Ironside, has become the first IBM Business Partner to achieve IBM Gold Software Accreditation in the three major pillars of IBM business analytics software: Business Intelligence (Cognos), Financial Performance Management (TM1), and Predictive Analytics (SPSS). Read more

Lexington, MA, September 2, 2014 – For the second year in a row, Ironside has been recognized on the Inc. 5000 America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies list. For 2014, Ironside is ranked #546 on the list, twenty spots up from their 2013 ranking of #566. Read more

We’re excited to announce that beginning in July 2014, the Ironside Education Services division will offer a series of IBM Business Analytics public training classes in both New York City and New Jersey! Course offerings will include a variety of IBM Cognos, TM1, and SPSS training taught by some of the top instructors in the industry.

Ironside education programs provide customers with a complete and relevant education experience, incorporating instructor-led material, student-focused workshops, and hands-on demos. Ironside’s training offerings lay a solid foundation for future development in all aspects of IBM Business Analytics.

If you are interested in attending an IBM Business Analytics training course in New York, you can sign up for one of the following training sessions:

  • 7/14/2014- IBM Cognos Report Studio Fundamentals and Advanced Training
  • 7/28/2014- IBM Cognos Framework Manager Fundamentals & Advanced
  • 8/11/2014- IBM Cognos Report Studio Fundamentals and Advanced Training
  • 8/18/2014- IBM TM1 Data Modeling Course
  • 8/25/2014- IBM Cognos Administration Training
  • 8/28/2014- IBM Cognos Workspace & Cognos Workspace Advanced
  • 9/8/2014- IBM Cognos Report Studio Fundamentals and Advanced Training
  • 9/2/2014- IBM Cognos Multidimensional Report Authoring
  • 9/4/2014- IBM Cognos Workspace & Cognos Workspace Advanced

If you want to see more of Ironside’s business analytics training offerings, feel free to take a look at our full public training schedule. We also offer private courses and custom courses.

Award-winning IBM Partner celebrating 15 years re-launches as comprehensive business-focused analytics solution provider

Lexington, MA (May 16, 2014) – The Ironside Group, the award-winning North American business analytics consultancy founded in 1999, today re-launched their organization as simply Ironside. This change is both a reflection of their celebrated 15 year history, as well as a representation of their shift towards providing comprehensive solutions for organizations that are seeking to fundamentally improve performance by harnessing the power of information. The new Ironside will move toward being a one-stop shop for end-to-end analytics solutions, supporting clients from the planning phases all the way through full-scale implementations. Read more

Lexington, MA (April 17, 2014). The Ironside Group has been named a 2014 Boston Business Journal Pacesetter. The Boston Business Journal Pacesetters is an annual list of the fastest-growing private companies in Massachusetts.

This year’s Pacesetters list includes seventy privately held businesses that recorded the state’s fastest revenue growth from 2010 through 2013. Of the seventy companies represented on this list, Ironside has been ranked an impressive seventh place. Read more

SPSS online training computers conceptIronside is pleased to now offer online versions of our IBM SPSS training courses. The first SPSS online course offering is our May 12th Introduction to IBM SPSS Statistics course. This two-day course is suited for managers, beginning statisticians and programmers, and market research professionals interested in understanding the basics of how to perform data analysis using IBM SPSS Statistics and who want a solid introduction to the statistical capabilities of the program.

For a complete listing of Ironside’s training offerings, please visit the Ironside website.  If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact us at 781-860-8840 ext. 802 or training@ironsidegroup.com.

framework manager curriculum training computers conceptIronside is happy to announce the release of our new, enhanced, and fully-revised Framework Manager curriculum. This update combines customer suggestions with expert insights from Ironside instructors and consultants to form the most comprehensive Framework Manager course available today. These two classes represent the current best-of-breed thinking around metadata modeling in the BI space.

Built around the latest IBM Cognos 10.2.1 technology, these two classes (Fundamentals and Advanced) provide a cumulative 5-day program that gradually builds a complete understanding of the metadata modeling process. Each chapter contains conceptual information and hands-on, practical demos and workshops.

