| Most people will make the same decision when | | | | communications tools like work sharing programs and |
| presented with a fairly complete data set. Improve | | | | e-mails that can tie together large numbers of people |
| the information available to individuals, and they will | | | | to work on the same task without being in the same |
| make better decisions. Better profit results will follow. | | | | location at the same time. Further, many |
| One of the most significant developments of the last | | | | forward-thinking companies are beginning to deploy |
| few years has been the development of databases | | | | business intelligence on mobile devices, such as PDAs |
| that sit on top of the information systems of | | | | and cell telephones. |
| customers, suppliers, partners, and the company | | | | The traveling workforces of executives, sales people, |
| itself. Business Objects, a pioneer in business model | | | | and customer service representatives, as well as line |
| innovation, has been an important resource for | | | | workers of all kinds, can now always have business |
| making these improvements. | | | | intelligence and communications at their fingertips. |
| These data (called business intelligence) are accessible | | | | With these changes, new business models can |
| to people throughout the information ecosystem that | | | | emerge that build on human curiosity and intelligence |
| supports the business (the company, and its | | | | to allow people to "serve themselves" in a wide |
| customers, partners, and suppliers), and any business | | | | variety of markets in the same way they do now in |
| user can ask their own custom questions and get | | | | the supermarket. The rise of discount broker Charles |
| immediate answers without having to involve anyone | | | | Schwab on the Internet is a good example of this |
| from the information technology staff. This | | | | trend. |
| innovation of shielding business people from the | | | | The information that a customer can access on the |
| complexity of the back-end system while opening up | | | | Schwab Web site exceeds what a full commission |
| access to the information is helping to drive effective | | | | broker could look at only a few years ago. Schwab |
| decision-making down in an organization closer to the | | | | has used this linkage of knowledge and |
| customer, and making the company more | | | | communications to become the market leader in |
| competitive. | | | | discount brokerage, even though its trading services |
| Although the idea of doing more to empower | | | | are priced higher than many of its competitors. |
| knowledge workers has been around for awhile, only | | | | How can you apply improved information to create a |
| in the last few years have business intelligence | | | | more profitable business model? |
| solutions turned this potential into reality. | | | | Copyright 2008 Donald W. |
| This data integration then fits nicely with the new | | | | |