cBEYONData

Check out our new video about the CFO Control Tower, our scalable toolkit of on-demand solutions that enhances financial systems to ensure a financial data user can immediately, reliably, and accurately meet compliance requirements for internal and external reporting.

cBEYONData is a results-driven firm that provides value to government agencies and organizations through Business Intelligence (BI) solutions for the CFO’s Office and end-user missions. We ensure our customers’ analytical and reporting requirements are met through solutions such as financial reporting, audit readiness, DATA Act analytics & submission, procurement & external reporting, dashboards, analytics, visualizations, and geo-mapping. cBEYONData is committed to customer success, as demonstrated by our strong customer retention rates, references and awards.

Faced with limited resources and a need to provide up-to-date Business Intelligence to their financial reporting and visualizations, the Department of Justice (DOJ) had to navigate a stubborn bureaucracy to achieve their objectives. Using an IT-business alignment strategic approach to decide on a suitable IT solution, DOJ was able to select and deploy a cloud-based system in an objective and uncontested way. This case study will exemplify when working with a partner you can achieve your goals and exceed expectations.

In 2015, cBEYONData was awarded a contract for an agency in the DOJ to upgrade their SAP BusinessObjects software, a business intelligence platform for self-service ad-hoc financial reporting and analytics. Our customer was aware that there was a need to update their business intelligence but did not know how out-of-date their software and environment really was. During the initial assessment of the current DOJ environment, our team members noticed that not only were the DOJ’s customer’s SAP BusinessObjects software outdated, but the servers that hosted the environment were also in need of a drastic expansion and an upgrade. Our team initiated a meeting with our customer to discuss our assessment and was told it simply was not in the budget to update the current environment during that fiscal year.

Now knowing the budget constraints our customer was under, cBEYONData suggested investing in a cloud–hosted environment instead of having the servers on-site, which would significantly decrease the price in hardware and operation and maintenance costs for that fiscal year and the duration of our contract. Upon further research, our Team and our DOJ customer concluded that using a FedRamp, highly secure cloud-hosted environment like the Amazon Web ServicesGovernment Cloud would save over $300,000 in annual hardware costs and would save the DOJ hundreds in maintenance fees a month.

After all the approvals were in place, our team got to work in upgrading the environment. From the initial assessment, approvals, and configuration of the AWS GovCloud, we successfully implemented that Cloud-hosted environment in four months. Once the GovCloud was up and running, our team upgraded the SAP BusinessObjects software from Version 3.1 to Version 4.2, service pack 2 and started training for the DOJ end-users. cBEYONData developed instructor based and web-based BusinessObjects content and provided training on the BusinessObjects tools and data utilized for their ad hoc reporting. The training sessions on reporting, ad hoc and data are supplemented with training guides that are used as a “text books” during the training and after the training was completed become a reference guide for all of the software, which is still in use today.  

SAP BusinessObjects was the first application our DOJ customer deployed into the cloud. Since utilizing the FedRAMP certified AWS GovCloud environment, cBEYONData’s DOJ customer has seen a significant benefit to the BusinessObjects environment, their efficiencies with using the tool, and in 2018 have even upgraded the SAP BusinessObjects Version to 4.2, Service pack 5 in the cloud. Not only has our customer seen a huge change in their efficiency on our contract, but due to how successful our project has been over the last few years, more DOJ customers have adopted the Amazon GovCloud for their environments as well. After the completion of the upgrade, cBEYONData’s DOJ project became the catalyst of change within the Financial Services office. Soon, multiple stakeholders were asking how they could upgrade their environment and what the process looked like. “At the end of the day, the key to success is to identify the needs and deliver an easy-to-use solution for the customer that is extremely useful and powerful.  This is the true catalyst”, says Dave Schmidtknecht, Principal, cBEYONData.

Now that we have been effectively servicing the DOJ cloud-based environment for over three years, the next step of our DOJ contract is to upgrade the SAP BusinessObjects software to Version 4.2 Service Pack 7 to a faster cloud-based environment that will increase the in-house memory of the environment. This increase in in-house memory will ultimately produce more efficiencies and increase the speed as to which the software will run within DOJ. Because of the success of our contract, the increase in a better, faster cloud-hosted environment was rather easily attainable. There were little to no hoops to jump through and our customers are excited to see the changes that are to come.

In total, 21 servers (7 in Development, Test and Production respectively) laptops were successfully migrated over to the Amazon Services Government Cloud solution freeing up DOJ staff to focus on more business-centric tasks. In addition, server efficiency was improved significantly, allowing the customer to focus on delivering better service to their end-users.

This month, the independent technology services research firm Clutch ranked us among the top data analytics companies. With 10 reviews, our average rating is a perfect 5.0.  We are honored to join the ranks of the top BI and Big Data Consulting companies on clutch.co. We are excited to continue working hard in the business intelligence industry, to see more growth for our clients, and to helping them see beyond their data.

