Managing and maintaining complex enterprise IT platforms such as Hyperion and Oracle Business Intelligence suites can tax even the best IT departments, stretching resources thin and often causing administrators to “make do” instead of committing precious time and effort to performing every upgrade. The result can be steadily decreasing efficiency and a diminishing return on investment.
Hyperion instability is common to companies that have high admin turnover; fail to keep either infrastructure, applications, or both current; or lack in-depth internal Hyperion knowledge and expertise. Symptoms of instability include reports not running, applications not starting, and overall functionality eroding over time.
Some companies might be reluctant to outsource Hyperion support, fearing that it might leave them administratively vulnerable — especially for something as critical as enterprise performance management. In reality, an experienced, qualified support services provider can bring much-needed stability to a Hyperion environment. A good support services provider can offer deep technical capabilities, reliable service, and tested processes and methodologies for optimizing and maintaining the wide range of Hyperion products.
If you’re considering Hyperion support services, be sure the service providers you’re evaluating employ a number of best practices for maximum Hyperion ROI, including:
- Comprehensive onboarding process that includes conducting a thorough review of your server operating systems to ensure the platform is optimized so Hyperion behaves properly
- In-depth Hyperion product review to assess current performance levels and fine-tune them for optimal efficiency
- Monthly or quarterly system health checks that include a review of recent Hyperion logs to analyze overall system performance and uncover any potentially troublesome issues that might not be noticed in day-to-day activities
- Proactive maintenance program to keep abreast of upgrades and ensure that the latest patches are installed and functioning properly to avoid system instability, unnecessary downtime, and decreased productivity
For companies leery of outsourcing their Hyperion maintenance, it should be stressed that support services do not have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. A good Hyperion support services provider is willing to provide whatever level of support and service the client needs — from just a few hours per month for a system health check-up and minor tune-ups to full Hyperion implementation and administration. Although some support may need to be handled on site, much of it can be performed remotely, minimizing cost and disruption while bringing much-needed stability to a complex EPM environment.
Did your Hyperion admin leave recently? Check out this white paper for suggested next steps...
