Any small business owner knows that competition is tough, but he or she may not be able to pinpoint exactly what changes are needed in order to get to the top. Conducting business as usual may no longer suffice. How can small businesses identify noteworthy trends and make better decisions faster? Answer: business intelligence.
Business intelligence (BI) software is one of the most strategic investments that a business can make. Using data mining, reporting and querying, BI helps businesses understand, monitor, manage and respond to specified metrics. This type of software empowers decision-makers — and staff — to connect the dots around key business numbers in a way previously unimaginable. BI helps you figure out:
Simply put, business intelligence is the crystal ball of the 21st century.
The Cobbler’s Son Needs Shoes
Paul Lumpkin, president of Plexus Scientific Corporation — a science-and-technology consulting firm based in Alexandria, Virginia — was tasked to find a real-time reporting tool for a client. He needed a tool that could gather, store and analyze the client’s disparate, seemingly unrelated bits of corporate data to help them determine their current situation and to paint a picture of their future. No small feat.
Lumpkin not only found software to do the job but also put together a procedure for using it. However, soon after they implemented the solution, the software company that had developed the product went out of business. That was when Lumpkin decided to make lemonade. In a bold move, he purchased the failed software manufacturer simply because he believed in the product, the value of business intelligence and its results.
Lumpkin wryly recalls the period after he bought the BI company but before Plexus had started using the BI software itself. “We would suggest the software to prospective clients, and they would ask if we were using it. We decided that the cobbler’s son needed shoes, and we implemented the BI process in-house.”
He also says that companies get to a point where walking down the hall and sharing your business vision with employees just doesn’t cut it any more. “Eventually, you need to capture and communicate your strategy and put it into a format that anyone can understand,” says Lumpkin.
Before he made BI a cornerstone of the business process at Plexus, Lumpkin suspected that the company suffered from informal cliques that were almost usurping the formal business structure. He had no idea how right he was. During the implementation, management realized the informal structure really had a toehold, and it was holding them back from achieving critical goals. The “us versus them” mindset had to be rooted out before it began to cause serious damage.
No Walk in the Park
With all its benefits, implementing BI is not a simple matter. There are cultural shifts and procedural transitions that need to be kept on the radar when considering a BI rollout.
In addition, the rollout itself can take anywhere from two weeks to six months. Then there’s training and support to consider. Lumpkin advises, “Get someone in to facilitate the initial strategy session; it’s inexpensive and invaluable. And the sooner you do it the better. It’s hard to maintain a calm atmosphere when processes are in flux. So get it done.”
Lumpkin also notes that while he thought he had a handle on Plexus’ business strategy, he soon found out otherwise. Putting the new strategy into plain English took a lot more effort than originally thought. The company started out with what appeared to be 16 solid goals, but at the completion of the BI strategy session many of the goals couldn’t pass muster. Plexus wrapped up the review process with nine tight, clear goals effectively cutting their areas of focus almost in half.
The Silver Lining
Although there were plenty of surprises in rolling out their BI initiative, Lumpkin reports Plexus has, “increased in size by 50 percent over the past couple of years.”
He also notes that company divisions are working together in a way they never had before. “The new level of understanding that divisions have about each other is amazing,” says Lumpkin. The result is that Plexus delivers better organizational planning services and can help clients develop even better solutions.
Additionally, Plexus has increased both its level of sophistication and its capability to secure results from management. “Today everyone is concerned with ROI — the return on investment. At Plexus we’re concerned with ROM — the return on management. In a world where talented managers are as scarce as hen’s teeth, you need to maximize the return on your management’s time,” says Lumpkin.
Other Players
Major player SAS has realized the value of the small business market and offers its product, Enterprise BI Server. SAS is a giant company that provides services for big businesses, hence the word “enterprise” in the product name. However, SAS does serve small companies, using parts of the same software they offer big companies.
“We provide solutions that help companies tackle the most difficult business decisions they face. They need to have a better forward-looking view of their business. Which is why we offer software that is available in components so that small businesses can tackle what they need to focus on first,” says SAS Lead BI Strategist, Christina McKeon.
However, a section of a Web site does not a committed small business vendor make. Ali Jani of Everest Software, Inc, feels that his company has a bead on the small business market. “With over 3,500 customers using Everest’s BI software every day, our product was specially built for the small business market in 1994 and we’re devoted to making improvements as necessary,” he says.
While McKeon says the SAS solution “works well for basically any company type,” Jani notes that “Everest works best for companies that have anywhere from 10 to 75 employees.”
Jani sums up the reality facing many small businesses. “The market has forced small businesses to act like big businesses. Doing status quo business no longer works, and Internet advances provide increased opportunities. Small businesses have to either invest in a BI solution or suffer and limit their growth.”
Lena L. West is the CEO of xynoMedia Technology. XynoMedia helps small businesses that are tired of technology being a pain in the assets. You can reach her at contact@xynoMedia.com. This article was first published on SmallBusinessComputing.com.
Ethics and Artificial Intelligence: Driving Greater Equality
FEATURE | By James Maguire,
December 16, 2020
AI vs. Machine Learning vs. Deep Learning
FEATURE | By Cynthia Harvey,
December 11, 2020
Huawei’s AI Update: Things Are Moving Faster Than We Think
FEATURE | By Rob Enderle,
December 04, 2020
Keeping Machine Learning Algorithms Honest in the ‘Ethics-First’ Era
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | By Guest Author,
November 18, 2020
Key Trends in Chatbots and RPA
FEATURE | By Guest Author,
November 10, 2020
FEATURE | By Samuel Greengard,
November 05, 2020
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | By Guest Author,
November 02, 2020
How Intel’s Work With Autonomous Cars Could Redefine General Purpose AI
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | By Rob Enderle,
October 29, 2020
Dell Technologies World: Weaving Together Human And Machine Interaction For AI And Robotics
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | By Rob Enderle,
October 23, 2020
The Super Moderator, or How IBM Project Debater Could Save Social Media
FEATURE | By Rob Enderle,
October 16, 2020
FEATURE | By Cynthia Harvey,
October 07, 2020
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | By Guest Author,
October 05, 2020
CIOs Discuss the Promise of AI and Data Science
FEATURE | By Guest Author,
September 25, 2020
Microsoft Is Building An AI Product That Could Predict The Future
FEATURE | By Rob Enderle,
September 25, 2020
Top 10 Machine Learning Companies 2021
FEATURE | By Cynthia Harvey,
September 22, 2020
NVIDIA and ARM: Massively Changing The AI Landscape
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | By Rob Enderle,
September 18, 2020
Continuous Intelligence: Expert Discussion [Video and Podcast]
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | By James Maguire,
September 14, 2020
Artificial Intelligence: Governance and Ethics [Video]
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | By James Maguire,
September 13, 2020
IBM Watson At The US Open: Showcasing The Power Of A Mature Enterprise-Class AI
FEATURE | By Rob Enderle,
September 11, 2020
Artificial Intelligence: Perception vs. Reality
FEATURE | By James Maguire,
September 09, 2020
Datamation is the leading industry resource for B2B data professionals and technology buyers. Datamation's focus is on providing insight into the latest trends and innovation in AI, data security, big data, and more, along with in-depth product recommendations and comparisons. More than 1.7M users gain insight and guidance from Datamation every year.
Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on Datamation and our other data and technology-focused platforms.
Advertise with Us
Property of TechnologyAdvice.
© 2025 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved
Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this
site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives
compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products
appear on this site including, for example, the order in which
they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies
or all types of products available in the marketplace.