A passion for data

Until a few years ago, the world of analytical data processing was still quite manageable: Software suites from established manufacturers were used for the traditional areas of data warehousing, business intelligence and reporting. Specialized providers were on the market with high-performance database solutions for the mass data of retail companies and telecommunications providers. And there was a manageable selection of specialized software packages for supporting data mining and statistical evaluations.

But then new topics such as digital transformation, Industry 4.0, big data, the Internet of things, artificial intelligence, machine learning and cloud computing came along – and the field experienced a new, unprecedented dynamic. Suddenly, companies started proclaiming mottos like: “Fast beats slow.” “Data is the gold of the 21st century.” “Artificial intelligence is being democratized.” “Everything will become ‘smart.’” Didn’t you also feel a vague pressure to take action immediately in order to be competitively positioned for the future?

At the same time, it was (and still is) almost impossible to get a really well-founded overall picture of the situation. What is (just) hype? What promises are made – and which of them are kept? Which platforms and tools, services and concepts are truly necessary, and how can they be combined sensibly? Is it possible to trust statements (and forecasts) from established strategy consultants, with their bold proclamations and high-gloss finishes, and if so, which ones? Which of the many enterprise architects have real practical experience and so are able to foresee the consequences of their recommendations?

It is precisely in this challenging overall situation that it is important for you and your company to have a trustworthy and competent partner and guide at your side. Preferably someone who is not only highly agile and already “at the forefront” of what’s happening, but also experienced enough to not blindly follow every new trend. This combination of knowledge, ability and experience – which enables us to question everything constructively and critically, to evaluate it competently and to communicate it transparently – that’s our passion, that’s us, that’s initions!

This is who we are

We are driven by innovative, practical and outstanding projects in the field of analytical data processing. Over the past 18 years, our team has implemented highly successful solutions in a variety of industries. Our name stands for the professionalism and trust we build with our customers. With every challenge and every new project, our team gains and shares even more experience and best practices. It is our ambition to continually improve and to make you, as a customer, even more successful. Our portfolio includes everything from traditional data warehousing and business intelligence approaches, as well as big data, IoT, and data lakes, to self-service BI solutions and artificial intelligence methods.

We support you with your concept development, implementation, and day-to-day business.

Among the formats requested by customers are architecture design sessions, proofs of concept, reviews, pilots, process concept development, data security, governance and data protection. All concepts that are developed in this process must be measured against reality and prove their practical suitability. It goes without saying that we also carry out partial or full implementations, handover training and other types of training. We are also available to our customers for continuous operational management after the fact or, if desired, can even take over the complete operation.

We take responsibility for your project in our role as advisers, guides and designers.

With degrees and doctorates in the fields of business informatics, computer science, business administration, mathematics, meteorology, biology and physics, our team is interdisciplinary.

Our customers appreciate the combination of business and mathematical competence with deep technological knowledge and know-how. We also spend a lot of time on training and the evaluation of new technologies and concepts. This enables us to present and explain even complex interrelationships in an easily understandable way, and to implement them with a sense of proportion and plenty of passion.

Our customers include well-known companies and organizations from the energy, retail, mail order, gaming, media, industry, ministries, state administrations, public companies, police, auditing, logistics, finance, insurance, e‑commerce and services sectors – including some of the top players in Germany such as E.ON, Schott, innogy and the SPIEGEL Group.

We focus entirely on the needs and wishes of our customers.

Especially in large companies, the formal framework conditions are often challenging. We are therefore particularly appreciated there for our agility and pragmatism. At the same time, we have the necessary experience and assertiveness to survive in this environment.

We see ourselves as co-designers of innovation. With the drive to develop the best solution for our customers, we contribute to your success. Our long-standing, trusting, and cooperative customer relationships are an important confirmation of this.

Partners and alliances

Another pillar of our success is our close and intensive cooperation with Microsoft, Snowflake, Databricks, and SAP. Across the entire spectrum of sales processes, architecture sessions, workshops, proofs of concept, roadshows, and trainings, we act together with our partners or in their name.

We are involved at an early stage in the development of new products – in some cases as early as the private preview phase. This allows us to have a direct influence on subsequent development and to always be at the forefront. Direct cooperation at many levels and representation on the Partner Advisory Boards ensure the shortest possible paths for decision-making and the best possible results – for us, for our partners, and ultimately (of course) for you, our clients.

Microsoft

5x Gold Certification for initions

Hardly any other company combines vision, implementation capability, and experience like Microsoft. As a veteran with 45 years of company history, the company is the leader of the “Gartner Magic Quadrant: Analytics & Business Intelligence Platforms.”

Ever since we first launched our own company, Microsoft products and cooperation with the global company have always been fundamental to our performance. We belong to a select circle of partners who support customers from the German Top 500 and large mid-sized companies together with Microsoft. We are represented on the EMEA Partner Advisory Council and work closely with the “Microsoft Global Black Belt Teams.”

