Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Data-Driven Innovation – the Road From Idea to Result
avato Smart Data
© 2019 avato consulting ag
page 2 / 10
avato Smart Data
© 2019 avato consulting ag
Challenges
Why Smart Data?
Big Data, Advanced Analytics, Industry 4.0, Internet of Things – no executive will see
these topics as irrelevant for their own industry sector or organisation. Obviously, Big
Data Analytics, integration, increasingly powerful algorithms and self-teaching machi-
nes deliver the basis for plenty of fascinating new ideas. These may be more efficient
processes, new or optimised products and services or entirely new business models.
The use of these new tools and technologies – in whatever form – is now within reach
and often necessary for most businesses of any size and in any sector.
> How do businesses approach these topics? > What specific results can be achieved? > What additional expertise is needed? > What about investment requirements? > What method will offer the best results? > What tools will be needed? > Will there be a need for large-scale advance investment in IT environments or equipment?
avato Service Offering at a Glance
We here at avato will help you find answers to all your questions and assist you in achie-
ving results from your ideas. We will work closely with you to transform your data into
actionable insights and ultimately true innovation with added value. Based on our exis-
ting core competences in technology, organisation, operation and optimisation of lar-
ge-scale IT environments and technology-based transformation projects, we have de-
veloped a comprehensive service offering under the header 'Smart Data'.
page 3 / 10
avato Smart Data
© 2019 avato consulting ag
We will work closely with you on developing a suitable project
approach based on your business objectives. Depending on
your organisation’s focus and goals, that might be an Industry
4.0 strategy, a Smart Data Analytics strategy, a master data
optimisation project or a solution approach for a specific task
in individual production or business processes.
In our view, Smart Data encompasses all initiatives that generate new intelligence and
optimise or automate business and decision-making processes using data science pro-
cedures and information technology based on internal or external business data. Smart
Data therefore includes topics like 'Big Data' or 'IoT Analytics' and plays a huge role in
Industry 4.0.
Our service offering encompasses:
Data Analytics Strategy:
The key results of such a strategy or planning phase are: > Use case scenarios with prioritisation and risk assessment> Data integration requirements analysis, architecture definition, software and tool
selection> Roadmap/project plan> Resource requirements (staffing, budget)
We use our avato Smart Data procedural model as a methods framework to define and
describe all relevant aspects of your strategy in close cooperation with you.
Image 1: avato Smart Data Process Model
page 4 / 10
avato Smart Data
© 2019 avato consulting ag
The following elements of Smart Data projects are success-critical factors and for the
most part independent of the actual project scope: > User/usability focus instead of technology focus:
> Use case-oriented approach> Focus on quick results and reality checks> Self-service > Inclusion of result applications by people and machines right from the start> Networks, technology and algorithms can be complex and costly – but should al-
ways be seen as the means to an end and not as the purpose of a project of this
kind. That is why all ideas and planning should originate from the envisaged result,
rather than from the technology > Think big, act small, do not over-engineer:
> Construct an initial basic version technical platform and expand from there> Quick feasibility check > Iterative agile optimisation
> Practice, practice, practice – learn from own data and experiences, conduct reality
checks, derive next steps from real-world evidence and experience (not from suppo-
sitions)> Plan a systematic automation of the data integration, processing and analysis> Involve people and organisations without overextending their capabilities –
Industry 4.0, Internet of Things (IoT), etc. are not primarily – and most definitely not exclusively – technology topics!
Success Factors
Data Lab:
Most companies have extensive experience in the use of
information technology, the design and optimisation of
business processes and in the automation of production
processes. Experience in advanced analytics and the effi-
cient use of data, on the other hand, is usually lacking.
More often than not, the use of data is limited to the vi-
sualisation of machine or product data.
Our Data Lab offers you the opportunity to visualise and analyse your data and rese-
arch your options of how to mine the data with e.g. machine learning procedures for
your use cases with state-of-the-art tools and without any need for major investments.
These proof of concept (PoC) or prototype projects can be handled in an avato infra-
structure or optionally in your own environment.
page 5 / 10
avato Smart Data
© 2019 avato consulting ag
Image 2: avato Smart Data Architecture Example
Our data specialists will, of course, handle the preparation and analysis of your data
and the appropriate model development. You, on the other hand, contribute the ex-
pert knowledge about your data. In addition to offering a better understanding of your
data and the options for their intelligent use, the Data Lab can also be useful for the
testing of technology or tool concepts.
