Gartner Survey Shows Disconnect Between Vision of Senior Management and the Strategy for Supporting Business Intelligence and Information Management

Business Wire, April 18, 2007

Analysts Examine Key Business Intelligence Issues During Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2007: Emerging Trends, April 22-26 in San Francisco

STAMFORD, Conn. -- A survey of global organizations showed only 10 percent of respondents reported that their business intelligence and performance management efforts were supported by a C-level executive with a direct link to the business, according to Gartner, Inc.

Gartner's survey of more than 350 global organizations in December 2006 showed the largest number of respondents (40 percent) stated that efforts were sponsored by specific executives; 25 percent said they were sponsored by an IT manager; and 25 percent indicated that they had no executive sponsor.

"Many business managers find themselves overwhelmed with a plethora of data and content, but, due to a lack of access, consistency and quality, they are unable to actually use this information to drive their business," said Betsy Burton, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner.

As a result, many business managers point to the information management infrastructure and applications as being the primary problem. However, Gartner analysts said the root problem is not an IT issue at all.

"Gaining information access, semantic consistency and quality are, first and foremost, challenges to management commitment and focus, which must be supported with appropriate technology, governance, processes and methodologies," said Ted Friedman, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner.

Between year-end 2006 and year-end 2012, Global 1000 organizations will experience a three-fold increase in data, content and application quality issues. Gartner analysts said information integrity, consistency and quality are, and will continue to be, of significant concern for most organizations in the near future.

"Without business user involvement and hard work to define common definitions, metrics and quality levels, the problem can't be solved," Ms. Burton said. "Most successful organizations focus on getting the right skills, forming a team that's business- and IT-oriented, working on semantics issues, measuring quality levels and agreeing on what's good enough and what isn't. Until companies have all that figured out, they should limit their focus and investment on technology."

"Rather than focus on technology as the 'saving grace' for information access, organizations need to think of incremental evolution," Mr. Friedman said. "The key is to start with the business objectives, and the people and processes driving the business."

Ms. Burton and Mr. Friedman will provide more detailed analysis on the business intelligence industry at the upcoming Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2007: Emerging Trends, April 22-26 at Moscone West in San Francisco. Gartner Symposium/ITxpo is the IT industry's largest and most-strategic conference, providing business leaders with a look at the future of IT. For more than 10,000 IT professionals from the world's leading enterprises, Gartner's annual Symposium/ITxpo events are key components of their annual planning efforts. Attendees rely on Gartner Symposium/ITxpo to gain insight into how their organizations can use technology to address business challenges and improve operational efficiency. For more information, please visit www.gartner.com/us/symposiumwest.com. Members of the media can register by contacting GartnerEvents@text100.com.

About Gartner

Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) delivers the technology-related insight necessary for our clients to make the right decisions, every day. Gartner serves 10,000 client organizations worldwide, including chief information officers and other senior IT executives in corporations and government agencies, as well as technology companies and the investment community. The company consists of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A., and has 3,800 associates, including 1,200 research analysts and consultants in 75 countries. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.