Quantrix Modeler Archives

Cloud procurement best practices

What are the main issues surrounding procurement of cloud services? Why are they important?

I think the main issue and concerns surrounding cloud services are five-fold;

1^st) Challenges of culture – what is acceptable for one part of the organisation will not/is not acceptable for another. This means that global, cross department procurement is very tricky.

For many global organisations, this will not be a new phenomenon, what might be fine on one side of the Atlantic will not be good for the other. This works both ways but gets exaggerated when cloud comes into play. An example could be that European companies have concerns, rightly or wrongly, that data in the cloud even when located in a data centre in their country such as Germany can be accessed by the U.S. government on request, if it is stored and managed by a U.S. company. Now this issue doesn’t appear for on premise solutions because the data is tucked up nicely behind the firewall and is secured away from prying eyes. There is no simple solution to these concerns, and as such you need to consider whether a solution you choose offers the right levels of flexibility and deployment options to support your business. Can I have everyone using the same tech but deploy on premise for one group and in the cloud for another?

2^nd) Security – most organisations fear that because this is outside of the confines of their corporate infrastructure that it is less secure. This is increasingly being accepted as false.

Security concerns don’t go away and are always present but I believe that most companies will acknowledge that cloud providers, who stake their reputations on securely managing and protecting data, are probably better placed and have access to better tools than most companies’ internal IT staff. Again, having the options for deployment and management of the solution is probably a good thing. If something goes wrong, having the flexibility to step in and take control can’t be a bad thing. In all cases, do your homework and ensure you understand the level of risk that is acceptable.

3^rd) Support for regulatory and business requirements – if it is in the cloud I have lost control of accepting features and functions and when to apply upgrades. You need to ensure that the system meets your regulatory needs and that your vendor will listen to you.

Many industries have different stipulations on how systems have to be deployed and configured and many have very specific needs. It’s important to do your homework and ensure that which-ever system you use can comply with the specific requirements. No one wants to have to retrospectively look at this when the auditors come knocking! This can be important in certain industries that require the whole system to be validated before it can be used. Giving the cloud provider control of this, means you could forever be in validation mode which is not sustainable.

4^th) Data retention, availability and return – this is an area that often gets over-looked. You have to be sure you can get out and that you can get your intellectual property and data out of the system.

Let’s say something goes wrong, or your software provider decides on a change of business model or plan, have you asked how you’ll get your data back and if you even can? Companies need to be careful to avoid lock-in or, worse, that the data gets removed or deleted on termination of an agreement. In some cases, the systems can store years of data and losing that critical information could be devastating to their business. Make sure you are working with a vendor that understands your requirements and is capable to deliver beyond the end of your agreement.

5^th) Connectivity – if your team are on the move, on planes or don’t have a connection then make sure they can still be productive.

This seems obvious but you’d be amazed how many companies haven’t thought about connectivity in the context of business data loads and network traffic. Often the assumption is that the old network will support critical data intensive workloads and as such we can move forwards and procure new cloud technologies. Connectivity and networks need to be looked at based on the number of users and workloads that the cloud system will need to support. Because of the reasons above, at Quantrix we offer customers maximum flexibility in procuring our cloud technologies but we also have a hybrid approach that allows users to have the off-line option.

What surveys/stats/figures emphasise the need for having a good cloud procurement strategy if you are a CIO?

82% of companies reportedly saved money by moving to the cloud.
The average fortune 500 company is using up to 545 different cloud services.

How do CIOs and CSPs forge a common consensus on a common language for procuring cloud services that simplifies the matter?

The consensus between the two heads has got to be around risk. In most cases, these two departments will be coming at this from very different directions: the IT team wants to reduce cost and ensure efficiency whereas the security team is about securing infrastructure, data and IP. To be successful, they need to agree on the acceptable risk profile so that both teams can work together. Risk comes in many forms from data residency, to tools and technology used for threat detection and AV to who has access to the information. There are so many different parameters that often it is almost impossible to agree. Hence it’s important to align on the language of risk and how to manage it.

What are the best practices for cloud service procurement for both CIOs and also CSPs?

Find the right vendor, make sure they are someone you can work with and that can answer the questions you have linked to the above. Bigger doesn’t always mean better, sometimes the big guys will force you down their path rather than offering the best approach for you.

What issues around cloud procurement should organisations and CIOs be aware of in the next 12-18 months? Why?

