BI 2.0

To paraphrase the Chinese aphorism, “Be careful what you mock, it just might come true.”

A few weeks ago, I declined to invent a “soon-to-be-hackneyed phrase like BI 2.0.”  How clever! Well, it seems that multiple pundits and analysts had already beaten me to it. Here is a sampling:

• BI 2.0: Pervasive, intelligent and timely
• BI 2.0: The next generation
• Business intelligence 2.0 and enterprise decision management
• In search of insight
• Business intelligence 2.0: Simpler, more accessible, inevitable
• Gartner: It’s business intelligence 2.0 time

So what is BI 2.0 anyway? Here’s one of several definitions:

The current [BI] offerings are based on a personal, desktop-based metaphor of a one-to-one relationship between an analyst and retrospective view of information with a hoped-for direct link to decisive action, but such instances are rare. BI 2.0 is positioned to be proactive, real-time, operational and integrated with business processes that can extend beyond the firewall as easily as providing simple, personal analytical tools on an as needed basis with a minimal footprint and cost.

As with all trendy technologies, the goals of BI 2.0 are laudable but  easier said than done (much easier!). Nonetheless, “proactive, real-time, operational and integrated” sounds like music to the ears of many a user, so this buzzword might actually have some legs.  I’ll try to refrain from mocking it and give it a chance… for now.

Cheers, Tim 2.0