Business Intelligence blossoms

Business Intelligence, for companies large and small, is alive and kicking in the private sector. There are many companies offering BI tools, including SAS, SPSS, MicroStrategy and Actuate, and you will see plenty of activity in the market space this year. "Go beyond the core tools of reporting and analysis and you'll see lots of data-mining and statistical tool vendors, as well as industry-specific developers," IDC analyst Dan Vesset told InfoWorld.

While a number of big companies--such as Business Objects, Cognos and Hyperion--were acquired by SAP, Oracle and IBM, there is still room for companies to flourish and grow, says Rob Tholemeier, a former industry analyst turned private investor. As Tholmeier puts it, "Clearing out the old-timers leaves a huge vacuum for the dozens of innovative players ready to strut their stuff.'' And as companies struggle to find new ways to use the data they already have, they will continue to look for the tools to help them take the information in hand to new ways to enhance the market.

For more on the bright future for Business Intelligence:
- Check out this InfoWorld Article