Smart Data Engineering:
Before data can be analysed or processed to create models,
it first has to be procured from various sources, checked,
processed and enriched to allow subsequent meaningful
analysis and modelling steps.
Typical activities include:> The technical and data-logical integration of various source systems like production
systems, manufacturing execution systems (MES), ERP systems or external data
sources like weather data, stock market data, etc. > Checks for invalid and missing values, outliers, inconsistencies and their automated
remediation, where possible
page 6 / 10
avato Smart Data
© 2019 avato consulting ag
> Data enrichment with metadata or information from other sources> Automation of 'data pipelines' and data processing steps While manual methods
may often be acceptable for one-time tasks like PoCs, live applications – specifically
for large data volumes and/or time-critical tasks – will require the creation of highly
automated and robust data integration solutions.> Contextualisation:
Contextualisation means that e.g. machine data from production systems must be
correctly linked to manufacturing or customer order data from MES or ERP systems.
Only this interlinking will allow e.g. an efficient examination of a customer comp-
laint or automated anomaly monitoring of production systems. Another important
example is 'temporal contextualisation' for (almost) continuous production proces-
ses. Latest raw material information or process parameters are incorporated in pro-
ducts that may take hours or even days to be completed. The various data types
must be brought together in the right temporal sequence as dictated by the produc-
tion progress to allow a contextual analysis.
Our specialists offer advice and support on the subject or will – on request – handle the
data engineering activities for you.
Smart Data Solutions:
avato will always coordinate technologies and software pro-
ducts to be used with the customer to ensure the best possible
compatibility with customer standards, utilise the customer's
in-house know-how and minimise overall costs. We rely prima-
rily on existing commercial products by renowned manufactu-
rers or established open source products. Practical experience
has shown that specific solution components are not commer-
cially available or may not be economically or technically viable for many of our custo-
mers. We have closed these gaps in solution architectures with our own solution com-
ponents. These can be introduced into your projects to speed up project progress and/
or lower project costs and can be adapted as needed.
page 7 / 10
avato Smart Data
© 2019 avato consulting ag
Examples for avato’s technical solution components include:> Smart Data Streaming Solution for production, machine and quality data (incl. OPC
DA, OPC UA) with auto-discovery capability for a mostly automated integration of
mass sensor data (several 10,000 sensors within hours) with high scalability, special
high-availability features and other practice-oriented, integrated data analysis and
processing functions> SAP Smart Data Integration – bi-directional integration of SAP systems with central-
ly administrated, automated data integration of an analytics platform with SAP Net-
weaver or SAP HANA systems> Smart Data Analytics Framework – a fully-fledged, pre-configured analytics frame-
work, including data integration components> Smart Data Lake for common data objects with semantic integration (contextuali-
sation) and metadata management> High-performance and cost-effective data models, designed specifically for pro-
duction data applications with high volumes of machine data in SAP HANA > Analysis and machine-learning tools, including deployment and automation tools
(microservice architecture, docker) > Various frontend components like time series visualisation, BI tools, etc.; This solu-
tion can be used as an 'Analytics Quick Start Solution' for PoCs or prototypes on
premise in the customer's own environment or in the cloud, or as a basis for custo-
mer-specific solution architectures.> Anomaly Framework, including a convenient monitoring and editing application> Meta Data Management Framework with convenient maintenance and automation
capabilities
> Solution for setting up 'digital twins' for production and/or business processes> Cross-system master data optimisation with connection/integration capability for
AI services> Digital assistants, specifically for the use of SAP ERP systems in the customer en-
vironment (on premise) or in the cloud for e.g. order optimisation, semantic materi-
al searches, etc. > SAP HANA Monitoring Solution for the optimisation of SAP HANA systems
page 8 / 10
avato Smart Data
© 2019 avato consulting ag
Data Science-as-a-Service:
Many – and in particular mid-sized – companies don't yet have
their own data experts in-house who can successfully implement
data engineering tasks, processes for advanced data analysis
and specifically methods for machine learning (ML, data scien-
ce). In recent years, avato has put together a team of data en-
gineers and data scientists who can work with you on the analy-
sis of your data and who will select and apply suitable data analysis and data science
methods for your application scenarios. We offer the following data science consulting
services:
> On project basis> For PoCs/prototypes, in order to quickly verify the suitability of state-of-the-art,
data-driven approaches and methods and produce fast results > In the context of complete Smart Data projects in collaboration with IT architects,
system integration experts, etc.> For isolated data science tasks
> The training of in-house customer specialists – we recommend tailor-made training
courses based on your own use case scenarios and your own data > For the coaching for your in-house data specialists for special tasks, the further de-
velopment of your company-internal know-how and/or for the further development
of implemented algorithms and processes
System Integration:
The use of modern AI and ML processes will only show sus-
tainable, positive long-term results if these methods are in-
tegrated in your production and business processes and are
made readily available to your employees. That applies to
the automated supply of relevant data for your new AI/ML
solutions, as well as for the provision of the results from
these new solutions in existing applications. Some new ap-
plications may have to be developed as well to make the results of e.g. forecast models
easily accessible for users. An excellent forecast model contained in a complex data
science tool, for example, will hardly be considered to be an acceptable solution for
every-day use by standard business users.