I think I have covered these in the initial question, we see these issues routinely and a one-size-fits-all approach lacks the flexibility and pragmatism for most businesses. Quantrix has worked across many organisations and business verticals and have accrued significant experience in helping customers manage their transition to the cloud. Our technology and approach offers the flexibility most companies need.

By Laurence Painell, VP Quantrix.

How to Stay Certain in Uncertain Times

In recent months, we’ve seen a number of events which have provided businesses with more uncertainty than they would like.

Brexit is a good example. The pound hit a 31-year low against the dollar and some businesses even began to look away from London for a new base. Oh, and the UK’s trading arrangements with Europe, and the rest of the world, were also thrown into doubt, with the UK government now gearing up for potentially lengthy and complex negotiations. On top of that, throw in a host of unpredictable elections into the mix, in both the US and across continental Europe – and yes, even more elections in the UK too – for good measure…

It’s pretty easy to see why some organizations are feeling, well, less than certain when making decisions at the moment.

Despite this, businesses need to be able, and prepared, to adapt to the mutable economic and political climate. With so many uncertainties, now is a time when organizations should be able look to their financials, data and reports with complete confidence.

But, have you ever thought what were to happen if the models carrying your business-critical information were wrong? It’s more common than you’d think, with an estimated of 95% of spreadsheets containing some sort of error. Naturally most businesses like to think they’re an exception to the rule, but a simple Google search of “spreadsheet errors” tells another story.

The ability for businesses to be flexible and react to unexpected situations is crucial, and this includes the need to be able to rely on accurate, flexible and scalable financial models. The process of being able to model ever-changing scenarios – like Brexit and other political events – shows the need to produce flexible financial models. Despite this, many businesses are still reliant on 35-year-old technologies providing little flexibility.

The FAST standard for modeling is well known, and with the ‘F’ standing for flexibility, it’s clear many businesses are falling short of the standard. The ability to be flexible in your model build, whilst still being able to quickly and accurately add new scenarios, dimensions or outcomes means you can react to new market uncertainties, giving you reassurance in your forecasting and budgeting process – even in such uncertain times. All your financial professionals need? The right tool for the job.

Eliminate the uncertainty of having errors in your spreadsheets, eliminate the worry that you won’t be able to accurately forecast that new scenario and eliminate the risk of not being able to react fast enough.

If you want your modeling processes to be flexible, scalable and accurate, download a free 30-day free trial and explore the benefits of Quantrix Modeler or get in touch.

By Holly Perry

People of Quantrix: Brian Cabana, Engineering Manager

Brian is the Engineering Manager and Lead Engineer for the Quantrix team and has been with the company for over ten years. He has actively participated in the design, production and testing phases of each of the releases of Quantrix since version 1.0. He currently manages the engineering team and is the lead engineer on the various projects for Quantrix Modeler and the Qloud.

Brian Cabana, Engineering Manager, Quantrix

What is involved in your role as lead developer for the Quantrix Modeler desktop product, and how has it changed over the years?

As Engineering Manager, I help manage the prioritization of issues and run the projects from an engineering standpoint, as well as other typical managerial duties. I also do a lot of coding of features, which I enjoy. I’ve been with Quantrix since 2003 and from an engineering perspective, a lot has changed. Java, the base language we code in, has improved. User interface design principles have changed, particularly in terms of migration to mobile devices. In that period, we’ve moved from being a desktop only application to the web, launching the Qloud, and continuing to move to mobile device. And we have had a lot of fun.

What is most important focus from an engineering standpoint?

Two things: usability and stability.

Talk about usability.

In the 1990s, usability meant, “Can you do it?” Today, it’s “How easy is it to do it?” That is a big shift. We want to make new users more comfortable using Quantrix. Power users love it, but we are working on making it more usable for more people. That means making things easy to find and easy to do.

Some recent examples of our work on usability include the recently improved launch panel and the major changes to the Dependency Inspector. Before, it was hard to understand what was happening in the cell. Now there are a lot of clues as to how it calculates, including the ability to hover over the formula in the dependency inspector to see the calculations. Another change is that when a user starts to edit a formula, it gets a green background. You know exactly what you’re editing. We plan to do more usability improvements like this as well as revamping some other tools.

How important is user feedback?

We have a great user base, and they provide great feedback. We also track when people call support. If they have a hard time doing things, we try to fix that in development. We try to be as responsive as possible. At one of our Seminar by the Sea events, a power user told us that it would be great to be able to select a range of cells and filter on them immediately. One of our programmers went home that night and coded up a proof of concept. We included that feature in our next release.

