Top 6 Features IT Leaders Seek in DI Solutions

A recent survey by Adeptia and TechValidate polled more than 150 US companies to find out what kinds of things they are looking for in a data integration solution. The study found that IT leaders had 6 major topics of concern when searching for software tools to assist their organizations. Below are the top 6 “must-have” DI solution components, with the percentage of respondents who chose each as their top option, followed by an analysis of each.

Speed (71 percent)

Speed is an obvious wish list item for any tech product, but surprisingly, its not the top option here. Companies want the ability to integrate their data quickly so they can get started on other ventures, like analyzing their newly combined data to create business insights and ROI. Faster integration also makes for quicker turnaround on product research and development, as well as fielding customer requests.

Reduced Costs (68 percent)

The faster data can be connected, the more money an organization can save. It’s also cost beneficial for users to be able to link different data streams together themselves. In that, it is much more cost effective than devoting valuable IT resources, time and human labor to do the same tasks that a great DI solution can provide.

Unified Design (57 percent)

Ease of use is the key here. One of the most important elements to entice end-business users to integrate their own data is to ensure that the solution they choose is user friendly. DI solutions need to be sophisticated enough behind the curtain, but the design of the software must not alienate the non-technical user. The look and feel, navigation tools and overall design of the software is imperative.

Self-Service Capability (78 percent)

Modern IT professionals want automated software to take care of their data integration, as this was the second highest item on the wish list. Self-service features free up IT professionals to focus on higher ranking initiatives for their organizations.

Reduced Long-Term Support (57 percent)

This goes right along with the self-service capabilities. IT leaders want their DI solutions to police themselves, or act as their own agents. Reducing long-term support helps businesses save money on service contracts.

Ease in Business (93 percent)

Ease of use is important to even the most technical of IT professionals. This was the most important feature to prospective DI software solutions buyers. A solutions provider that is easy to work with and will save the company money is the bottom line, while an easy to use, feature-rich UI is an added benefit.

Takeaways:

There are no surprises here, as those companies and organizations who either have or are looking for data integration solutions want the same things:

• Speed and the ability to integrate on the fly
• Automation of DI which allows for IT departments to focus on other high-impact projects
• A visually pleasing UI that is accessible to non-technical users
• Components which will allow companies to save money

As more companies begin to search for data integration solutions, providers will compete for their business. This means that as big data continues to blossom into a more mainstream topic, consumers will benefit.

Click here for Adeptia’s summarized study.

Click here to download our 2015 Data Integration Buyers Guide.