analytics

IBM is working with a group of universities around the world, including in Scotland, to deliver advanced business analytics training as demand increases for the skill.

Just as enterprise tech has always trickled down to smaller businesses, so too are the benefits and challenges of big data.

There's a wealth of data out there companies can use to better understand customers and identify emerging business opportunities and threats. But how to access and work with all that data? An emerging type of service called data as a service, or DaaS, promises to help.

IBM today said it was rolling out software that will help doctors and insurance companies reduce costs by better analyzing and managing huge amount of patient data.

Carrot or stick? That's the big question when it comes to emerging business-improvement technologies, such as analytics and spend management. Business improvement is the moniker I use for a category that transcends traditional "business intelligence." But whatever you call it, I believe it's how you view these areas, and how you present them to your employees, that will make all the difference in your outcome.

To get the most out of business intelligence projects, companies need a top-down commitment that permeates the entire organizational culture. At 1-800-Flowers.com, for example, achieving pervasive BI has been a 10-year commitment. Insider (registration required)

If you think the storage systems in your data center are out of control, imagine having 450 billion objects in your database or having to add 40 terabytes of data each week.

Oracle's new Big Data Appliance should appeal to enterprises looking for more efficient ways to capture, organize and analyze vast amounts of unstructured data, analysts said.

As much as I write about analytics and reporting, it never ceases to amaze me how -- with all the new, targeted tools on the market -- finance teams still love their spreadsheets.

Twitter announced its new Web Analytics service at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference on Tuesday. The product is poised to roll out to a wider audience over the next few weeks. Here's a look at what analytics for Twitter are supposed to do, and how they can benefit your company.

Elie Tahari, the upscale women's fashion brand and retail chain, has a pretty good idea which of its styles customers will want.