''Business intelligence'' is a phrase that businesses are hearing more frequently these days. For example, at the recent Washington Technology Conference, of the 50 sessions presented, there were three sessions dedicated specifically to ''business intelligence'' (and that doesn't count the other sessions that likely mentioned BI).
Act Now! Activate a FREE three days trial to InformationTechnologyCrossing.com, because you know how important it is to know about all the jobs.
So what is business intelligence, and how should your company get started with it? From the vendors’ perspective, business intelligence means software and services that they can sell to you to help you get more information from your existing data. But from our perspective, business intelligence is more than just software; it is a strategy with specific supporting management processes.
Our definition of business intelligence is simple: business intelligence is a management strategy for using data to make decisions.
But prior to implementing a business intelligence initiative, including before you buy all that shiny new software, we believe organizations need to have the following five elements in place:
Clear outcomes
A clear process
Ensuring that key data is being captured
Ensuring that data is accessible for analysis and presentation
Actually applying the knowledge learned
Clear Outcomes
Before any business intelligence initiative is begun (or any project, for that matter), a clear set of objectives and outcomes needs to be identified. The organization needs to answer the question: ''What to we hope to accomplish with this initiative?'' Do not move forward if you get hung up on this question. You might as well feed your money into a shredder if you cannot define clear outcomes for the project.
Clear Process
Once the organization has determined what they hope to achieve with their BI initiative, they need to ensure that there is a clear process in place to manage the initiative. This includes developing key milestones, identifying who should participate, and how decisions will be made as you move along.
Ensuring Key Data Is Captured
BI is based on the analysis of data. Simply put, data that isn’t being captured cannot be analyzed. How many times have you been in a meeting where someone said, ''It would be nice to know such and such about our customers,'' and the rest of the group acknowledges that, yes, that would be nice to know, but we’re not collecting that data? In order for your BI initiative to work, you have to be sure that the data you need, based on the objectives you identified, is actually being captured by the organization.
Ensuring Data Is Accessible
Of course, even if the data is being collected, if the data is kept in a format or place that is inaccessible to those who need it, it is still useless. Data that is going to be analyzed for business intelligence needs to be stored in a place that is accessible (typically a file connected to a network) and needs to be in a format that can be analyzed by any business intelligence software you may be using.
Actually Applying the Knowledge Learned
The final prerequisite, and perhaps the most important, is that your organization must be committed to using the data intelligence it is developing. That is, once you’ve learned something, you must be committed to acting on that data, somehow altering current behavior to address what has been learned. As Peter Drucker wrote in The Effective Executive, ''The greatest wisdom not applied to action and behavior is meaningless data.''
''Once youâve learned something, you must be committed to acting on that data, somehow altering current behavior to address what has been learned.''
To put it another way, information that you don’t act on, or information that is merely ''nice to know'' is not business intelligence, it is business trivia. Don’t fall into the trap of collecting and analyzing data that will never change the way you behave.
Once you have these five prerequisites in place, your organization can begin its business intelligence initiative.
About the Authors
Wes Trochlil is president of Effective Database Management, LLC in Hamilton, VA. For more than 17 years, Wes has been helping businesses move their data management from a cost center to a revenue generator. Wes has written for and been quoted in SearchSMB.com, eWeek, Executive Update, and many other magazines, and has appeared as an expert on CRM issues on Microsoft’s non-profit TV program. You can reach Wes at wes@effectivedatabase.com or at (540) 338-9404.
David Gammel is an online media consultant who helps his clients to create value for themselves and their customers via the web. He has been quoted in the New York Times and the Washington Post, and speaks internationally to business groups. You can reach David at (410) 742-9088 or david@highcontext.com.
Anna , Brentwood, TN
InformationTechnologyCrossing is a fantastic website, and provides a lot of opportunities.
Malika , Houston, TX
The newswires on InformationTechnologyCrossing is the best thing about the site. I like to read them regularly.
Laurie , Dallas, TX
InformationTechnologyCrossing provides an excellent service. I have recommended the website to many people.
Sarah , Irving, TX
I am really pleased with the number of jobs and the quality of jobs on InformationTechnologyCrossing.
Kevin , Charleston, WV
InformationTechnologyCrossing is very easy to navigate. It is one of the simplest and at the same time most comprehensive site I have visited.
To compare InformationTechnologyCrossing with other job sites
Bring Order and Structure to Your IT Job Search
You have perseverance and can accomplish anything you put your mind to and finding the ideal IT job is no exception. We have a tradition of helping our members accomplish anything they set their mind to. With complete information about every IT job in the market at your fingertips you are going to go far.
You have very high standards for the sort of employer you are working for and also for yourself. You are not afraid to work hard to fulfill your duties because you value security and peaceful living. We give you the tools to pursue your dreams for you and your family.
Become part of a tradition of research excellence that has elevated the careers of countless IT professionals just like you.
Complete the sign up process today and become part of our site today.
Tell us where to send your access instructions:
Total Jobs on InformationTechnologyCrossing
262,358
New Information Technology Jobs This Week
72,511
Jobs on EmploymentCrossing Network Available to Our Members
Web Designer United States-OR-Merlin
The company is strongly committed to its web presence. Attractive graphics and a satisfying user experience are important parts of that goal. The ...
A Google job search may not be a preferred alternative, as all Google job descriptions are available at the Google website, and one can apply for jobs directly through Google. However, actual experiences suggest that most candidates called for interview at Google were directly contacted by a Google recruiter, and quite unexpectedly, without having ...
See Every Information Technology Job We Can Find on the Internet!
Unlike other sites, InformationTechnologyCrossing works for you and does not charge employers to post jobs and actually goes out and researches jobs for you. The jobs you see are the jobs we find for you and not the ones employers are paying us to post.
To compare InformationTechnologyCrossing with other job sites
Start doing things the way they should be done.
Make objective career decisions with unbiased research, facts and information about IT jobs. Your perseverance, follow through and dependability will all pay off when you have access to:
IT jobs from every company employer career webpage we can find.
IT jobs from every professional job source we can find.
IT jobs from every job board we can find.
IT jobs from every newspaper classified ad we can find.
IT jobs from every specialized IT publication we can find.
IT jobs from every federal, state and local government career page we can find.
IT jobs from every public interest, nonprofit and other career page we can find.
Tell us where to send your access instructions:
Today at InformationTechnologyCrossing
15,723 - Jobs found in last 24 Hours72,511 - Jobs found in last 7 Days262,358 - Total Jobs Found
Your privacy is guaranteed. We will never give out, lease, or sell your personal information.
InformationTechnologyCrossing - #1 Job Aggregation and Private Job-Opening Research Service — The Most Quality Jobs Anywhere
InformationTechnologyCrossing is the first job consolidation service in the employment industry to seek to include every job that exists and not charge employers to post jobs on its site.
InformationTechnologyCrossing uses sophisticated technology and manual work to comb employer websites and other job boards for jobs and bring them all to its site.