page 9 / 10
avato Smart Data
© 2019 avato consulting ag
avato supports your project with experienced IT experts who are well-versed
with the special requirements of Smart Data projects, Smart Data architectu-
res and many of the IT systems typically deployed by our customers.
As these are traditionally system integration tasks, these jobs are often initially igno-
red in 'data projects'. Experience, however, has shown that the actual benefit of this
type of Smart Data projects can only be achieved with diligent and high-quality imple-
mentations of these integration requirements. It is therefore essential to plan for rele-
vant activities in terms of time and budget requirements right from the start. The later
integration into the existing IT environment must also be taken into consideration
when selecting the tools and designing the overall solution architecture.
With its modular and service-oriented architecture, the avato Smart Data Framework is
uniquely suited to match these requirements. Various technical methods allow an ite-
rative approach, which is particularly important for Smart Data projects, optimally sup-
porting fast implementation and optimisation cycles as well as a high degree of auto-
mation. Modern microservice architectures, combined with high-performance CI/CD
methods, form the basis for the efficient development, deployment and ongoing opti-
misation of the IT and ML components of Smart data solutions.
avato Smart Data Advantages
> Our consultants have senior level experience and know-how in all relevant
disciplines: business, data science, data and IT architectures, software de-
velopment, project and change management. It is our mission to be your one-
stop shop for all relevant services, which we provide in manageable teams
and with minimal coordination effort. > We work together with you in partnership, based on our avato credo: for us,
it is your results that count! > We have no ties to specific technology or software providers. We will help
you find the right solution for your business. > That also means that we know the most important commercial and open
source solutions available on the market. In addition to popular solutions in
the area of data analysis and machine learning, we are very well-versed in the
integration of production systems and all SAP products. > We offer flexible, customer-oriented cooperative and service level agree-
ments and take pride in being judged by our successes. > We continuously invest in the further development of our consultants and
our Smart Data solution components. That is how we are uniquely positioned
to make usable solutions available to you quickly.
page 10 / 10
avato Smart Data
© 2019 avato consulting ag
Project examples
> Paper manufacturer – process and quality optimisation> Business case, use case definition, data science services, data model optimisation,
model deployment> Paper manufacturer – Industry 4.0 project> Industry 4.0 strategy including use case definition, architecture blueprint, roadmap,
business case> Implementation of the I4.0 architecture and selected use cases, including data scien-
ce services> Rollout and optimisation of the Industry 4.0 solution> Paper manufacturer – mid-sized purchasing> Digital SAP assistants for order optimisation and reduction of free text order rates> Multinational corporation > Optimisation of the SAP ERP master data quality in preparation for international
SAP data consolidation and migration > Chemical company > Quality optimisation of the production process: data integration, tool selection,
data modelling, data science services> Automotive manufacturer – Big Data architecture blueprint > Security for Big Data infrastructure> Bank – Big Data architecture blueprint > Architecture concept, integration of Big Data systems in the business organisation
and operational processes > Software manufacturer> Big Data architectures and integration of an in-memory database system using R
ContactWolfgang Ries
Managing Director
+49 151 54466 496
