"Since we started working with Iasta, we've had positive feedback from the buyer team. We've even had positive feedback from suppliers. Glanbia is a relatively new user and we're already benefitting. We're saving time and money."
Iasta's spend analysis and visibility solution is designed to provide users with instant, comprehensive and detailed access to the entire organization's purchasing data. SmartAnalytics’ real-time user control delivers access to the right spend-information, at the right time, at the right price. SmartAnalytics was designed specifically for sourcing professionals and as such is a very robust, user friendly system which carries with it numerous functionality and service advantages:
Broader Categorization Choices - SmartAnalytics can categorize all data elements - including supplier data and transactional data elements. This means that companies can look deeper into their spend to uncover sourcing opportunities, monitor compliance, identify trends, and track diversity or "green" programs. Other systems limit what data elements can be loaded due to their limited database structure; SmartAnalytics can use and categorize any piece of data. SmartAnalytics has no such limit.
Better Data Classification Options - Companies choose SmartAnalytics because they can use custom sourcing categories as their classification structures in addition to (or instead of) a standardized classification structure (such as UNSPSC). Companies are not forced to select a taxonomy structure that may or may not make sense to the organization. They can use an entirely custom structure, adapt an industry standard structure, or roll-up from an industry standard structure to a custom structure based on categories.
Flexible Reporting Options - SmartAnalytics' users can access information about their spend through a library of standard reports. Additionally users can develop their own custom reports as they need them - ad hoc. These reports are not limited to high-level supplier information; users can generate reports from any of the data loaded into SmartAnalytics. They do not need to wait for Iasta to develop a new report for them.
Faster, More Detailed Data Analysis - SmartAnalytics is different from other applications in that it uses data-driven architecture. This architecture adds speed and flexibility to the entire spend analysis experience. SmartAnalytics' data-driven architecture utilizes metadata to automate how spend-data (that comes from multiple, diverse sources) is organized - essentially, data about data. Corporate data remains in its natural form and maintains the integrity of its structure and nomenclature - instead of forcing a company's spend-data into a hard-coded format.
Reporting & Visibility - Access to consolidated spend data helps sourcing professionals make better decisions about cost reduction opportunities, corporate compliance, purchasing trends and supplier relationships. SmartAnalytics gives users more choices regarding how to analyze and display various data points.
Standard report library - Companies can access their spend data through various standard reports. Spend information is available via a Dashboard of standard reports based on region, date, business unit, location, supplier, category and many more. The availability of standard reports enables companies to start reaping the benefits of spend analysis much more quickly.
Custom reports - Many companies have unique data requirements. Iasta can support these needs and develop custom reports at any point in the engagement.
Ad hoc reports - Individual SmartAnalytics' users can create their own set of ad hoc reports that gives them granularity into their own specific area of responsibility.
Spend Classification - Iasta uses a state-of-the-art auto-classification engine to quickly classify all of your spend to a common structure.
SmartAnalytics can auto-cleanse and auto-classify to any classification taxonomy whether it is UNSPSC, e-Class, NIGP or even a custom corporate structure. In addition, our engine performs a cleansing routine that normalizes the different versions of a supplier name into a common name (also for transaction and part information). For example, "Iasta.com", "Iasta Corp." and "Iassta" would be standardized to one supplier name, Iasta. This process rolls up duplicate suppliers, parts and transactions into a single group instance so that your team has visibility and clarity around the one data point.
SmartAnalytics links data elements within a data set with data elements in other data sets so that they all correctly relate to one another. This process takes place within the SmartAnalytics tool and can be easily scaled across 2 or 200+ separate data sets. The end result is a common "dataset language."
Future refresh cycles are made faster and easier. SmartAnalytics "remembers" how each dataset links/relates to the whole and how the data should be cleansed and classified.
Spend Consolidation - SmartAnalytics provides companies with a reportable, centralized data repository that consolidates information from multiple systems and formats. The spend repository can be updated on a regularly scheduled basis (monthly, quarterly, etc.) or an ad hoc basis. Best of all, a company can choose whether to update the spend repository themselves, or have Iasta manage the process for them.
Iasta's goal is to improve the effectiveness of every team member who uses the SmartAnalytics platform by providing world-class support and service. Designed to be flexible and easily assessable for large or small sourcing teams, Iasta offers Application Support and User Training. Our services upgrade users' skills and organizational processes so they can benefit from advanced technology.
Application Support
Application Support offers assistance with technical trouble shooting, error-resolution, password resets, navigation and how-to assistance.
User Training
Webinar-based or classroom training sessions are available to the user community and cover topics such as navigation and how-tos.
Establishing a solid foundation is a critical first step for any company's spends analysis initiative. An integral part of that process is launching a custom spend data set that reflects the true data profile of the organization. So, whether a company has a simple or complex data profile with one or over 200 data systems, one currency or several currencies, Iasta's Custom Launch program will meet your company's needs.
Custom Launch (data classification services) - Iasta provides a secure point for each customer to deliver their corporate data (A/P, PO, Pcard data, etc.). With our own SmartAnalytics platform, Iasta cleanses and classifies transaction and supplier information based on either a custom category sourcing structure, a generic industry structure (such as UNSPSC) or a combination where UNSPSC classifications are rolled into a custom category classification structure. During this time Iasta will:
Consolidate and normalize data
Validate data files
Cleanse suppliers
Categorize transactions and suppliers
Supplier data augmentation (optional)
Review and validate data classification structures (data workshops)
Publish to standard spend reports and views
Launch SmartAnalytics
Custom Refresh - Iasta manages updates to the data set to ensure spend data remains fresh and relevant. Iasta works with each customer to determine the optimal refresh frequency (monthly, quarterly, annually, etc.) and outlines the process steps to ensure refreshes occur. SmartAnalytics customers also have the option of managing refresh cycles themselves.
Supplier Data Augmentation - SmartAnalytics helps organizations manage their diversity programs and supplier risk issues more effectively. In order to track and measure results it is necessary to associate suppliers with relevant diversity 'flags' or risk ratings. As part of this optional program, Iasta works with a third party partner to associate your supplier database with diversity information where appropriate and available. Supplier Data Augmentation is a multi-phased approach to matching your supplier list with the diversity information found in a centralized database.
Spend and Opportunity Assessment Services - Identify target savings opportunity areas. Savings indicators include categories where you are buying the same commodity from many suppliers; situations where you are buying from the same supplier across companies, countries or projects, but are not coordinating the contractual pricing; situations where you are bypassing existing preferred suppliers, etc.
