With the advance of big data and the corollary increasing demand for business intelligence (BI), the market is experiencing an ongoing challenge in finding and retaining skilled BI professionals, according to Simon Boardman, vice president of marketing, Eagle Creek Software Services. This problem is being further exacerbated by stricter visa rules for skilled foreign workers, notes Boardman, who spoke with 5 Minute Briefing during the COLLABORATE 12 conference in Las Vegas.
Eagle Creek is a consulting and technical services company delivering Oracle CRM, business intelligence and enterprise software development that leverages North American-based computer science, MIS, CIS or other computer-related graduates and other qualified candidates through its unique "Career Development Program." Boardman outlined Eagle Creek's key differentiation: delivering on-site consulting and technical resources linked to off-site, but on-shore development in CRM and BI.
Eagle Creek's solution addresses the industry challenge of finding and retaining skilled professionals and is centered in the idea of domestic "rural sourcing." In concert with the state governments of North and South Dakota, the program works with regional colleges, professors, career centers, job boards, and media outlets to identify and then train the company's consultants in these states. Each recruit is required to complete a rigorous training course including a substantial "shadowing" phase in their area of specialty within the areas of Oracle CRM, BI, or enterprise software development lasting 9-12 months. This training program drives consistency in delivery, enables Eagle Creek to offer scalability in the projects it takes on, and solves the long-term talent issue for its customers.
The result of this investment in North American training in consulting, skills, and hands-on training is that Eagle Creek can offer "high touch" on CRM and BI projects for very large organizations through its asset base of more than 200 U.S.-based on-shore BI consultants. Eagle Creek has been extensively resourced by large organizations with complex challenges for a range of assignments from upgrades to "elaborate" consulting engagements including web-based commerce, and provides CRM-on-demand where required as well. While the company's breadth means it offers solutions in a wide range of industries, Boardman noted that where BI is heavily customer-focused, such as in healthcare, the company is building its list of engagements.
A 2011 market study produced by DBTA's Unisphere Research division on the "IT Skills Gap" identified this disconnect in IT skills and suggested an approach by the industry for closing the divide. (See "IT Skills Gap: Undergraduate Skills Falling Short and ‘What to Do About It' ") The rural sourcing model developed by Eagle Creek addresses this challenge directly, while offering customers the kind of business value and time-to-market required to leverage big data and to emerge as a data-driven enterprise.
For more information on Eagle Creek Software Services, go to www.eaglecrk.com.