Guide

Do you need Palantir? A data platform, or integrating what you already have

In short

Not always. A data platform such as Palantir fits when there are many data sources at scale, a team to run it, budget for licences and a multi-year programme. If you have a few core systems and clear workflows, connecting what you already run and building the missing software is usually enough, and the code is yours.

What Palantir is

Palantir Technologies is a US software company. It describes itself as providing platforms to put data and artificial intelligence to work, as well as services. Its publicly named products are Foundry, Gotham, AIP and Apollo, and its services include engineers who work alongside its customers.

The real question

For a company or a public body in Spain, the useful question is not which brand to pick but which problem needs solving. Do you need a platform licence, or do you need the systems you already have to talk to each other and someone to build the software that is missing?

Both answers are reasonable. They depend on how much data there is, who will run the result, and how much time and budget you have.

Platform or integration?

This table describes the two approaches in general, not any particular product.

Data sources

A large data platform
Many, at scale and from different areas
Integrating what you have
A few core systems: ERP, CRM, case management, spreadsheets

Who runs it

A large data platform
A team of your own dedicated to the platform
Integrating what you have
Your current team, with the system documented

Cost

A large data platform
Platform licences, on top of the implementation
Integrating what you have
The integration and development work, with no platform licence

Horizon

A large data platform
A multi-year programme
Integrating what you have
Stage by stage, with the first slice in production within weeks

Processes

A large data platform
Many processes worth modelling at once
Integrating what you have
Clear, well-bounded workflows

Code

A large data platform
Built on the platform and its tools
Integrating what you have
Your own code, in your repository

Some organisations do need a platform. In that case we can work alongside it, or alongside the integrator implementing it.

What we do

SME Analytica is a systems integration and custom software company. We do not sell a platform or licences: we work on what you already run.

  • Systems integration

    ERP, CRM, email, case files, spreadsheets and older applications, connected so data moves on its own.

  • Custom software

    The applications and internal tools that are missing, built for your process.

  • Data and dashboards

    Data from several systems in one place, with dashboards that update themselves.

  • Operational apps

    Review queues, panels and forms that replace the back and forth of emails and spreadsheets.

  • AI where it pays off

    Classifying, extracting or summarising, only where it improves the result and always with human review.

A Recon answers it before anyone spends on licences

A fixed-price Recon maps the process, the data and the systems with the people who do the work. You leave with a clear answer: if integrating what you have is enough, a plan and a fixed price; if you really do need a platform, we tell you and explain why.

If we go on to the Launch, what you paid for the Recon is credited against it.

Frequently asked questions

What does Palantir do?
In its own description, Palantir Technologies is a software company that provides platforms to put data and artificial intelligence to work, as well as services. Its publicly named products include Foundry, Gotham, AIP and Apollo.
Are there Palantir alternatives in Europe?
Yes, there are European companies that sell data platforms. We are not one of them: we are a systems integration and custom software company. If your case needs a platform, we help you see it; if not, we connect what you already have.
Is Palantir right for a mid-market company?
It depends on the scale of the data, the team that will run it and the budget. With a few core systems and clear workflows, integrating them is usually enough. The Recon settles it before you commit to anything.
Can you work alongside a platform we already have?
Yes. We connect the platform to the rest of your systems, build the applications that are missing around it, and work with the integrator implementing it, if there is one.
How much does it cost to find out?
The cost of a Recon, which is fixed and credited if we go on to the Launch. We do not publish rates because every job is sized there.
Are you connected to Palantir?
No. SME Analytica is not affiliated with, endorsed by or a partner of Palantir.

Keep reading

  • What is a data ontology

    The objects, links and actions of your operation, with examples, and how to build one on what you already run.

  • Custom software: when it pays off

    An honest table for choosing between custom and off-the-shelf, and how it is built on what you already run.

  • Subcontracting for integrators

    What we take on inside an integrator’s project, how it is contracted and how we protect their client relationship.

  • Public sector

    Legacy systems, unified data and citizen-facing apps, delivered through integrators and framework agreements.

See all services

Start with a Recon.

We map the process, the data and the systems. You leave with a plan and a fixed price, and if we carry on, it is credited against the Launch.

Book a Recon

Palantir is a trademark of Palantir Technologies Inc. SME Analytica is not affiliated with, endorsed by or a partner of Palantir.