Managers try to embrace Analytics in their daily life not only because of the need for improved organizational performance but also to obtain a competitive advantage.

Today, with huge databases and a plethora of software tools and methodologies, the question is: How Business Analytics can be used to Drive Better Decisions? Thanks to modern analytics solutions, such as IBM, SAS and others, developers and business analysts are now able to focus on extracting meaning from data, rather than just focusing on getting that data into shape.

Organizations are beginning to embrace the value that analytics can drive the business to become more efficient and more effective. Management has started associating tangible monetary benefits to analytics.

Although business analytics may provide more value to organizations than other technology enabled business initiatives, it is also more challenging to execute. Even if the business analytics path is very challenging, it also promises large payoffs for those who can succeed.

Professionals today can take decisions in minutes instead of hours or days making them more effective and efficient. Even more, with Real Time analytics, things that in the past were not achievable today are feasible.

Key challenges will be discussed but also some lessons that can be drawn from other business innovations.

Some of the topics that will be discussed in the panels of the forum are:
  • How Wal-Mart uses Business Analytics in Marketing, Merchandising, Operations and Supply Chain departments?
  • Big Data is the next frontier for innovation, competition and productivity. How a company can combine a massive amount of data and provide unprecedented value with the power of Business Analytics?
  • How businesses can use effectively and efficiently the plethora of Business Analytic tools and methodologies?
  • Best practices in Business Analytics by Industry Leaders
  • Having analytical capabilities and the best data, can someone create competitive advantage?
  • What is the role of Business Analytics in the Health Industry? How can be used to increase business performance?
  • After a company has invested in Business Analytic Tools, how does it move to the next level?
  • What are the steps someone needs to take to build an analytics capability and improve business decisions?
  • Customers become more and more difficult in the loyalty aspect thus loving a brand becomes more difficult. How can a company use BA tools to increase loyalty?
  • How can you improve customer retention, cross-sell and up-sell using Social Network Analysis?
  • How can Marketers understand relative effectiveness of communications within different networks and target customers based on social influence and changes within their social communities?
  • How to uncover the unknown customer behavioral patterns through Social Media!
  • What are the difficulties to apply Business Analytics in the Insurance Industry and what are the differences with the other sectors (Telcos, Banking or Retail) of the markets using Bas?
  • Is there any approach by using Business Analytic Tools for an analyst to find behavioral patterns exploring other data repositories like demographics and life stages in the Insurance Industry?
  • How someone can compare “what-if” scenarios and predict potential threats and opportunities to plan, budget and forecast resources?
  • How can the energy companies use modern meter data management processes? How can they use tools to mine data, solve problems and save money?