Tough times boost BI demand

The market for business intelligence (BI) tools in the Asia-Pacific region, excluding Japan, grew 7.7% in 2008 to an estimated $445.3 million, but this fell short of the double-digit growth rates recorded from 2005 to 2007, said IDC, according to ZDNet Asia.

In a press statement Wednesday, IDC said demand for BI in the region was getting a boost from organisations as employees seek access to quality information.

Sharon Tan, research manager of software research at IDC's Asia-Pacific, noted that economic uncertainties have intensified the need for timely, accurate and relevant information to make sound business decisions.

As rising labour expenses take an increasingly bigger bite out of property revenues, hotel companies are controlling the impact with BI tools that provide new visibility into operating costs and profitability, says PRWeb.

At most properties, tracking labour costs is handled by automated time and attendance systems, but calculating labour as a percentage of revenue is still primarily a manual operation.

However, automated solutions that integrate data from third-party time and attendance and property management systems are adding greater awareness of the role labour costs play across hotel groups.

IBM has unveiled a Dynamic Infrastructure Lab in Pune, India. Located at the IBM Software Lab in Pune, it showcases technologies to address clients' business challenges and aims to bring greater intelligence, automation, integration, and efficiencies, writes CIOL.

As a result, the company says, it will enable businesses and governments better respond to and manage challenges presented in a globally integrated environment.

The lab aims to help organisations deliver the visibility, control and automation needed to address quality service, manage risk and compliance besides maximising return on investments, and accelerate business growth.