Have you always been a software engineer?

I served in the Navy on submarines. Then I became a high school math and science teacher. I went for a masters in computer science, and learned about Quantrix. I pestered the company founder until he gave me a job.

What do you do when you’re not coding for Quantrix?

I have a lovely wife and two young children. We love to go cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. I also love to read – I’m currently reading a fascinating history of Maine called The Lobster Coast.

Rich Lopez, aka the “QuantrixAuthority”, Creates YouTube Channel for Quantrix Users

We are always amazed and gratified by our customers’ passion for Quantrix Modeler, but Rich Lopez has taken it to the next level. By day, he works in the finance department of Litehouse Foods, but by night he is YouTube star The Quantrix Authority. His series of three- to five-minute-long how-to videos helps others get the most out of using Quantrix’s multidimensional modeling software, from learning how to snap two matrices horizontally to a canvas, to the benefits of using Timeline for recursion in a model.

How did you get started with Quantrix?

I was introduced to Quantrix when I worked at clothing retailer Coldwater Creek. I used it to build an allocation tool to manage inventory at our 350+ stores. When I moved to Microsoft’s interactive entertainment division, a co-worker and I built a distribution model to ensure that we were getting the Xboxes and games shipped properly. It was during some of the really big

Microsoft launches, like Halo 4 and Windows 8, so we build scenarios for everything we had to manage during the holiday season. We were able to model it down to the daily levels. Quantrix saved my bacon at that job – I could not have done what we needed without it. Now I use Quantrix for financial modeling and capacity modeling for Litehouse.

What inspired you to start making video tutorials about Quantrix Modeler?

I leaned a lot about using Excel from a guy on YouTube called MrExcel. Bill Jelen has more than a thousand videos, and I used to watch him every day. I am a pretty advanced Excel user, but I love Quantrix more. After seeing what MrExcel has done, and seeing how his expertise helped me, I thought I could do something similar to help others with this fantastic software.

How do you choose the topics?

My first video was about the first feature I learned in Quantrix – “Using As.” My mentor taught me that when I started at Coldwater Creek, and it’s basic functionality in Quantrix. Some people at my company are struggling to use certain features of our Quantrix Models, so I’m starting to create videos on topics that will help them.

Who are you targeting?

I am pretty much reaching out to beginners and intermediate users. I am very open to questions – after my second video, I got an email from a Quantrix user in the Ukraine. Just this week someone asked me about using DataLink with .csv files, so I made that video. Whenever someone asks me a question, I try to answer it.

How many videos do you plan to make?

MrExcel has more than 1,000 videos and a forum that everyone knows. I have eight videos online now, and if I get to 100, I know I will have really accomplished something.

I’m following you on Twitter. How famous are you?

Ha ha! On a scale of one to ten, I am probably a “one” in real life. But in the Quantrix world, I hope to one day be about an eight! I am having fun with the videos, and with my Twitter account (@QuantrixAuthor). I have legitimate Quantrix users following me, and I feel like I am rubbing shoulders with some real legends. Some of these people are such power users, and they are telling me to keep making videos. Their feedback is so positive, and it’s great.

Final question – what was your “aha” moment using Quantrix?

It happened at Microsoft. I remember being called into a room by eight managers and having them tell me they needed some specific information, and they wanted it in three days. It could not be done in Excel, so we just pounded out a model in Quantrix. I stayed up until two in the morning a couple of nights, but I developed a model where if the managers wanted to add another distribution center, product line, or launch scenario they just could select a category and hit “enter”. That was it. And I realized then and there that Quantrix Modeler was the coolest tool that has ever been made. Quantrix Forever!

People of Quantrix: Tom Ahern Joins Quantrix

We’re excited to introduce you to Tom Ahern, our new Account Manager. Tom is a 20+ year veteran of the software industry, primarily in the business intelligence and performance management. He sees a huge need for performance management solutions in today’s fast-paced market.

“This is such an opportune time in the analytics and performance management market because organizations of all sizes have found the gaps in Excel and are looking for better, more secure alternatives. Quantrix neatly solves those problems and gives the business user unparalleled capabilities for analyzing, exploring, and understanding their business,” says Tom. “I am looking forward to working closely with the team to build Quantrix into a major player in the PM market!”

