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 Challenges
Why Choose the Microsoft Office System?
Microsoft Office System Products
ChallengesSound data analysis is one of the most critical aspects of running a successful restaurant. Understanding what items are selling, why they are selling, and the resources required to do the selling is fundamental to building a successful business. Providing access to this information is critical, but is often a challenge for restaurant organizations’ IT departments. Frequently, there are many different systems spread across multiple geographies. Consolidating this data into a usable format for restaurant employees and managers is time-consuming and expensive. IT organizations focused on building data analysis solutions face a number of technical challenges that include: | • | Difficulty accessing data from multiple systems. Many systems might not have interfaces that make it easy to access the information. | | • | User interface design that is complex and expensive. With reporting and data analysis, creating a custom user interface might be cost prohibitive. | | • | Challenges distributing information in a timely way, and facing limited infrastructure for gathering feedback. Most data analysis solutions provide a way to distribute the data and then enable collaboration around and information sharing about the data. IT organizations that must build this custom infrastructure may delay the entire reporting and business intelligence project. |
Why Choose the Microsoft Office System?To address the data analysis challenges of restaurants, it is crucial to choose a platform that is familiar to end users, has deep development tools support, and a broad partner network. The Microsoft Office System is an ideal platform choice for a restaurant business intelligence solution because it provides the following benefits: | • | Interoperates with other systems using XML and Web services. This ensures that the existing systems can integrate with the other existing restaurant data sources and systems. | | • | Uses existing software applications that are in place and well understood by end users. Most end users are familiar with Microsoft Office and other Microsoft Office System products and technologies such as Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies. This existing familiarity will help keep training costs low. | | • | Deploys quickly with minimal IT impact. Deploying SharePoint Products and Technologies Web Parts is simple, straightforward, and can be done quickly. | | • | Lowers total cost of ownership as a result of using existing investments in Microsoft software products. | | • | Offers a rich network of partners well-versed with Microsoft Office technologies. |
Microsoft Office System ProductsThe Microsoft Office System is an integrated set of products, technologies, services, and solutions that enable customers to increase their organizational, team, and personal productivity. For a Restaurant Business Intelligence solution, these are the common technologies that could be used: Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003 Microsoft Office Excel 2003 Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies
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