Infographics | Techniques in Advanced Analytics: Ten to Tango!

Challenge

1. The IT infrastructure of Alghanim where the Alteryx Sandbox Server platform was hosted was in an on-premise datacenter which was designed to be scalable and robust with multi node physical clusters including the server, storage and network components. However, most of the physical hardware was quite old and not equipped with the latest generation of physical servers.
2. Frequent hardware crashes and portal downtime kept troubling the availability of the Alteryx Sandbox Server application. Assigning a touch hand support person to power on the hardware that was down seemed quite impossible due the restrictions during covid period. Hence, Alghanim wanted to look for another viable solution.
3. Though the hardware setup at Alghanim was well equipped to meet the occasional spikes in the traffic, it was observed that over a course of 6-month time, most of the IT infra was underutilized than predicted. It was realized that spending huge amount of money on an old hardware plus software maintenance, license costs, internet bandwidth, datacenter cooling and maintenance, touch support personnel and electricity costs – were keeping the business operations challenging.
4. There was an attempt by Alghanim to select a cost-effective solution that can host Alteryx Sandbox Server application servers, web servers and archival data. This way IT infra can be re-provisioned to host sensitive data on-premise and the rest on the cloud, thereby reducing the overall physical hardware costs spent on a yearly basis.

Why AWS

1. Alghanim decided to migrate Alteryx Sandbox Server, database servers and archival data to AWS.
2. The Alteryx Sandbox Server’s AWS architecture includes Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2), that provides complete control of its computing resources, updates to tables in Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) and AWS Elastic Load Balancer was used to distribute the traffic to the underlying EC2 instances based on the load.

Benefits

1. Alghanim uses AWS services to provision infrastructure and deploy the Alteryx Sandbox Server platform to other departments within it. In addition, the Alteryx Sandbox Server resources that are no longer required to be run all the time are made to auto shutdown thus saving cost. Alghanim reported a 30% cost reduction after implementation of AWS for the Alteryx Sandbox Server platform.
2. The implementation of Alteryx Sandbox Server on AWS made Alghanim confident in the security of its data, and its accreditation team is enthusiastic about the monitoring and auditing capabilities provided by AWS tools. With the implementation of IAM roles, Alghanim IT team was able to isolate systems and tightly control user accesses. These capabilities were harder to achieve within the existing infra but were available out of the box with AWS
3. By adopting AWS to host the Alteryx Sandbox Server platform, Alghanim has been able to innovate and experiment to a degree previously impossible. For example, Alghanim compared the performance and cost-effectiveness of three different cloud solutions. Without moving to the AWS, the costs associated with running an outdated on-premise hardware would have creeped up and the alternative way of upgrading the existing on-prem infrastructure to the latest hardware models and then hosting the Alteryx Sandbox Server application on top of it would have taken months.

We are thrilled to recognize Beinex Consulting for being named Alteryx Middle East Partner of the Year!https://t.co/xwmp7HbsMp#TogetherWeSolve pic.twitter.com/4zic9mdlgD

— Alteryx (@alteryx) October 1, 2020

Enterprise AI adoption is accelerating faster than most governance frameworks can keep up. According to McKinsey’s State of AI 2025 report, 88% of organizations now use AI in at least one business function, yet only a small percentage have scaled it successfully across the enterprise. At the same time, 51% of organizations reported experiencing at least one negative AI-related consequence, including inaccuracies, compliance concerns, and explainability issues.

That gap matters. Enterprises are no longer experimenting with AI in isolated environments. AI systems are now influencing financial decisions, customer engagement, operations, and compliance workflows. In that environment, good intentions are not enough. Enterprises need measurable, repeatable, and enforceable AI governance standards.

• • Learn more about Tableau and its infinite visualization possibilities
• • Get some exposure and want to showcase your work to the world and get some valuable skill-enhancing feedback
• • Network with like-minded peers

Be assured, you are in the right place!

Learn, grow and network: that is what Tableau User Groups are all about. You may be a novice, a beginner, an intermediate or an expert in Tableau. TUG, as they are known in an abbreviated form, provide you with spaces to support connection, growth, and inspiration.

Be a part of an excellent ecosystem of ideas! Get the inspiration you need! Showcase your work, get useful feedback and flourish!

TUG UAE Launch

• Date: 14 December 2022; Wednesday
• Venue:The First Collection Business Bay Hotel, Dubai
• Time: 5.00 PM to 8.00 PM GST
• Speakers: Kush Goel and Sanchit Katiyar of Beinex Consulting
• Sponsor: Beinex

Be there, and you will be joined by Kush Goel and Sanchit Katiyar of Beinex Consulting to provide you with more insights to Tableau.

You can secure tons and tons of motivation from your peers across geographies and industries and further your analytics skills. You will have a community cheer you and guide you along the way! All in Dubai!

TUG! The pull of it is incredible.

The Tableau User Group Experience

You need not be an expert to join TUG! This idea comes from a Tableau User Group leader from Oklahoma City.

“A mistake I made early on was thinking I had to be the expert. At the end of the day, it’s about the community and how you can get the community involved and talking. Remember (as a leader) your job is…not to know everything about Tableau,” Amber Smart noted. The purpose of TUG is to share knowledge, engage in networking and give back to the community.

“Here, everything about Tableau is discussed, from basics to advanced. Thus, you get to learn best practices, tips, shortcuts, little tricks that help you save time, ramp up efficiency and a lot of other things,” said Abdelaziz Mahjoub, Lead Consultant, Analytics at Beinex Consulting. He was instrumental in setting up Cairo TUG.

“If there is one aspect that marks TUG, then it is the eagerness with which the participants imbibe knowledge. Everyone was curious to know what they could know more, and all of them were kind enough to share with others what they already knew,” Mahjoub noted.

