Big data and analytics platforms have become significant areas of investment for firms representing numerous sectors.

However, there are so many that focus on those specialties that it can be difficult for businesses to decide which data analytics companies are most deserving of their patronage.

An investigation by Analytics Insight could help reach that all-important conclusion.

The article, titled “10 Most Trusted Big Data Analytics Companies 2018,” is part of its February magazine, which is available online.

A Data Themed Digital Magazine

Analytics Insight has a substantial web presence covering the fields of media, technology and branding.

Near the end of last year, it launched the digital magazine to offer its audience another method of receiving information. The publication combines input from C-level executives with verifiable industry experience.

Analytics Insight also takes a focused approach to what’s covered in each monthly issue. Like the February issue, the first edition of the publication also featured a Top 10 theme. It revealed the most promising artificial intelligence companies of last year.

This format makes it easy for the magazine’s target audience to quickly discover the featured topic and decide whether it’s relevant to them.

In the case of the February feature about big data analytics, it could help companies create a shortlist of companies they might want to work with soon. Take a look at the top five brands on the list.

1. Alteryx

This California-based company makes an end-to-end analytics platform for enterprise-level customers.

Ideal for data analysts at a business who want a self-service solution, it offers numerous services for establishments of all sizes and types. For example, service users can tap into predictive analytics to make better future decisions or integrate Alteryx programs with Salesforce data.

2. Arria NLG (Natural Language Generation)

One of the standout characteristics of this company is that it offers its STUDIO tool, which empowers developers of all skill levels to produce easy-to-understand reports from complex data sources. It promises “reports that you would believe were written by a human expert.”

Also while using STUDIO, developers can build applications that swiftly connect all of a company’s data streams to the Arria platform, thereby automating data analysis, interpretation and extraction of insights.

If a company does not have the resources to hire a big data professional who works on site, Arria NLG could provide a useful substitute.

3. Bridge i2i

With offices in India and the United States, Bridge i2i is an innovative company that’s received other recognition besides getting published in the Analytics Insight piece.

The company was mentioned in Gartner’s “Market Guide for Data Science and Machine Learning Service Providers, 2017,” as well as being ranked 15^th on the “Deloitte Technology Fast50 India 2017” list, which looks at a company’s percentage of growth over three years.

Bridge i2i offers tailored solutions for different kinds of desirable insights. A company might want to focus on its customer-generated statistics to learn about:

• Website traffic
• Form submissions
• Which potential customers are most likely to become loyal to a brand
• Sales analytics

Furthermore, there’s a survey-specific platform called Survey i2i. The cloud-integrated analysis tool has advanced analytics capabilities and offers a text-mining feature that allows searching for certain keywords within feedback from customers.

The company’s forecasting engine also allows business leaders to intelligently predict outcomes to “what-if” scenarios based on data. Then it’s possible for them to plan what to do in case negative situations occur.

4. Edge Networks

Founded in 2012, this company combines data science with artificial intelligence to offer insights to human resources professionals.

One of the primary goals of the Edge Networks team is to empower HR workers to find the right people for open positions. The company’s representatives believe when that occurs, talent acquisition and management both become much easier to handle.

Those working with large amounts of data find correlations and trends that would likely have otherwise stayed hidden. The company’s talent acquisition platform uses advanced predictive analytics and generates helpful statistical models.

One calculates the likelihood that a candidate who received a job offer will accept it instead of turn it down. Similarly, users can see which employees in their workforces show signs of quitting, allowing HR experts to intervene and proactively reduce the turnover rate at a company.

There’s a demand optimization analytic, too. It combs through compiled data to gauge whether it’s possible to fill an open position internally or whether a company should look elsewhere to get the necessary help.

Then, it becomes easier to make appropriate hiring choices to meet pressing needs.

5. Forecast5 Analytics

This company specializes in analytics for the public sector. Its clients range from education administrators to municipal workers.

Also, purchasing its software includes professional installation from the company’s team, along with an instructional component that ensures people understand how to use the product.

5Cast is a budget-centric offering that taps into data to develop a budget and offer multi-year projections. Also, 5Sight:

• Analyzes testing and achievement results across several locations
• Highlights an establishment’s performance compared to benchmark peers
• Examines revenue and expenditure trends

Furthermore, although many Forecast5 products offer graphical representations of data, the Maps5 product exclusively helps users work with location-based data through maps. It’s possible to pull statistics from a map just by drawing shapes on it.

The interface accepts school district and neighborhood boundaries, too. Once people load material into 5Maps, they can quickly edit it to designate segments.

There’s also the 5Labs product, released at the end of January 2017. It equips schools to comply with the Every Student Succeeds Act by tracking and comparing essential information about learner achievements, then creating action plans when necessary to facilitate improvement.

This list represents some of the most well-known and trustworthy data analytics companies in existence.

The Analytics Insight full list includes five more, but the content above is an advantageous starting point for any business preparing to initially engage in or expand its data science practices.