Please check out our profile on Clutch to read full length reviews, and find a detailed list of our services here.

We are excited to be attending the AGA 2018 Professional Development Training in Orlando Florida! Our Principal David Schmidtknecht and Vice Principal Michael Huffman will be in attendance for AGA’s premier training and networking event on July 22nd through the 25th. A few of the speakers in attendance at the AGA Professional Development Training are: Rachelle Cabading (Comptroller of the Treasury Division of Local Government), Speaker Steve Kunze (Department of Commerce), and more!

From the AGA Professional Development Training website:

Three reasons you should attend:

1. Earn up to 24 CPEs. Enhance your lifelong learning, and gain the knowledge and understanding to better improve your job effectiveness.

2. Stay cutting-edge. Top-notch speakers from federal, state, local, academia and the private sector share key findings and educational experiences to augment your knowledge and enhance your skills.

3. Network and connect. Collaborate and engage with industry experts and government financial management colleagues facing the same or similar issues, and exchange ideas to bring back to your organization.

cBEYONData is a results-driven firm that provides value to government agencies and organizations through Business Intelligence (BI) solutions for the CFO’s Office and end-user missions. We ensure our customers’ analytical and reporting requirements are met through solutions such as financial reporting, audit readiness, DATA Act analytics & submission, procurement & external reporting, dashboards, analytics, visualizations, and geo-mapping. cBEYONData is committed to customer success, as demonstrated by our strong customer retention rates, references and awards.

We are excited to announce that on Wednesday, June 27th, our Principal Dave Schmidtknecht, will be a featured speaker on the “SAP Platform and Analytics with cBEYONData’s Solution” webinar. Dave will also be joined by Mark Whittington, the VP of Channels & Alliances, at SAP. The webinar will last 60 minutes, from 1pm ET to 2pm ET, and discuss how cBEYONData and SAP are deploying solutions to assit the US Government.

This is a FREE webinar, so be sure to head here to register and learn more!

From the Carahsoft website:

The Cloud and Digital Transformation of the US Government is well underway to meet the latest Audit Readiness and Data Act requirements.

Join our webinar to learn how specific US Government organizations are being assisted. We will be covering the following topics:

• The Cloud and Digital Transformation of the US Government is well underway to meet the latest Audit Readiness and DATA Act requirements
• Secure, FedRAMP Certified to exceed critical requirements needed for ever changing workloads
• cBEYONData – Enhances Federal financial reporting for ERP system
• The cBEYONData CFO Control Tower tool kit uses the SAP HANA Platform and Business Intelligence (on Prem or in a secure Cloud)
• cBEYONData, a Women Owned Small Business, specializes in financial reporting. Offering services and solutions to the Federal Government
• How using the SAP HANA (in-memory) Platform and Business Intelligence for real-time big data processing, provides the Government with easy to consume analytics for making better decisions for their SAP and Non-SAP ERP needs.

cBEYONData is a results-driven firm that provides value to government agencies and organizations through Business Intelligence (BI) solutions for the CFO’s Office and end-user missions. We ensure our customers’ analytical and reporting requirements are met through solutions such as financial reporting, audit readiness, DATA Act analytics & submission, procurement & external reporting, dashboards, analytics, visualizations, and geo-mapping. cBEYONData is committed to customer success, as demonstrated by our strong customer retention rates, references and awards.

I have been thinking a lot about Technology Business Management (TBM) lately.

The approach the federal government is taking to roll out TBM is reasoned and reasonable. I came to this realization while moderating a panel discussion with federal government leaders from OPM, GSA, DOE, PTO and VA. Instead of mandating the implementation of TBM, OMB is suggesting that agencies look at how to implement TBM, working with them to identify best practices and building a “playbook” for the rollout. Since it is not a mandate, the most forward-thinking agencies are taking the lead, and helping GSA and OMB as part of the learning process.

To me, this is a very reasoned approach, which recognizes that the unique aspects of rolling out a program across the federal government. It is sometimes very frustrating for those of us in private industry to witness how hard it is for the federal government to implement an improvement, especially one as significant and as complex as Technology Business Management. I think it will eventually become a mandate, and I think most of those in the federal government watching this are expecting it to be mandated. When it finally becomes a mandate, the “playbook” will be mature and full of lessons learned and best practices. It will be something that agencies can use to accelerate the success of TBM across their organization.

The transparency of IT spending will improve greatly when TBM is implemented across the federal government. Standardization of IT data will encourage organizations to benchmark their spending compared to other federal organizations and even commercial ones. At cBEYONData, we see this as a huge opportunity for us to help the federal government by automating and standardizing the way financial IT data is captured and reported. It is similar in many respects to the way federal organizations have standardized financial data in order to comply with the DATA Act. For the DATA Act, we integrated automated data checks and processes that has helped our clients stay on top of data quality, so that what is reported is accurate and timely.