New Course Features

Using the original Ironside Framework Manager curriculum as a foundation, we have developed many additions to it that further flesh out the intricacies of metadata modeling and supplement the already existing content. Below are some highlights of new material included in the Framework Manager Fundamentals and Advanced courses:

• Overview content describing in more depth how Framework Manager fits into and interacts with Cognos as a whole.

• Detailed descriptions of different database design structures and how best to make those structures available through Framework Manager.

• Key reporting requirements and how gathering them can set your project up for success.

• Deepened explorations of the core modeling layers and the objects used within them.

• Rich new chapters investigating DMR options in Framework Manager, determinants, and security.

• Full discussions of parameter maps, session parameters, and implementing them in calculations and filters.

• Enhanced content around accessing the SQL back end that governs how data appears in Framework Manager.

• Crucial performance tips and strategies for working in multi-modeler environments.

Development Process

The top priority during the development process was to create course that provides an all-inclusive and cohesive understanding of all the Framework Manager features and functionality, promoting an understanding of the entire metadata modeling process from end to end. To achieve this, we enlisted the guidance of our technical trainers with years of Cognos and technical training experience, as well as our technical consultants, to provide real-world, practical modeling perspectives.

Course Structure

Below is a listing of the modules and topics covered in the Framework Manager curriculum.

Framework Manager curriculum

Upcoming Framework Manager Classes

Below is a listing of several of the upcoming public Framework Manager courses.

IBM Cognos 10.2.1 Framework Manager Fundamentals and Advanced Training Courses- Ohio

Mon Apr 21, 2014, 8:30 AM – Fri Apr 25, 2014, 4:30 PM

Worthington, OH

IBM Cognos 10.2.1 Framework Manager Fundamentals and Advanced Training Courses- Detroit

Mon Apr 28, 2014, 8:30 AM – Fri May 2, 2014, 4:30 PM

Detroit, MI

IBM Cognos 10.2.1 Framework Manager Fundamentals and Advanced Training Courses- Miami

Mon May 12, 2014, 8:30 AM – Fri May 16, 2014, 4:30 PM

Doral, FL

IBM Cognos 10.2.1 Framework Manager Fundamentals and Advanced Training Courses – Atlanta

Mon Jun 2, 2014, 8:30 AM – Fri Jun 6, 2014, 4:30 PM

Atlanta, GA

IBM Cognos 10.2.1 Framework Manager Fundamentals and Advanced Training Courses – DC

Mon Jun 16, 2014, 8:30 AM – Fri Jun 20, 2014, 4:30 PM

Washington, DC

 

We Have Moved Note

As Ironside continues to grow we are happy to announce that we moved the Boston Ironside headquarters to a new larger office on March 10th, 2014. Our old office served us well, leaving us with great memories; nonetheless we are very excited for the opportunities ahead.

Please send all mail to our new address:

Ironside
10 Maguire Road, Bldg 4
Lexington, MA 02421

Our other contact information, such as telephone, fax and, email, has remained the same.

Great news for those on the West Coast, beginning in 2014 Ironside will offer a series of IBM Business Analytics public training classes in California! Ironside training offerings will include a variety of IBM Cognos, TM1, and SPSS training, taught by some of the best trainers in the industry. Classes will be held in Irvine with plans to expand to Central and North California.

Ironside training programs are geared toward providing customers with a complete and relevant educational experience, incorporating instructor led material, student focused workshops, and hands-on demos. Ironside Group’s training offerings lay a solid foundation for future development in all aspects of IBM Business Analytics.

If you are interested in attending an IBM Business Analytics training course in California you can attended one of the following training courses:

  • 2/17/2014 -Report Studio Fundamental and Advanced Training
  • 3/10/2014 -Framework manager Fundamentals & Advanced
  • 4/7/2014 – Cognos Administration Training
  • 4/10/2014 -Workspace & Workspace Advanced
  • 5/12/2014 -Dynamic Cubes Fast Track
  • 6/16/2014 – Report Studio Fundamentals & Advanced
  • 7/14/2014 – Framework Manager Fundamentals & Advanced
  • 8/11/2014 – Dynamic Cubes Fast Track

 

If you have any questions or to learn more about Ironside’s business analytics training, check out our full course catalog. You can also see our full list of public courses or investigate options for having a private course taught onsite at your organization.

