Allyson Arthur
Kelsey Fenstermacher
Professor Kline
December 1, 2014
Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence is an evolving technology that has changed the way businesses
make decisions. With Business Intelligence corporate executives and all other users of this
software have seen a boost in their performance as a company. Business Intelligence is changing
the way people in the world do business, this technology will be the future of business decision
making.
The textbook definition of Business Intelligence defines it as a combination of software
tools and techniques that help users make better business decisions (Laudon 46). In other words
this is a software program that takes all the data that the business collects and then pulls out
information from this data that people would not be able to see. This software uses a
combination of tools, applications and methodologies that collect the data, analyze it, and create
reports and visualizations. These results are then taken and used to make better decisions, but
Business Intelligence is not just used to for better decision making in fact the software has a
number or different uses. Business intelligence can help to optimize internal business processes,
increase operational efficiency, drive new revenues, give a business a competitive advantage
over their competitors, and even spot trends in the market (Search Data Managment). This
program although expensive provides businesses with a number or different and very valuable
uses.
Since Business Intelligence systems are so functional, it is used on all levels of
management. Management information systems serves middle management specifically. MIS
offers summaries and reports on a company’s fundamental operations. For senior level
management, executive support systems would be useful. It reports on uncommon issues that
requires evaluation and assessment (Rouse). No matter which facet of a business you are
involved in Business Intelligence can be utilized because it helps organize, analyze and provides
access to data that help businesses make more informed decisions. Business intelligence is not
limited to levels of management. Businesses use it to track payroll, analyze data, and forecast
future plans.
Although Business Intelligence is a popular software program used among many Fortune
500 companies, these are not the only type of organizations that have been able to make use of
