I have used this space primarily to talk about the innovative application of advanced mathematical techniques and Operations Research methods to solve difficult business problems. Of course I have mixed in some home brewing and tasty beer rhetoric but that’s just to keep things real.
From my perspective, as an OR professional and customer of Solvoyo, the flexible application of innovative math to difficult business problems is the differentiation I was seeking.
Don’t get me wrong, in a very competitive technology space, all claims must be proven through successful results and implementations. I have first hand experience solving problems I formally could not attempt using the Solvoyo platform.
I contend the real differentiation though is in the full package all wrapped up in the business model.
More than anything Solvoyo offers affordable access to the most innovative advanced math in the market. So instead of focusing on more fun OR stuff this week I want to talk about two differentiating factors of access to fun OR stuff: 1. Simple and 2. Scalable.
1. Simple is our Software as a Service model.
In my experience (both working in the Air Force and in the private sector) gaining access to the best linear solvers required significant initial capital outlay for the software AND the hardware to host it. I always thought that model was pretty cool because I would get the biggest, fastest server dedicated to me and my fancy math thingy (that made really cool maps).
Now there is NO upfront cost for software OR hardware. And since our software is offered as a service the monthly use fee accounts for all the technology AND maintenance. You get the latest version of world class optimization software on demand. More than anything this model incents us to provide the best value on a continual basis or our customers can simply discontinue the service. Really simple is just the start because this business model keeps on giving.
2. Scalable is our multi-tenant platform hosted on the Cloud.
I have talked about the complex data structure and mathematical relationships we support. The only way any of the math matters is if you can get results for the full enterprise in a meaningful way. To that end, models are hosted on the Cloud using the latest technology with the fastest processors and maximum RAM. We use the latest multi-thread technology to parallelize solver interactions and thus converge significantly faster than others using the same solvers. At the same time, memory requirements for large complex models is also not an issue through Cloud computing.
In my example with the dedicated server it was nice because I was essentially the king of my exclusive domain. Nobody else could use my models because we only paid for one user license (additional licenses are very expensive). But seriously, who wants to be the grumpy math guy who doesn’t share?!? Leaders, peers and new team members can all participate in making the company better using the multi-tenant platform. After all, success is a team sport!
Thanks for playing along with my less than OR discussion this week. I love that we are set up for the whole world to participate in the wonderful wORld of OR!