Ironside is proud to announce the creation of the Ironside Solution Center; a dedicated on-shore team providing services to support our clients’ strategic development initiatives. In addition to client development initiatives, the Solution Center will spearhead the research and development of Ironside Solutions products. A full-time core team of skilled consultants staff the Solution Center from our Lexington, MA office and business vertical and subject matter experts from within our organization augment the team when needed to rapidly scale and meet client project needs.

Service Offerings

Ironside provides two key services through the Ironside Solution Center: a project-based offering and an enhanced managed services offering.

– The project based offering is a time and material model where the hours and costs are determined by the scope of the project and skills required.
– The enhanced managed services offering allows the client to purchase blocks of time on a periodic basis, e.g. annually or quarterly, and consume those blocks within a predefined timeframe.

Engagement Model

The Ironside Solution Center Manager is a dedicated resource involved in all services that the core team provides, reviewing specifications, work plans, deliverables, and time tables with an onsite Ironside project manager or client project manager. The Solution Center Manager engages Solution Center resources as needed on a per-project basis.

Communication is paramount in this model, and the Solution Center Manager tracks project plans, provides status updates, and ensures quality of work to guarantee the timely delivery of cost-effective solutions to Ironside clients.

Considerations for Ironside Solution Center Engagements

If any of the following considerations are a priority for your company, the Solutions Center could be of great benefit to you:

– Large scale development or upgrades
– Bulk QA or report remediation
– Budget constraints for travel and expenses
– High quality deliverables without the expense of multiple boutique consultant resources
– Dedicated resources for your hosted / managed environments

Solution Center Benefits

A number of crucial advantages come along with engaging the Ironside Solution Center. Below are some highlights:

– Flexibility and predictability in budgeting based upon engagement model
– Local in-house development environment managed by a senior dedicated resource
– Lower travel and expense costs
– Potential to expand expertise / skills / footprint as projects evolve
– Wealth of knowledge from the entire Ironside Consulting Services organization
– Project management tools, templates, processes and methodology

Meet the Team

All members of the core team are IBM Certified in various skillsets and are based out of our corporate headquarters in Lexington, MA.

Solution Center Manager – De Hsieh

de hsiehDe is a senior consultant for Ironside, and is an ideal fit for leading the Solution Center team. He has an unmatched insight into the complexities, challenges, and best practices associated with a vast array of different industries and functional areas. During his six year tenure with Ironside, De has used his in-depth expertise with every aspect of the IBM Cognos suite to quickly and effectively devise and deploy solutions for clients, even in the most complex enterprise environments. With an impressive history of diverse, dynamic projects under his belt, De can speak the language of end users and stakeholders of all types and transform goals and requirements into usable, actionable, and productive results that put companies on the cutting edge of their sector.

Solution Center Core Team: Technical Consultants

The Ironside Solution Center team is a group of driven, innovative, and highly knowledgeable consultants who will do everything possible to make your organization’s key projects successful. Each member below brings a unique set of capabilities to the table that they are proud to leverage in service of Ironside’s clients.

Pankti Shah

Pankti Shah

Aimee Carvalho

aimee carvalho

Katie Ketcham

katie ketcham

Bernadette Kennedy-Cox

bernadette kennedy-cox

Sagarr Kanoje

Sagarr Kanoje

 Conclusion

The Ironside Solution Center provides our clients with the benefits of a cost-effective, flexible project delivery model that guarantees the security of their data within a US based development center. In addition, the Solution Center grants our clients the confidence and peace of mind necessary to execute on key strategic deliverables that help them stay competitive in a modern, information-focused business environment. If you’d like to learn more about the team and what they can offer your organization, check out the Solution Center team page.