Tom is impressed with Quantrix’s “passionate and devoted customer base”, which he credits to the fact that Quantrix makes it easy for people to take ownership of their business and make faster, better, and smarter business decisions.

When he’s not at work, Tom loves to travel, camp, hike, and play sports. He and his wife are based in Massachusetts, yet travel frequently to New York to visit their two grown children.

Welcome aboard, Tom. If you’d like to say “hi”, just reach out at tahern@quantrix.com

People of Quantrix: Shane Davison, Senior Software Developer

Behind the scenes, a team of software developers works to add new features and functionality to the desktop and cloud versions of Quantrix Modeler. Learn about their priorities, and the technologies they use, in this interview with Senior Developer Shane Davison.

Tell us about your work at Quantrix.

Shane Davison Senior Software Developer Quantrix — Shane Davison

I’ve been at Quantrix for four years, and I’m a Senior Developer. That means I code software development for the Quantrix Modeler desktop application and the cloud-based version. We write a lot in Java code which provides a stable, mature platform for us to develop software. We constantly research and evaluate new technologies, but we’re very aware of the fact that people need to make sure their models will continue to work over time.

What does the team focus on?

We are always trying to make the user interface simpler. For example, we have made it much easier to share models on the web. We are always working on making the software faster, and more responsive. And we always love feedback on customers about what they want – people can contact us anytime with suggestions and ideas.

Tell us about the migration of Quantrix to the cloud.

We’ve had a web-based version for a while, but now it is much more full featured and developed. For our customers who don’t want to create or share models in the public cloud, we now offer an Enterprise Qloud version where companies can use Quantrix in their private cloud. One of the features is a load balancer that I developed to improve performance and scalability when companies have multiple users on the Enterprise Qloud.

How does the load balancer work?

If you have, say, 100 users accessing models, you want to adjust the server load to accommodate usage spikes at different times of year. Our Enterprise Qloud users can edit a configuration file to assign which machines they want to use for model servers. They can do it round robin, by which one has the most memory available, or any number of options. The load balancer will choose the server based on your criteria, and expand the model server resources available. Users set up their parameters initially, and the work happens behind the scenes.

Sweet! It sounds like you have a lot of experience.

When I was six, my parents got me a Commodore PET computer. The PET is in the Computer History Museum now! I’ve always been a computer person.

And what do you do in your spare time when you’re not writing code for Quantrix?

I like to go out and eat and sample new beverages. I love the variety and quality of restaurants in Portland, Maine, our headquarters. I also like to ski and take road trips. Maine is a great state.

Quantrix Offers Collaborative Environment for Essla International

Essla International is a Quantrix partner, and recently started using the business modeling solution to help its clients with budgeting and financial forecasting. At the 2014 Seminar by the Sea, Ernesto Seijas took some time to share his experiences using Quantrix.

The company had several criteria in mind when it was looking for a new software solution, including connectivity to databases, the ability to manage a lot of data, and multidimensional views and found Quantrix to be the best solution.

In addition to meeting everything on the company’s wish list, Quantrix offered a more collaborative environment. “We can have 20, 30, 50 users inputting data – that’s a major difference,” says Seijas. Other benefits include the speed of calculation and reporting.

Seijas also likes Quantrix’s graphical canvas, as it enables him to display what-if scenarios in a dynamic presentation. This capability enhances the impact of Essla’s work, particularly when sharing with management or company boards.

“Quantrix has the best of many of the software [packages] in the market,” says Seijas. “You have the multidimensional approach. You have the data gathering and databases. And you have the reporting and the [fast] calculations.”

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Getting Started with Quantrix – Tips from Quantrix Training Expert Valerie Grenier

New Quantrix users often schedule a training session to get up to speed quickly. While Quantrix offers training and consulting with in-house staff, we also have a network of Quantrix partners that can effectively deliver training and consulting services. One of the most experienced partners is Valerie Grenier. Formerly of Quantrix, and now Senior Consultant at Tesser Consulting Group, Valerie offers insights into how new users can get the most out of their Quantrix modeling solution.

Q: What are the most common things that Quantrix users need help with when first getting started?

Valerie Grenier: The first piece is obviously getting a grasp of the multidimensional way we think in Quantrix. We are really concerned with structure of the model – items, categories, or groups – and how we use that structure to perform actions collectively on an item, category, or group. Understanding the relationships between dimensions in the model is essential to creating powerful and efficient models, and to make them work in the best way possible.

