In the last decade, new technological developments have been added to facilitate Internet access. These developments have radically changed the computer scene. Access to the internet and from there to the web has become accessible to billions of people with a single mouse click.
The web has become a consumer product. People can "buy" internet access from various providers at competitive prices and with different performance levels.
The days when we were worried about the user interface are over. In the past, instead of developing user-friendly systems, they mainly tried to find user-friendly people for the system. Thanks to the change and transition to user-friendly and consumption-friendly interfaces, many people use computers in their private lives, not just in workplaces.
Those private users who have become accustomed to a certain ease of use on their personal computers at home have developed an expectation for the same ease of use in systems at their workplace.
Organization managers are aware of the employees' needs. They are aware that not only do they need to provide a user-friendly interface for operation, but mainly, they need to provide access to information and knowledge to the right people at the right time and the right price so that employees can make the right business decisions—the essence of business intelligence.
So, what are the changes between BI applications today and those in the past?
Access to databases through most employees' personal computers. Almost every worker in any industry today has direct or indirect access to a computer. BI systems are no longer the domain of a limited number of critical users but are adapted to different groups of users. So, employees across the organizational hierarchy can and should enjoy access to information and knowledge repositories and use them to make successful decisions.
IT workers are required to learn business terminologies and taxonomies. They are usually skilled in a large number of technologies but often do not know the business rationale behind the systems they develop. Business intelligence applications have led to a change in this approach: since information is provided not only to key users but to a wider audience of consumers, developers need to learn work processes and their interface with each group of information consumers.
IT workers are required to learn interpersonal communication. Most IT people are skilled in technology and knowledgeable in computing. This expertise sometimes creates reluctance among end users with low computer literacy. IT workers need high interpersonal skills to "read" user needs and to patiently and tolerantly guide all user groups. (Alternatively, knowledge management personnel or business representatives can be integrated into business intelligence processes. D.R.)
Visuality of BI systems. The days of green and dull user interfaces are gone. Today, when computer users are familiar with and accustomed to internet-based work environments with comfortable interfaces, organizational business intelligence systems must provide information attractively and graphically.
Ease and intuitiveness of use. "Plug and play" instead of "plug and pray" -- Users at all levels of the organization are intended to use business intelligence systems. As a result, comprehensive training and implementation processes will incur additional financial expenses that any organization would be happy to avoid. When there is a need to "learn" a new system beyond money and time, sometimes resistance is also created among employees who feel that their way of working is being changed. BI systems must be developed to be intuitive, even without training and practice.
Close milestones. Unlike in the past, when system development could take many months and sometimes even years, today, development and implementation times are fast, and milestones are close to each other.
Web-based applications. More and more people want to work on the network in a way similar to how they work in their private lives. BI applications need to support and be supported by the internet.
Unstructured and structured information. Users need access to unstructured data such as email, documents, video clips, blogs, and other multimedia-based information. Combining databases from operational information systems with multimedia repositories and unstructured information is necessary.
Mobile computing-based applications. When workers are mobile and work from different locations, they should be allowed access to systems and information from other places and thus reach the best decision when required. Many companies have already begun to adopt the approach of business intelligence applications in mobile computing for tracking orders, shipping, schedules, etc.
Pressed economy. When the economic situation is good, "better access to information" and "improving information quality" are good enough reasons to provide funding for a BI project. Today, when the economic situation is tight, the goals of BI systems have become strategy-oriented. BI projects that do not demonstrate tangible support for the organization's core business activity will not receive a green light and will not be implemented.
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