With and partly on behalf of Microsoft, we conduct nationwide roadshows and training sessions on current trending topics. These include cloud data platforms & artificial intelligence, modern data warehouses, Power BI, and Azure Databricks. We support sales activities, executive briefings, proofs of concept, workshops, and training courses with our experience, product expertise, and implementation competence. Our portfolio covers everything from Microsoft Azure infrastructure, Azure data platforms, intelligent cloud services, Azure Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, and Microsoft SQL Server to Power BI.

initions holds the highest awards in the field in five categories: Gold Data Analytics, Gold Cloud Platform, Gold Data Platform, Gold DevOps and Gold Application Development Partner.

Snowflake

initions was (and still is) the first Snowflake partner in Germany

In 2012, Benoit Dageville, Thierry Cruanes, and Marcin Zukowski set out to reinvent the data warehouse for the cloud. With 20 years of best expertise in the development of relational database systems, a revolutionary new product was created: Snowflake – the only data warehouse built for the cloud.

The multi-MPP cluster architecture consistently follows the concept of separating “storage” and “computing.” It thus combines the power of data warehouse solutions and the flexibility of modern big data platforms with the elasticity and almost unlimited scalability of the cloud – at a fraction of the cost of traditional systems! Incidentally, billing is consumption-based and measured down to the second. The “Gartner Magic Quadrant: Data Management Solutions for Analytics” positions Snowflake in the “Leaders” quadrant with a large lead over all Hadoop-based systems.

As the first Snowflake partner in Germany, we have already been able to implement numerous very successful projects since 2017. Joint sales activities, proofs of concept, and close cooperation on projects are the basis for mutual success. Our appointment to the Partner Advisory Council and direct contact with product development allow us to gain insights at a very early stage and keep communication paths extremely short.

Databricks

initions is Databricks Premier Partner (System Integration)

By launching Databricks in 2013, the company’s founders ventured out of the University of California, Berkeley, into entrepreneurship after four years of research and development. The foundation of their success – the distributed cluster computing framework “Spark” – became a top-level Apache Software Foundation project shortly thereafter and has had more than 1,200 contributors from over 300 companies to date.

Here’s what’s really special about this project: With up to 100x speed for data transformation and complex streaming applications, it’s possible to overcome the limitations of Hadoop installations. The innovative ecosystem for artificial intelligence and machine learning, ease of use, and multi-language support for Python, Java, Scala, R, and SQL also contribute significantly to the high level of dissemination.

With “Microsoft Azure Databricks” and “Databricks on AWS,” Databricks offers complete Spark environments, optimized for the cloud. Particularly impressive features include the decoupling of “storage” and “computing,” the minimal time required for implementation and operation, and consumption-based billing. In addition, there are functionalities such as “Databricks Delta,” right-role concepts, and single sign-on.

initions has been a Databricks partner since 2017. Since 2019, we have been a Premier Partner SI (System Integrator) at the highest partner level of Databricks. With our certified team of data engineers and data scientists, we develop architectures, implement solutions, realize proofs of concept, and conduct training sessions.

Applications can be found in everything from artificial intelligence (machine learning), near-real-time streaming, and IoT and data lake requirements. This includes issues in time series analysis and time series prediction, fraud detection, and image recognition as well as application scenarios from industry 4.0, sensor data processing, and integration of trading systems.

Beyond the development of machine learning models, we realize concepts for the entire “end-to-end machine learning life-cycle” and productive use.

As “Top Regional Partner DACH,” initions was given an award by Databricks at the Spark+AI Summit Europe 2019 for its close and successful cooperation.

SAP

initions has been a Silver Partner since 2014

With SAP ERP and SAP S/4HANA, SAP has set the de facto standard for ERP systems in large companies for decades. SAP BW and SAP BW4/HANA also still have an immense position and significance in the market today.

Requirements such as Industry 4.0, social media, IoT, and other big data sources demand modern data warehouses, data lakes, and self-service BI and artificial intelligence concepts. In short: Analytical Data Platform solutions.

Since 2014, initions has been a Silver Partner of SAP. Our competencies cover the complete portfolio for the development and interaction of integrative and integrated data platform solutions. The characteristics range from pure SAP environments in the form of BW/4HANA and HANA platforms to hybrid solutions and self-service BI with Microsoft Power BI.

We support you in the real-time integration of SAP ERP and SAP BW into cloud-based data lakes using SAP BO data services, SAP landscape transformation or third-party tools. Our know-how goes beyond module boundaries. We explain complex coherences and can guide you from SLT and BODS through BW and all the way to the “basis,” in order to implement a universal solution really efficiently.

Your contact

Stephan Kinne
Business Development & Alliances Manager
Tel. +49 (0)40 822171 513

E‑mail: stephan.kinne@initions-consulting.com