models business processes to determine cost, profitability and drivers, 'Activity Based Cost Management' helps organisations make informed decisions that streamline processes, deliver revenue growth and reduce costs across the organisation.

Among the participants who benefited from the intensive seminar were Mobinil, Etisalat Egypt, Credit Agricole Bank, Banque Du Caire, Arab African International Bank, Nasser Social Bank, Orascom Constructions Industries, Link Development, Fujitsu Services, Amoun Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi Aventis, Egypt Financial Services, Arma Food Industries, ASEC, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Olympic Group, Safir Hotel Management and many other local companies.

"Since our foray into the Egyptian market in 2008, we have earned the trust of some of the leading organizations in the country, especially in the banking, telecoms and education sectors. With government reform initiatives expected to further drive the demand for performance management, we are looking at undertaking more initiatives that will help them address their needs, not only in CS and PM, but also in the realms of enterprise risk management, customer intelligence, and statistical analysis for research and development," concluded Fathy.