Dell has updated its advanced analytics software (also known
as Statistica) to increase interest for jobs in the field. Also, Dell will be
making this software free to college students to hopefully give new scientists
a good impression of Dell. Looking at this upgrade by Dell in a business stand
point we can obviously see that Dell is trying to increase it’s profits as much
as possible. With creating the actual computer and now owning some of the
software that is ran on it, Dell is expanding.
When Dell had acquired StatSoft (makers or Statistica) it
had adopted a hard to use Graphical User Interface or GUI. This made Dell’s
purchase at the time an unsuccessful one and they needed to update the software
to get a leg up on the competition. After doing this Dell had made a much
easier to use GUI, therefore making it visually pleasing to consumers and
easier to use. Thus, through creating a better GUI consumers became more
pleased and they were able to get their work done more effectively. Consumers
are then able to do more work and increase the amount of deciphered and
organized big data.
Dell has made other updates to hopefully improve the
productivity of its product. A step-wise tool has been added to help the users
and to give recommendations. As a student in my opinion I would find this very
appealing when learning how to use analytic software. This creates more
interest for people pondering this as a profession. It also expands the
competition for jobs in data analytics but at the same time grows the industry.
This will help create more jobs and more successful companies.
Lastly, Dell has created a capability that allows users to
run the analytics where the data is currently. That means there is no need to
import all of the data to an excel file which can sometimes be tedious if you
are not too familiar with the process. This is also great if one business sends
another business data to interpret. This saves time and increases efficiency.
The article overlooks the fact that Dell is offering this
software FREE for college students. How much money are they losing if any?
Also, what truly makes Dell better than their competitors and how are they
making consumers more knowledgeable about this new software? Finally, how is
big data evolving because of this?
Citation: Davis, Jessica. "Dell's Statistica: Revamped, Free To College Students - InformationWeek." InformationWeek. UBM Tech, 1 Nov. 2015. Web. 02 Nov. 2015.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting article, primarily because of the title. When I saw the title, I was appalled by what I had read! However, after reading the article, it makes more sense for Dell to extend its’ new free software to college students.
One thing that should be considered when Dell gives free software away to college students is the question of how they are performing in that given demographic. Due to the fact that they are giving software away for free, they may not be reaching the sales goals they plan on, specifically for young adults (college students). As a college student, I rarely see students around campus with a Dell Laptop. Although Dell is not exceeding its expectations, it is making intelligent business decisions to help themselves bounce back.
Another possible reason as to why Dell started to give this software to college students for free may have to do with the many updates they recently released for this software. Statistica (the program that Dell is offering for free) has recently come out with many updates that make the GUI (graphical user interface) easier to use. Another part of this update was a step by step feature to make the program easier to use. This addition to the program may have been made specifically for students, due to the fact that students are still learning, and this step by step feature helps stimulate students’ learning.
Students being offered this software is integral to Dell’s success if it plans on “catching up” to Apple for the demographic of young adults. Apple happens to be dominating the demographic for young adults. This may be in response to that. Dell initiating this free software for students will not only benefit Dell, but the upgrades that Dell has integrated to its new programs will help be essential to helping students.
Although this software being offered for free helps students, it will also help students in making decisions outside of the classroom. Just as much as classes, deciding your major and what you plan on doing when graduating is an important part of the college life. The new improvement in the graphical user interface may make students realize that they may enjoy something that they did not know about. In Statistica’s case, students may find out that they like statistics, and with a program such as Statistica, they may realize how the subject may appeal to them, which may influence how students pick their major, or their job after graduating.
In conclusion, Dell offering Statistica as a free program to college students may be their way to attempt to catch up to companies like Apple that dominate the demographic for young adults. However, although Statistica will be given to college students, it will also help them make decisions that affect them for the rest of their lives, such as the job they plan on pursuing, and their major.