“Turning data into answers expands the reach of curious human minds and reveals new possibilities.” said SAS CEO Jim Goodnight. “When harnessed to the right technology, curiosity can change the world. Together with our customers and partners, we dare to ask, ‘What if?’ In return, our customers live out the promise of SAS by improving bottom lines and efficiency while making the world safer, stronger and more resilient.”
SAS is synonymous with analytics and AI
The global SAS team is fascinated by the possibilities analyzed data - anywhere at any scale - reveals for customers. SAS is known for being more than a software vendor. SAS is a trusted partner that helps customers use data to accelerate decisions, create innovative products and services, and disrupt their industries. The Curiosity Forever campaign echoes those qualities. In addition to a portfolio of rich graphics and advertisements, the Curiosity Forever campaign will come to life through SAS’ ongoing commitments.
In 2019, SAS committed $1 billion to artificial intelligence investments with the underlying promise to continue pushing AI boundaries with new products. As has been its hallmark, SAS leads the way with its focus on research and development. SAS continues to invest more than a quarter of its annual revenue into R&D, twice the investment of most major technology companies.
SAS was also recognized by Fast Company as a World’s Most Innovative Company in two categories. SAS was lauded in the Social Good category for its environmental efforts – from protecting the Amazon rainforest and the planet's biodiversity to boosting healthy bee populations. Also, an innovative Flood Prediction and Preparedness Solution powered by SAS IoT analytics and Microsoft Azure earned SAS top Joint Venture recognition.
SAS’ dedication to fueling innovation and problem solving was also seen in its first global Hackathon, where more than 100 teams from 31 different countries came together to fast-track innovation. Whether building products to revolutionize an industry or tackle one of the world’s pressing societal problems, participants used the power of SAS and open source on Microsoft Azure to think boldly, improve lives and bring practical innovation to the marketplace.
Reputation as a technology leader is key to reintroducing SAS to the world
SAS leans into curiosity according to Jenn Chase, SAS Senior Vice President and Head of Marketing.
“Curiosity drives everything we do,” Chase says. “The Curiosity Forever campaign is global in scope, spanning multiple languages and five key industries: banking, government, manufacturing, retail and healthcare. Underpinning it all is our belief that analytics - like those embedded into our agile SAS® Viya® platform – can help change the world.”
SAS Viya puts the power of analytics into everybody’s hands – whether a data scientist, a manufacturing shop floor worker, a marketing manager, a risk manager or senior executive. Pushing analytics to data in the cloud drives faster results so customers can expedite the release of new life-saving medicines, crave-worthy consumer products, and the security measures that keep personal data safe.
“Our technology is recognized as a clear leader in a very noisy market. We are the only vendor named in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Data Science and Machine Learning Platforms1 for eight consecutive years,” said SAS Chief Technology Officer Bryan Harris. “Unlike many vendors who are trying to get out of the hype cycle of AI and machine learning, SAS software has been leveraged by thousands of companies to answer some of the most challenging questions in the world. The Curiosity Forever campaign captures this relentless pursuit to help everyone make better decisions.”
Dedication to social responsibility creates the foundation of the SAS brand
SAS' social innovation initiative aims specifically at finding creative ways to accelerate global progress and move the world toward a more sustainable future. Through partnerships with customers, industry groups, nonprofits, government agencies and global organizations, SAS puts its analytics to work on the world’s most pressing needs.
“We’ve seen firsthand how human curiosity empowered by SAS Analytics can propel significant progress – from preserving and protecting the environment to strengthening education to reducing human suffering and building a more just society,” said Susan Ellis, SAS Director of Corporate Social Innovation and Brand. “SAS was founded with the idea that analytics can move the world, and we continue our passion for applying analytics to help solve society’s greatest challenges.”
Signaling its continued commitment to social impact and innovation, SAS championed a variety of projects in 2020 to help protect the environment and use its analytics for the social good. The company launched curiosity.sas.com as a destination dedicated to spotlighting data for good projects and social innovation stories such as the work it’s doing with the Malala Fund to predict the impact of climate change on girls’ education.
Analyzing data everywhere is the new frontier
SAS’ continuing investment with strategic cloud partner Microsoft Azure ensures the company and its technology are future focused. Expansion to other cloud providers is imminent. No matter where the data lives, SAS analytics helps users discover patterns and trends that lead to better decisions.
In 2020 SAS acquired Boemska, to accelerate AI integration into cloud marketplace and third-party applications. SAS is focused on helping customers derive more from data: real-time insights that build more efficiency and stronger bottom lines.
1 Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Data Science and Machine Learning Platforms, Peter Krensky, Carlie Idoine, Erick Brethenoux, Pieter den Hamer, Farhan Choudhary, Afraz Jaffri, Shubhangi Vashisth, 1 March 2021.
