Data that ‘clicks’

We talked to Brandon Smith on how Analythium empowers organizations to make data-driven decisions and boost operational efficiency by providing innovative data analytics, machine learning, and managed services solutions.

First of all, how are you and your family doing in these COVID-19 times?

Brandon Smith: As good as we can is probably the best way to describe it. We are just taking a day at a time. We have two children (both under the age of 4), so we’ve been lucky in some aspects (families with school-age children are having to deal with much more than us), but our dayhome was closed for a time, so that’s been difficult. My wife is also a NICU nurse, so she has added stressors.

Tell us about you, your career, how you founded Analythium.

Brandon Smith: I’m a human and ecological health risk assessor. I started that journey as a part of my master’s degree back in 2009, looking at organic pollutants and multimedia modeling. Since that time, my work has led me across various industry groups, but overall it’s always drawn from a simple paradigm – source (contaminant), receptor (human or ecological), and a pathway (soil, water, air). In 2016 I founded my own corporation (www.ClearSiteSolutions.ca) and began to complete risk-assessment projects under contract here in Calgary with a few different firms. Last year, we (Peter, Khalid, Christiana, and myself) founded Analythium (a data analytics firm – www.Analythium.io) with a focus on making complex computational solutions simple. Cutting down the noise and bringing advanced site assessment data analytics back to first principles.

How does Analythium innovate? 

Brandon Smith: We make analytics ‘click.’ We build customizable solutions that support companies in building out data visualization, integrated analytics, and advanced modeling systems without the need to hire new employees. 

How the coronavirus pandemic affects your business, and how are you coping?

Brandon Smith: The pandemic has changed the way we would normally interact with our client base. We’ve gone completely digital. 

Did you have to make difficult choices, and what are the lessons learned?

Brandon Smith: The choice to move from a consultancy to a SAAS was a big decision. We learned that scalability was a bigger driver for success, and while that may not yield immediate financial returns, the delta on future sales through a SAAS is worth the risk.

How do you deal with stress and anxiety? How do you project yourself and Analythium in the future?

Brandon Smith: Personally? I take walks with my children and try to unplug from the constant chime of media influences. We’re offering a unique sales platform. We don’t sell a single software package that has 1,000 different functions. Our users can customize their needs based on the scope of work and budget. The software of tomorrow isn’t licensed. It’s leased for the needs of the user, modular, and scalable.

Who are your competitors? And how do you plan to stay in the game?

Brandon Smith: We’re unique in our approach, but our competitors are varied. From AI and ML developers to SQL and data visualization platforms all the way to very specific fate and transport modeling programs, there are probably a hundred companies that claim to deliver similar products. We’re providing high-value user-focused data analytics for a fraction of the cost.

Your final thoughts?

Brandon Smith: Analythium empowers organizations to make data-driven decisions and boost operational efficiency by providing innovative data analytics, machine learning, and managed services solutions. 

Your website?

https://analythium.io/