Page 3 - 2016 Company Overview

From the CEO
Data has become the lifeblood of our world, pumping through the heart of everything. It is already being put to work to drive progress and make a better future. But far too much data is still being left on the table, expiring before it caneverbeused.That’swastedpotential.Let’sChangeThat.M
Any place there is data, you need analytics to make the most of it. This is the mission of SAS – to bring analytics everywhere. To make it ambient. To put analytics at the places it’s needed most, and to make it second nature – accessible to everyone. This takes more than technology – it also requires smart people with analytics expertise – an asset that is becoming harder and harder to nd. SAS continually addresses this persistent skills gap in many ways (outlined later in
this report).
We envision a future where more of these people can make better decisions, grounded in raw data and assisted by the power of analytics. We envision a world where decisions happen at just the right moment, pushing advancements to happen faster. The world is begging for more of these intelligent connections – and analytics can deliver them.
But, what makes SAS the right choice for this?
It’s because we’ve always looked at things with a di erent set of lenses. Plenty of companies o er point solutions, focusing on one part of the whole. But we have always stood back and considered the entire sweep of the messy and fragmented analytics land- scape in an e ort to predict the future of analytics.
Ambient intelligence is not easy to enable. We are ready to bring that kind of intelligence to life because our unwavering commitment to innovation has
created a solid foundation on which you’ve come to rely. Each year, SAS reinvests twice the percentage of annual revenue into R&D than our competitors. Last year, this commitment delivered an expansion of our platform - SAS® ViyaM - that accounts for everything you need. By being open to people of all skill levels and backgrounds, SAS Viya shatters barriers and streamlines the disarray of having too many disconnected analytics tools.
Across every industry, our customers seek to surpass the competition. What could you do if all the moments in your day and your customers’ days were smarter – asking yourself not only “what if?” but also “what’s next?” The competition is now won or lost in moments, and our platform has everything you need to seize those critical moments.
As you compete, I want you to feel bold. Because when it comes to data and analytics, everyone has bigger ambitions now. Organizations want to do more, reach higher, go further. It’s not about just solving basic problems.
Your ambitions are rising, so our ambitions are rising, too. Sincerely,
Jim Goodnight
CEO of SAS