The hardest aspect of implementing TBM, in my opinion, will be allocating cost and hours accurately. We built a TBM solution in our CFO Control Tower by bucketing cost into the IT Towers using already available reference data such as the Transaction Code and PSC. This gave us nice analytics and dashboards, but the bucketing process was manual and done with assumptions that may not be appropriate. In order for the results to be highly accurate, the “bucketing” needs to be done as early in the process as possible, ideally at the time the cost or hours are recorded. For example, when a government employee enters her time, she should select the proper code that will map to the appropriate Technology Business Management taxonomy. Of course, we all know how hard it is to get everyone to enter their time using the right project codes, so this becomes a management challenge as well. Imagine if she worked on several Towers over the course of a day? How is that accurately captured?

There are definitely solutions to do this accurately. Commercial businesses are doing it now, and the work OMB and GSA are doing to develop the “playbook” for implementing TBM will provide guidance that will help ensure accurate data. And, of course, companies like cBEYONData will be helping the federal government along the way, providing our expertise to reduce the administrative burden TBM will add. I am definitely excited about our role in this process, and think the automation capabilities contained in the CFO Control Tower are a perfect match for TBM. And as a taxpayer, I am especially excited to see the results Technology Business Management will provide. Let’s get it done!

Michael Huffman is the Vice President of Sales at cBEYONData and will be leading the company’s TBM efforts.  He has been with the company since July 2017.  During his 28-year career, Mr. Huffman has spent over 18 years building, growing and managing organizations, programs and projects.  He has extensive experience with consulting services delivery, including successfully winning and managing Firm Fixed Price and Time and Materials contracts.

cBEYONData Named Among top DC Consulting Firms

Last year, the independent technology services research firm Clutch ranked us among the top analytics consultants. With the addition of several new reviews from large federal consulting projects, we have jumped up in the ranks, and have also earn a spot on a shortlist of the the top Washington DC IT consulting firms.

With 6 reviews, our average rating is a perfect 5.0.  In a review about a data warehousing and financial reporting project, one client, an employee at a DOJ bureau, highlighted what distinguishes us from our competitors:

“cBEYONData has an unwavering loyalty to the project’s success. They haven’t reassigned any of original developers, so we’re able to take advantage of their vast knowledge of our bureau. The most recent additions to our team are equally competent. Their diverse backgrounds and experience with various government agencies have been instrumental in this project.”

Please check out our profile on Clutch to read full length reviews, and find a detailed list of our services here.

We are excited to announce that we will be attending the Information Builders 2018 Summit User Conference in Orlando Florida! cBEYONData will have over 15 cBEYONData team members attending the conference and we will have a booth (#5) at the event. Be sure to register online at the Information Builders website!

We are excited to hear about the following topics at the Information Builders 2018 User Conference:

• Business Intelligence and Analytics
• Data Management
• Enterprise Administration
• Fundamentals
• Hands-On Labs
• Strategy: Analysts Perspectives

From the Information Builders website:

The beautiful Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando will host Summit 2018, from Tuesday, May 22 – Friday, May 25. This year’s conference officially begins on Tuesday, and boasts a new agenda with more than 130 sessions. Summit 2018 ends at noon on Friday, providing plenty of flexibility for attendees to get home for the holiday or extend the stay with a terrific room rate.

You’re only as successful as the company you keep. We have a stellar line-up of industry analysts and thought leaders ready to share their knowledge and expertise as they discuss trends, strategy, and more…

cBEYONData is a results-driven firm that provides value to government agencies and organizations through Business Intelligence (BI) solutions for the CFO’s Office and end-user missions. We ensure our customers’ analytical and reporting requirements are met through solutions such as financial reporting, audit readiness, DATA Act analytics & submission, procurement & external reporting, dashboards, analytics, visualizations, and geo-mapping. cBEYONData is committed to customer success, as demonstrated by our strong customer retention rates, references and awards.

We are excited to announce that cBEYONData will be a sponsor at the 2018 AGA CIO/CFO Summit in Washington, DC! This will be a free event hosted by AGA and AFFIRM to inform attendees about policies and other management issues that impact CFOs and CIOs in government! We look forward to listening to the many speakers and subjects, including:

• Maturing Management in Modern Times
• Running IT Like a Business – TBM
• Perspectives from the C-Suite
• and more!

From the AGA website:

Join AGA and AFFIRM in Washington for this free educational event, and listen to an insightful dialogue on the intersection of policies and management issues that impact CFOs and CIOs. Find out how they are working together to improve efficiency and transparency, reduce risk and strengthen their workforce.

Be sure to register online at the AGA website, and visit us at Booth #21!

cBEYONData is a results-driven firm that provides value to government agencies and organizations through Business Intelligence (BI) solutions for the CFO’s Office and end-user missions. We ensure our customers’ analytical and reporting requirements are met through solutions such as financial reporting, audit readiness, DATA Act analytics & submission, procurement & external reporting, dashboards, analytics, visualizations, and geo-mapping. cBEYONData is committed to customer success, as demonstrated by our strong customer retention rates, references and awards.