So, be there and make the TUG, UAE launch a grand success.

Here is the link to the TUG UAE LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14118611/

These days we are into the 2-D screen of our mobile phones and watch videos and shows and engage in many more activities. But we are not carried away to that place or get immersed in it. Through the metaverse, that is possible. Here you can have an avatar which can act as a replica of your physical self. You can indulge in anything from hanging out with pals, participating in sports or workout sessions, learning new courses or activities, attending events, or shopping.

What are the possibilities Metaverse offers?

Using the limitless opportunities, you can virtually own digital clothing, buy land, construct buildings, start businesses, visit nightclubs and shopping centres, and even buy digital artworks. Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs) are used in the metaverse to digitally represent physical assets like art, music, in-game goods, and videos. They can be purchased and sold online. An evolving business strategy called "Direct-to-avatar" (D2A) makes it possible to sell and buy goods directly to avatars or other digital identities in virtual environments. Here, the possibilities are just boundless. Considering the future prospects, many brands like Adidas, Nike and Gucci, to name a few, have invested in the metaverse. As Gen Z and millennials are already spending a considerable amount of time in the virtual world, it is anticipated that by the end of 2022, the global VR sector will generate over $6.71 billion in revenue, and by 2024, it will be around $12.19 billion.

Metaverse generates value in customer experience by providing real-life interactions and can revolutionise user experience. Let’s see how it can be done:

1. Providing Unique Customised Experiences

Customisation plays a crucial part in today’s business world, as does in the metaverse. Businesses struggle to tailor the experience for each consumer, whether they prefer to purchase online or go to a physical store. Thankfully, the metaverse can guarantee that each customer's experience in an online store is distinctive. Customers can browse products geared toward their unique needs rather than browsing products that are of no interest to them. Additionally, the metaverse encourages connectedness, so consumers may share their experiences with other metaverse users and read reviews of goods and services before making a purchase.

Sports gear giant Adidas is one step ahead of the game by providing virtual gear for the virtual world and metaverse. Major apparel retailers like Macy's, Adidas, and Modcloth have already adopted virtual dressing rooms to enable customers to visualise a garment on their body without actually trying it on. The Swedish furniture retailer IKEA has already released an augmented reality catalogue app that lets you view how various pieces of furniture would look in your home. Nike owns Nikeland, a virtual world which is a free immersive sports space where you participate in sporting events from your computer or phone through your unique avatar.

2. Trials Using Virtual and Augmented Reality

Earlier trials were provided only for digital products, but with the help of the metaverse, we can experience every product virtually. For instance, we can choose a hotel to stay in after virtually experiencing the facilities provided by it. That’s cool, isn’t it? The metaverse uses augmented and virtual reality to give users a fully immersive experience. Customers who engage in immersive experiences may be able to do things that they otherwise might not have been able to do or uniquely do things. From buying lipstick after a virtual trial to buying a car after a virtual drive allows customers to explore and experience more realistically. Customers can currently utilise augmented reality through apps in a limited way, but the metaverse will allow them to experience the product from a close-up and personal perspective. For instance, Hyundai’s mobility adventure enables a vivid virtual experience.

BMW's augmented reality experiences enable automobile buyers to modify their desired vehicles in showrooms with the help of their tablets or smartphones. Alternatively, consumers can don virtual reality goggles to experience what it's like to drive cars, which will help them comprehend their options and select the best option available for their new car.

3. Accessible from Anywhere

The metaverse offers businesses plenty of advertising opportunities, but it also enables customers to interact with the people, places, and brands that interest them. Businesses can provide customers with experiences that let them explore their interests in greater detail without leaving the comfort of their homes and provide free samples of real-world events.

For people for whom it is not always feasible or economical to attend events in real life, the metaverse is the ideal replacement. Through 3D virtual worlds and avatars, users can enjoy affordable front-row access to various events with a level of immersion that must be experienced. Thanks to simple navigation, which places them in a metaverse tailored to their interests.

If you want to go shopping and there is no time for that, you can access it virtually from anywhere. To cite an example, for interior designing of your house, you can try different pieces or types of furniture from a virtual shop by arranging those in a digital representation of your house. Customers could quickly see whether the sofa would go with the colour scheme of their floor or wall or whether a wardrobe would fit in the available area. Ikea, the furniture brand, has already provided virtual experiences for customers. Buying land without the help of an agent is possible through Upland, a virtual real estate software that lets users browse and buy virtual property connected to actual towns and cities.

4. Strengthen Customer Experience

Companies now offer advice and assistance in addition to goods and services. Metaverse enables businesses to develop natural relationships with clients that weren't feasible with earlier forms of technology. Through virtual reality, customers experience ‘story-living’ rather than just ‘story-telling’. Shoppers can have a distinctive customer experience as they can purchase through experiencing it, have opinions about it, interact with other users and ask questions in the metaverse itself.

The businesses are testing out virtual and augmented retail on various platforms. Within the Roblox online multiplayer game, Gucci and Nike have unveiled fashion shows. In Fortnite, Balenciaga has begun offering high-end clothing. Additionally, the South Korean social avatar app Zepeto, Ralph Lauren, and Adidas have introduced interactive experiences. In the meantime, Charlotte Tilbury has established a virtual cosmetic store.

The journey doesn't end with how companies interact with customers in the metaverse. Businesses that use the metaverse's advantages ensure their clients have a customised experience that develops at the same rate as the metaverse. It's time for businesses to be prepared to adopt the impending metaverse and become early adopters before it is too late. Even though the metaverse is the next frontier of internet technology and consumer experience enhancement, massive adoption and accessibility are crucial. It's vital for business owners to begin learning about how these virtual worlds function, what opportunities and problems there are, and how to take advantage as soon as possible.