Business Analytics vs. BI

In this podcast I found that covered multiple issues the panel discusses the difference between business analytics vs. business intelligence. Most of the panel agreed that BA is part of BI. One of the panelists stated that BA is mostly reporting systems where as BI is more complex and encompasses the following:
Software/Algorithms
Processes
Information
They discuss that more and more companies are using the term Beyond BI in their marketing. Most of the panel stated that they felt that this was marketing hype and that most BA companies want to differentiate their products from the rest of the competition. They felt that this type of marketing has created a confusion on the concepts and that BI might not be a perfect terminology but it helps encompass the overall concepts.

BI & the Cloud

I found a podcast called BI in the Cloud -Lower Cost, Faster Deployment, the panel on the podcast discusses where BI solutions can fit in cloud computing. Most of the panel stated that it was a perfect fit, that you get the benefits of the cloud without traditional hosting. One of the panelists states that any program that has cyclical or dynamic capacity fits well with the cloud because you only pay for what you use. Also you can amp up the cloud during heavy pattern periods and amp it down during slow periods. The podcast also discusses security and the panelists state that any security that you can implement withing a traditional hosting system you can also implement the same system on the cloud. It will be interesting to see if companies look to this technology or stick to the traditional systems.

Open Source and BI

I found this podcast called The Evolution of Open Source and Implications for BI, in the podcast they talk about how open sourcing has come a long way and the quality of applications has drastically improved. They mention that open source is delivering the same value as the big company applications with 90% of the development for 10% of the cost. This in turn becomes a safer bet for companies that are already on tight budgets. they state that because open source applications are simpler and modular deliver resources faster. They state that open source is not a either or solution that these applications or solutions can be used in tandem with big company products. The biggest reason they state that open source BI is catching on is because of ease of intergration with current systems and the community collaboration aspect that can create more solutions quicker that other users are running into. This community enhances collaboration more than any single vendor could. Another reason they state open source BI is catching on is because the products available will grow with a company, also that Open Source BI was the first to integrate BI solutions with google maps and create mobile solutions for companies. It will be interesting to see if open source networks can put a dent into major vendors new users considering the state of the current economy.

BPM

I found a podcast with a interview with Dagmar Klaassen a solution specialist for Cognos. Klaassen talks about how this product creates better performance measurement in a organization. It answers three questions:
How am I doing? (Dashboards)
What am I doing? (Analysis)
What Will I do going forward? (Planning)
Klaassen states that this product helps to create standardization within a organization through consolidation and creating a single version of the truth.

Mobile BI

In this video with CEO of Business Objects, he talks about the new advantages and ability of mobile BI. He atates that the mobile applications help to make actionable decisions in real time, this relates to the BAM of being to act now rather than wait and see approach. check out the video interview below

Reality Mining

I found this MIT project called reality mining in which they take cell phone activity and use that information to predict peoples activity. Pretty crazy stuff here is a snipet from the site
"The original Reality Mining experiment is one of the largest mobile phone projects attempted in academia. Our research agenda takes advantage of the increasingly widespread use of mobile phones to provide insight into the dynamics of both individual and group behavior. By leveraging recent advances in machine learning we are building generative models that can be used to predict what a single user will do next, as well as model behavior of large organizations.

We have captured communication, proximity, location, and activity information from 100 subjects at MIT over the course of the 2004-2005 academic year. This data represents over 350,000 hours (~40 years) of continuous data on human behavior. Such rich data on complex social systems have implications for a variety of fields."

BAM

I found this video on Business activity monitoring(BAM) where the interviewee Chris Brakel from microsoft ebusiness describes the difference between business intrelligence and business activity monitoring. This is a really good clarification and shows some really good examples of BAM in action.