Business intelligence, decision support, analytics — whatever you call it, it all comes down to one key goal: getting real value from your data. Today, it’s not just about having the tools to analyze and understand your data but being able to act on it quickly and efficiently.
Many of today’s data management systems were designed decades ago when hardware limitations and smaller data sets were the norm. Over the years, the landscape has shifted dramatically, ushering in new trends like the big data era and distributed systems. But despite these advancements, businesses still face significant challenges in managing their data, especially when integrating semantics and large language models (LLMs) that power generative AI.
For companies relying on outdated methods, the heavy lifting still happens before insights are derived, making the process slower and less flexible. At Knowi, we’re changing that — using AI to augment data analysis and streamline how insights are generated, delivering faster and more actionable intelligence.
Putting the Customer First: A Holistic Approach to Data
At Knowi, everything starts with our customers. We understand that organizations deal with data scattered across different centers, formats, and systems. The challenge? Gaining a unified view of that data, securely accessing it, asking questions, and receiving trustworthy insights.
Traditionally, the industry relies on a “lift and shift” approach — moving raw data into a warehouse, applying transformations, and layering BI tools on top. These solutions are often pieced together, creating inefficiencies. Knowi takes a different approach, creating a unified system that enables customers to get the right information and act on it immediately, whether they’re working within a BI platform, Slack, or embedded analytics.
How Knowi Works: Data Access Without the Heavy Lifting
Knowi operates as a managed cloud service, with about 70% of our customers using this option, while the other 30% deploy the platform on-premise within their private cloud or data center. What sets Knowi apart is how we access data. Instead of centralizing it in a warehouse, we fetch only what’s needed, on the fly.
This is where Knowi’s smart agents come into play. These agents connect to different data sources, execute queries, perform multi-source joins, and deliver the results back to the platform. Whether the data is spread across multiple centers or stored in different formats, Knowi ensures seamless access and analysis without needing to relocate the entire dataset.
Generative AI for Smarter Insights
Generative AI is transforming how we interact with and analyze data, and Knowi is at the forefront of this shift. We’ve introduced an AI service that integrates seamlessly with our platform, leveraging small language models to automate dashboard generation and provide real-time insights.
With Knowi, users can ask questions in natural language, and our AI delivers accurate, context-driven answers. Whether it’s spotting trends or anomalies, the AI generates insights that are trustworthy — not just guesses. By combining rules-based systems with AI, we ensure transparency and accuracy, allowing users to understand and adjust the AI’s conclusions as needed.
The Future of Generative AI in Data Management
We’re still in the early stages of what generative AI can do for data management, but the potential is enormous. The ability to rapidly question, analyze, and act on data is a game-changer for businesses. However, it’s important to note that building an architecture to fully leverage AI is complex. Despite this, AI is here to stay, and its role in helping businesses extract more value from their data will only grow.
At Knowi, we’re evolving our architecture to integrate AI more deeply with data governance. For example, we’re working toward a conversational interface that allows users to interact with data naturally, generate reports, and even automate actions based on insights. Importantly, all user interactions are governed by permissions to protect data integrity and security.
What’s Next for Analytics?
As we look to the future, the way businesses approach analytics will continue to evolve. The ability to quickly iterate, validate, and act on insights will define the next generation of business intelligence, making it accessible to a broader range of users. With AI-driven solutions like Knowi, companies can move beyond traditional BI tools, enabling more agile, user-friendly, and secure data management.
We believe we’re only scratching the surface of what’s possible, and the future of analytics is more exciting than ever.
Want to try Knowi and see how it can help your business to drive insights that actually matter? Book a demo with our team today!
The article is based on the insightful conversation on Inside Analysis hosted by Eric Kavanagh, featuring Jay Gopalakrishnan, founder and CEO of Knowi, and Yves Mulkers from 7wData. Watch the full recording here.
