When the right decision matters more than the next project

Unclear
platform decision

The decision is on the table, but criteria, consequences and responsibilities are not yet clearly comparable.

Prepare the decision

Ineffective
project

The project is running, but confidence in direction
and outcomes is declining.

Assess the project

AI without a
reliable basis

AI is on the agenda, but use cases, the data basis
and feasibility are not yet reliably validated.

Assess AI foundations

Legacy
complexity

The landscape keeps growing, and every decision becomes slower and riskier.

Assess complexity

Three starting points
when the way forward is unclear

Not every situation needs the next immediate initiative.
Sometimes it needs the right starting point first:
assess the architecture, prepare the decision or stabilise the project.

Architecture
Review

Assesses architecture,
risks and options.

Outcome: Architecture picture
and prioritised options.

Assess the architecture

Decision
Session

Brings structure to complex decisions.

Outcome: Decision matrix
and way forward.

Prepare the decision

Rescue
Review

Gets stalled projects moving again.

Outcome: Root-cause picture and stabilisation path.

Stabilise the project

Technical expertise in BI, platforms, and AI

How uncertainty turns into a reliable next step

Assess the
current situation

make risks visible

Structure
the options

clarify priorities

Prepare the
next step

so it holds up in practice

From decision pressure to reliable implementation

We prepare decisions so they also hold up during implementation. If needed, we support implementation through architecture, stabilisation and operations.

• Architecture & data platforms
• BI & analytics
• Stabilisation & modernisation

What our clients say

Logo: Zoologische Gesellschaft Frankfurt

"inics proved their capability to successfully take over BI projects from other providers. Thanks to their extensive experience and competence, our Qlik project was completed successfully, to everyone's satisfaction."

Nico Alf, Team lead international Controlling and Foundation Management, Zoological Society Frankfurt

Logo: Adler Modemärkte

"inics' strategic guidance was essential in fully realizing our business intelligence potential. This enabled us to optimize previously overlooked processes and make better decisions aligned with our corporate goals, leading to significant monetary and qualitative improvements."

Stefan Schnarr, BI/CRM Team Leader - Adler Modemärkte

Logo: Frankfurt Zoological Society

"inics proved their capability to successfully take over BI projects from other providers. Thanks to their extensive experience and competence, our Qlik project was completed successfully, to everyone's satisfaction."

Nico Alf, Team lead international Controlling and Foundation Management, Zoological Society Frankfurt

KiK-Logo

„Thanks to the expertise and dedicated support from inics, our BI environment has significantly enhanced, becoming highly stable, scalable, and reliable.“

Christian Zander, Head of Reporting & Data Analytics, KiK

TMG-Logo

„The partnership with inics transformed our BI landscape, significantly reducing costs and establishing an innovative platform for future digital and AI initiatives. We see inics as strategic digital evangelists.“

Luka Bebensee, Operations Partner - Head of Quantoo/TMG

First assess.
Then choose the right way forward.

When data, platform or AI decisions become difficult , or projects do not deliver the expected impact,
we help identify which starting point makes sense now.

Thomas Howert von inics

Thomas Howert

Co-Founder & Senior Advisor for BI, data projects, and technology decisions

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