Business intelligence tools can bring a host of advantages to companies, but IT shops must first ensure that the technology is accepted by business users, said a panel of IT executives at the Microsoft Business Intelligence Conference.
Panelists noted that IT managers continue to face several obstacles in efforts to convince users of the merits of BI, including difficulties showing a return on investment.
Despite such challenges, Randy Benz, CIO at Energizer Holdings Inc., says the St. Louis-based battery maker turned to Microsoft BI tools several years ago when its stock price stumbled. The tools helped the company make better decisions, which in turn helped boost its stock price to the $100-per-share level today, he said.
"My passion for this process grew from that," Benz says. "We in IT have a very important role in terms of getting information in front of [users] so they can make better decisions."
But Benz also acknowledges that IT employees must work hard even today to convince users of BI's benefits. Some users still "don't realize the power" of BI technology, he says.
Source: BPM Today, http://www.bpm-today.com