SAS Launches BI Competency Center Program

At the BetterManagement LIVE Worldwide Business Conferencein Las Vegas, SAS announced its new global Business Intelligence Competency Center (BICC) program.

Designed to help organizations create a cohesive enterprise intelligence strategy for better decision making, the program will offer a comprehensive mix of services that will empower organizations to maximize their investments in BI technology and strengthen their competitive advantage.

"A comprehensive suite of service offerings has been developed by SAS Consulting and SAS partners to help our customers develop and own a BICC unique to their organizational culture, industry and business needs," says Patricia Whitaker, strategic programs director, Customer Solutions & Alliances at SAS.

"A BICC enables an organization to coordinate and complement existing efforts, while reducing redundancy and increasing effectiveness," continues Whitaker. "The centralization of these efforts ensures that information and best practices are communicated and shared through the entire organization so that everyone can benefit from successes and best practices."

A BI Competency Center, a permanent, formal organizational structure consisting of representatives from both business and IT, seeks to advance and promote the effective use of business intelligence to support the organization’s business strategy.

Implementing an enterprise BI Competency Center provides multiple benefits, including:

• Heightened credibility and confidence in enterprise information.
• Increased use of business intelligence throughout the organization.
• Accelerated and effective decision making.
• Optimization of resources and decreased cost.
• Innovation of business processes through technology.

"SAS’ presence in the business intelligence industry is strong and growing. As a company, SAS has gone to great lengths to meet the needs of its various users, whether they’re business analysts or IT managers. The BI Competency Center consulting services SAS has put together take that customer service concept to a whole new level and provide a critical framework for companies that really want to take full advantage of all that data at their fingertips."
– Claudia Imhoff, Ph.D., president and founder of Intelligent Solutions, a leading consultancy on CRM and BI technologies and strategies

"Establishing a Business Intelligence Competency Center enables organizations to maximize their investments in BI technology and strengthen their competitive advantage. As a member of the SAS Alliance Program, Deloitte is ready to complement SAS’ BI technology with comprehensive organizational services to assist our customers in developing and optimizing their unique BI Competency Centers."
– Rich Cohen, principal and leader of Deloitte Consulting LLP's alliance with SAS