Are self-service solutions driving growth in business intelligence and analytics?

 

Self-reliance can be a key tool in the business world. While it allows more flexibility, going it alone can also enable companies to make better enterprise decisions.

In terms of business intelligence and analytics, things are no different. In fact, organizations are actively looking to implement more self-service IT solutions, according to Gartner.

BI, analytics and self-service

In the research company’s Magic Quadrant report – which has a focus on business intelligence and analytics platforms and how they are being utilized – it predicts that the majority of enterprise users will have access to, and be engaging with, self-service tools by 2017, as reported by Forbes.

However, Gartner also outlined that the notion of self-reliance should be taken on board with some caution. For example, when an organization chooses to shift towards a self-service IT infrastructure, inconsistencies in any data can be harder to find without the backing and constant support of a more encompassing partnership with a vendor.

Any errors can lead to incorrect or ineffective insights, something which must be avoided if the data is to be poured into the strategic management of the enterprise.

Wider market value

The wider market for enterprise business intelligence and analytics solutions is set for a huge amount of growth over the next few years, in part due to the increased demand for more self-service centric solutions.

Figures collated by MarketsandMarkets outline that the market is currently worth US$17.9 billion, with an increase up to $26.78 billion forecast by the end of the decade. The influx of – and need for – better insights is being driven equally by big companies and small to medium enterprises, the report also suggests.

There can be little denying that the importance of business intelligence and analytics has exploded over the last few years. If companies can find ways to incorporate more self-reliance into their IT systems, without compromising on the quality of insights provided, then it appears the market will only be boosted further.