At its annual Information on Demand Global Conference, IBM announced a broad expansion of its business analytics portfolio with new capabilities that enable clients to drive business analytics and optimization using trusted information for faster, more accurate and smarter business decisions.

In the recent IBM Global CIO Study, 83 percent of respondents identified business intelligence and analytics -- the ability to see patterns in vast amounts of data and extract actionable insights -- as the way they will enhance their organizations' competitiveness.

To help clients use business analytics, IBM is aggressively expanding its multi-billion dollar investment in this area.

The offerings include:

New analytics software for sales, talent management and procurement. These preconfigured applications help organizations improve business performance by providing ready-made reporting and analysis capabilities so they can gain faster insight from information more cost effectively than if they were to build it themselves.

New content analytics software that will help employees more easily access and analyze structured and unstructured data, such as email and blogs, to drive smarter decisions based on external and internal insights.

Enhanced stream computing technology that enables organizations to make sense of structured and unstructured information stored in data warehouses and process it in real time.

New master information hub software that makes it easy for clients to go beyond the preconfigured data categories offered by traditional master data management products. 

IBM also announced new offerings that support IBM's Smart Archive strategy that enables clients to effectively manage structured and unstructured information. Businesses can apply analytics to stored information, extracting key content as business needs arise, regardless of the storage location.

Last year, IBM introduced 18 industry-specific workshops and services to help clients establish a cross-enterprise strategy called Information Agenda for using information as a strategic asset. In the past 12 months nearly 500 companies, including Lufthansa Cargo, have participated in these workshops with IBM vertical industry experts. Formed in 1994, Lufthansa Cargo is one of the largest freight carriers in international aviation, handling over 1.76 million tons of cargo and mail each year across a network spanning more than 500 destinations worldwide. Part of Lufthansa's objective is to maintain a competitive edge in a highly contested market. With business analytics technology using IBM Cognos BI, Lufthansa is now able to carefully manage their global delivery chain, accurately monitoring transportation times, measuring quality of service, identifying and correcting trouble spots, and tracking overall performance trends.

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