Q: What mistakes do people make?

VG: Spreadsheet users are used to thinking in terms of individual cells, so they are constantly trying to do things by clicking in a cell rather than taking the structure into consideration. In Quantrix, everything is a cube, and you want to work on a range of cells – not just one cell.

Once users are comfortable with that, they find adding formulas and formatting to be much easier. Users can write one formula in Quantrix that will calculate a large range of cells, and don’t need to edit it as the model is expanded over time. An understanding of the structure of a model can directly affect how simple or complicated the formulas need to be.

Another mistake that people make is that they create their model based on how they want it to look – that’s because it’s so hard to change things in spreadsheets. But in Quantrix, the first priority should be to structure the formulas so that they are calculating efficiently. For example, people like to create financial reports where a quarterly total is included after every three months. But creating your model that way disrupts the cube – you want to calculate the months one way, the quarter another way, and the annual total a third way. There are a lot of tools to get a model in Quantrix to look the way you want, so people need to focus on efficient calculations.

Q: How can new users get up to speed quickly?

VG: One thing I always tell people is to create a model for something in your everyday life that interests you, such as sports statistics, or tracking a wedding budget. That way, they will get their feet into Quantrix every day. If a model interests them, they are more likely to spend time tweaking it, and they will improve their skills by working on it regularly.

Q: How about formal training?

VG: Formal training can definitely get users there quicker – whether it’s attending a session in-person or online, structured training helps people get further and faster than trying to self teach. I have conducted training for a lot of companies where the first user was self-taught, and he or she schedules formal training for their team before the model is deployed. It never fails — early on in those sessions, the self-taught user says, “I didn’t know that”. An initial investment in training will pay off quickly by helping you get your model built better and quicker.

Q: What features are most important for new users to learn?

VG: New users should master DataLink, Presentation Canvas, and Perspectives. Data Integration and Presentation can take a model from good to fantastic.

Data Link provides a quick, user-friendly way to get data into a model, either from an external data source or another model, without having to manually enter it. If it’s implemented correctly, it’s an easy way to update models and manage data revisions.

The Presentation Canvas allows the modeler to share the output of the model by assembling elements such as data tables, charts, images, and logos. You can use it to make a professional looking report or an interactive dashboard. And Quantrix is developing great technologies to deploy these dashboards to the web via the Quantrix Qloud.

Perspectives is often an overlooked gem in Quantrix. It’s a way to preserve the layout on the screen, and create a systematic workflow. Each matrix and chart in Quantrix is on its own tab, and Perspectives lets you save the arrangement. Let’s say you need a person to work with data in a specific order – you can create a Perspective that they can tab right through. It really enhances the end-user experience of any model.

Q: You’ve traveled all over the world training Quantrix users. Where’s your favorite place?

VG: I like going to new places! Warm weather is preferred.

Tesser Consulting Group offers two- and three-day on-site training packages as well as a rotating catalog of one- and two-hour online training sessions. Many sessions are also available “On Demand”.

Is that Season Pass Worth It? Quantrix for Personal Finance

One thing I love to do with my family is to go Alpine skiing. With Quantrix’s HQ in Maine, we can take advantage of some great ski areas. Each year we make a point to ski Sugarloaf, Mt. Abram, Black Mountain of Maine and Shawnee Peak. I even maintain a personal ski blog about our family skiing adventures. Our favorite mountain and where we have a season pass every year is Saddleback located in Rangeley, Maine.

Quantrix's Mike Salisbury finds some fresh stuff on a bluebird day. — Quantrix’s Mike Salisbury finds some fresh stuff on a bluebird day.

Each year about this time, ski areas offer “Early-Bird” pricing on next year’s season pass. The analysis for buying a season’s pass is very multi-dimensional. There is season pass price, purchase time deadlines, age level of passes, day ticket prices and the question of “How many ski-days does it take to pay off a season pass?” And of course I use Quantrix Modeler and the Quantrix Qloud to do this analysis.

With the first purchase deadline approaching, I put a model together quickly with one formula driving the entire calculation. The model is expandable so when new season pass deadline comes, I can easily expand the dimension, add the new pricing figures and the model will just… work. No formula editing or copying and pasting things around. There is also a nice canvas I built to show the model results that has links to the Saddleback website. I use a picture of my son skiing as the canvas image background.

