Building Blocks named as Cool Vendor in IT services by Gartner
Building Blocks, specialist in the field of data science and machine learning solutions for retailers and insurers, has been named as a Cool Vendor by Gartner. This makes Building Blocks one of three companies worldwide that have been recognized by Gartner as a Cool Vendor in the Cool Vendors in IT Services report.
The business model of the Dutch company Building Blocks consists of a combination of consultancy and customizable software – the “blocks” – for insurers and retailers. These are pieces of reusable data science software that, for each customer in a different composition, lead to a solution that perfectly fits the business of our clients allows them to distinguish themselves from competitors. This approach guarantees a quick implementation and maximizes business impact.
There is an increasing demand for data scientists, and the gap between supply and demand is widening. IBM expects the demand for data scientists to increase even further, by 28 percent in 2020. On the one hand ServWare offers a solution. Implementations are therefore faster and the solutions become better and more scalable. On the other hand, there is the rise of citizen data scientists; these data scientists need less in-depth technological knowledge, which makes it easier to retrain professionals for this role. To make this possible, data science software must undergo continuous development
Traditionally, companies can opt for either standard software or consultancy. Servware is a new form that unites software and service; a large part of the software is standardized and an element of personalization is added on the basis of co-creation. This piece of customization ensures that the solution is better attuned to the situation and infrastructures of the customer, so that the risks and implementation times are lower compared to solely consultancy based solutions, but impact is greater than with standardized software packages.
Alexander van Eerden, CEO of Building Blocks: “To us, being named a Cool Vendor is a great step for Building Blocks. We believe this proves that our transformation from consultancy to ServWare has been a successful journey. I am happy with this recognition and extremely proud of what our team has accomplished. The creation of our unique block structure started in 2015, because we wanted to minimize repetition in our work and had the strong will to continuously focus on improving the added value of our solutions for our clients. By creating software that is 80% standardized and 20% custom made we can ensure short and efficient implementation, but still deliver a solution that perfectly fits the individual needs of our clients and offer a them a competitive edge. With our technology we contribute to a sustainable data science strategy for our clients, not only in the Netherlands but also increasingly in other countries.”
Gartner “Cool Vendors in IT Services,” Stephanie Stoudt-Hansen, et al, 3 October 2019
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