Business Intelligence Usage in Europe and North America

Information has an intrinsic value that yields higher returns the more it is leveraged, shared, and
managed - just like financial or human capital. Forward-thinking organizations recognize that in order
to transform their business, they must treat enterprise data as an investment, and the highest returns
often come when information is deployed to large numbers of people.

A number of businesses are already proving this today through innovative business intelligence (BI)
applications. For example :

 Ace Hardware shares relevant information with all of its stakeholders - from store managers,
field staff, and professionals in finance and marketing, to customers, franchisees, retail partners,
and suppliers - to enhance decision-making, improve vendor performance, and increase the
effectiveness of merchandising programs

 U.S. Bank delivers vital information to more than one million business clients, helping them to
monitor debit, Visa, and MasterCard transaction data online to better track corporate spending

 La Caixa Bank, Spain’s largest savings bank, has grown its small-to-midsize business (SMB)
customer base by nine percent in just 10 months, and increased the profitability of that segment
from 10 percent to 16 percent, by providing staff at 5,000 branch locations with data that helps
them to identify clients with the greatest likelihood of purchasing certain products so they can
develop more targeted campaigns

 Ford saves $60 million each year by letting 14,000 dealers, warranty specialists, and warranty
consultants see how well they stack up to others in warranty claims and related repair costs

 ThyssenKrupp, a leading materials manufacturer, strategically leverages information to support
a major purchasing initiative, giving staff greater visibility into purchasing operations to increase
productivity and accountability, and achieve economies of scale through consolidation and other
cost-cutting measures

So, what’s the problem ? According to a recent study conducted by IDG Research Services and
Information Builders, the way companies think they need to deploy BI is quite different from the way
they actually do. Although companies realize that they need to make it available to as many people
as possible, they are only rolling out advanced BI capabilities to executives and senior managers.
Frontline workers, as well as customers and partners, are left struggling to access the vital information
they need to drive better business performance and greater competitive advantage. As a result,
organizations may be failing to reach the full potential of their BI investments.

The goal of the study was to assess the current mindset towards information assets, and to learn more
about how today’s businesses are approaching information management. The results demonstrated
that the majority of companies are well aware of the importance of leveraging enterprise information
management (EIM) and analytics to align strategy and resources, enhance business performance, and
improve customer relationships.

Three-quarters of respondents agree that their organizations use information to align strategic goals with
day-to-day operations, but only 58 percent are empowering all employees with the data they need to make
effective decisions.

However, the survey also highlights the fact that most businesses have yet to tap into the full
potential of their business intelligence and analytics solution investments. Substantial disconnects still
exist between BI investments and more pervasive deployments, hindering the success of information management strategies. Given the importance of vital, timely information in strategic
planning and tactical decision-making, those disconnects have the potential to negatively impact
business performance in a big way.