Looking at the as-a-service smorgasbord, can you guess which one tops the list in terms of growth? Number one is Business Intelligence (and Analytics) as-a-Service (BIaaS).
BIaaS can trace its roots to "Big Data." Companies are striving to make sense of the ever-growing amounts of data – be it from sources such as company databases, CRM tools, and social media. Already a $12 billion market, says Gartner, business intelligence (BI) and analytics is big business – whether premises-based or in the cloud.
While this market is booming, its reach extends outside the boundaries of IT. Over half of BI deployments are occurring within business units, not IT. Interestingly, this propels IT from a procurement role to that of governance says Enterpriseappstoday.com.
Other trends Include:
BI is the number one technology priority for CIOs in 2012, says Gartner. While other projects may get sidelined, investments in BI are staying the course. Business intelligence is about data integration, data storage, data analysis, and data access for the people who need it. This growth is spurred by the demand outside of IT. The significance of this is that others outside of IT add to the team of people within organizations who can discover new information, trends, and ideas impacting real change and real profit.
BI soars in the cloud. While security remains a top concern, the move to the cloud is unstoppable. Says Forbes, cloud-based BI and analytics are expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 84 percent in just two years. There is good reason for this. The cloud is simply efficient and economical – businesses can scale quickly and analyze the largest of data troves. Updates are seamless and can be distributed.
The Cloud is creating new opportunities for IT. Contrary to the notion of job displacement, the cloud is unveiling new roles for IT, says ZDnet.com. New skills in high demand include: “private cloud developers and administrators, departmental liaisons, integration specialists, cloud architects, and compliance specialists.” In fact, the positions in cloud computing are outpacing the number of people available. Combine this with the demand for BI in the cloud, and IT is in a powerful position.
Ultimately, the opportunity lies in the ability to translate and make sense of Big Data. The biggest challenge is not managing the amount of data itself, but applying what the data can reveal and how it can impact business in a positive and profitable way.