While we market Quantrix as a tool for business, it certainly has many personal finance applications as well.

– Mike

Mike Salisbury is the Sr. Product Manager for Quantrix. In his free time in the winter you can find him somewhere on a ski slope.

The Value of Multidimensional Modeling with Quantrix – An Interview with Software Executive George Pappas

Many people purchase Quantrix because they are looking for a tool that can delve more deeply into their data than typical spreadsheet solutions. One of the important capabilities that Quantrix delivers is its ability to model complex information relationships in multiple dimensions. At Quantrix’s 2014 Seminar by the Sea, VC-affiliated Software Executive, George Pappas shared how he uses Quantrix to provide in-depth analytical insight to help high-growth companies succeed. Following is a discussion with him about his use of Quantrix.

Why do you use Quantrix?

I work with venture-capital-backed companies to help them get to the next stage of their evolution. As a member of The Edison Venture Partners Director’s Network, I have observed similar patterns of complexity challenges across their portfolio companies. The need to analyze activities and behaviors that drive financial results requires more modeling power than the spreadsheet metaphor. Quantrix is a superior tool for modeling that lets me do things that are too rudimentary in Excel.

You work with software companies that either use or want to migrate to a software-as-a-service model. What challenges does that bring?

Rather than getting licensing revenues up front, companies get a monthly subscription fee. It’s a very challenging business model if you have a complex product. The cost of building and implementing a SaaS customer is complex, so you have the same cost as for a customer purchasing a license, but much less up-front revenue and cash, so you have to be careful.

What are some of the other common concerns of start-up companies?

When you try to grow fast, the risk goes up. And the team has to grow from doing things themselves to managing things, and that brings a lot of complexity. There are so many challenges, really, and people tend to make emotional rather than objective decisions. They also tend to make their models match their expectations. But really, the levers that drive results are too complicated in most cases to model in a program like Excel. People end up simplifying their assumptions and inputs to their model to drive what they expect will be the financial results, such as, it will take us one month to get five new customers. This happens not just because the finance person might not understand the detailed sales process and key drivers, but also because they are not comfortable in using Excel to model the assumptions that drive the results.

So, tools can be a barrier to insight?

The problem is not modeling financials; it’s modeling the activities that drive the financial result in a way that is rich enough to test your assumptions. I spend a lot of time working with the CFOs at companies, and asking them about their financial and operating models. How much expense does it really take to implement a customer? How long does it take? What resources do we need, and how much do they cost? You need a modeling tool that can describe in a rich way the activities that you need to drive the outcomes that you want and validate the model by seeing the results in multiple perspectives simultaneously; that is where Quantrix’s multi-dimensionality is so valuable. Excel offers a flat, two-dimensional perspective with simplified assumptions. But you can get something much richer and more adaptable with Quantrix.

Give us an example.

Ok, one of my companies developed assumptions for new customer growth including the sales cycle, close rate, deployment time, and economics.

The next step was to dig into that, and find out what it meant. Take a look at the next figure – this is a flattened Excel view of the sales booking of these new customers, and the assumptions seem reasonable.

But then you look at the next figure. This is a multidimensional Quantrix model that shows the reality: if you sell this way, and your deployment time is as predicted, then you have to be prepared to handle rolling out 70 locations in one month at peak load and staffing.

That’s the difference between two-dimensional Excel models and multidimensional Quantrix models – you get information you need to do something meaningful, or make a different choice. These are things that most people understand intuitively, but seeing the cascading effects of modeling assumptions is invaluable.

What often happens with planning is that your assumptions seem right, but when you add them up together, you see that something is not working. By modeling more richly, you can see what will really happen after calculating in all of the dependencies. With Quantrix, you can see the problems clearly before they happen. That’s a big-time selling point over Excel.

How did your client react to that information?

We changed the professional services staffing, and we adjusted compensation sales goals. We did some rethinking on our sales strategy and plans. By using Quantrix, we were able to see the impact of certain assumptions, and get a real picture of our risk. It’s all about risk and execution, and being able to model more richly in Quantrix, we were able to adjust.

Where should new Quantrix users start when they begin to model?

Given the things that Quantrix does well – multidimensional analysis, and ripping things apart and calculating on baseline data – people should try to really understand what’s going on with their customers, activities and the revenue they generate. That’s something most companies have a poor understanding of. Every business cares about revenue, so this is a good place to start with Quantrix.

Connect with George at george@pappasonline.net.