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Is BI really a part of IT?
Or has it just been handed to IT because it is technical? I just wonder how disconnected BI really is from business?
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4 Answers
BI is traditionally connected to IT teams because it WAS to technical. but today, more and more vendors are going towards "self-service" BI. That means that business users are able to drag and drop business dimensions and metrics and build their own reports or analysis.
I think that BI is and should reside very little on IT team. BI team need someone that understand business side of things and, what is often neglected, someone that knows how to represent data ("visual architect").
IMHO, This would depend on the type of organization.Some organizations are software driven, then IT is an integral part of BI, as the possibilities of the 'software' determine much of the business process. If the organization is more traditional, then BI could have less affinity with IT.
IT has the responsibility of making sure that data is accessible, normalized, and captured. Most organizations have a variety of systems that contain the same information. In too many of those organizations, the systems don't have the same vocabulary, and sometimes the business units don't have the same vocabulary either (does the sales department define "sale" in the same way that the finance group does?). It is incumbent on the IT group to facilitate the creation of a common language, then ensure that data is captured in buckets that the organization understands.
Respectfully, self service BI is meaningless if the data is not reliably and accurately available for people to utilize. IT has got to get that done first.
IMHO, IT will always have that responsibility, as well as the responsibility to provide a BI platform, either self-service or served up, that gives the business insights required.
The right BI tool should have the ease of use and functionality of the Google, or Apple applications. While the backend, development, architecture, and management of data should lie in the IT department, or outsourced IT experts, the actual BI tool is for the Business User or the “Front line soldiers” as I like to call them :) .
My expertise lies in retail/wholesale professionals so BI Users such as merchandisers, buyers, sales reps, planners, and executives are the MOST IMPORTANT GROUP when discussing BI. These are the guys/gals that will take the valuable information provided to them within their tool, on a daily basis, and make important decisions, and changes to better the organization as a whole.
The IT team needs to stick to the development and architecture regarding your BI’s user interface. Make sure that your tools functionality is simple, detailed, and comfortable for the business user, because at the end of the day the decision making rests on their shoulders.
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