Infocommunications technology is developing at a fast pace. Part of this development is obvious even for ordinary people, as they see their smart phones becoming smarter and their daily tasks or entertainment are becoming increasingly based on digital channels. Other aspects of the development are less evident and are mainly dealt with by the experts of large companies and institutions, however the results have indirect impact on all of us. Just think about the consequences of so popular sharing in the social spaces for the everyday consumer without the smart background algorithms that filter and classify this enormous mass of information.
Basic task of business intelligence and analytics is on the one hand to help us understand and comprehend the operation of our world in a quicker and less expensive way, and on the other hand to ensure that the relevant information is available for the right people at the right time, way and form, no matter how complex and how quickly this world changes, and how many people have to be supplied with up-to-date information. And this is exactly the greatest challenge for the next generation of business intelligence and analytics. With the development of the infocommunications technology not only our processes are becoming more complex and diverse but more and more people have to be supplied – either directly or indirectly – with information relevant to them. In the meantime, development is also an opportunity: as more data are available, we are becoming capable of measuring, observing and analyzing more things. For today’s economy this flow of data is the same as crude oil was for the people of the XX century. Only this time, the role of the refineries is taken over by business intelligence and analytics.
In this section we are going to reveal how an intelligent society can benefit from the opportunities provided by the digital world, and what the next generation of business intelligence and analytics will be like.