B
ness partners,most ofwhich is trapped in data warehouses.They seek to harness it and
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use it to inform better decision making,financial management and customer service.
What they do not realize is that,even ifthey were able to meet this goal,they would
merely have caught up with yesterday.The information frontier is moving forward
quickly,opening up incredibly rich streams ofnew information sources
and formats and dramatically increasing the technical ability to man-
age them.Forward-looking companies must stay ahead ofthat curve.
Consider an everyday example.More than 30 million packages are
delivered globally by courier services every business day.All too often,the recipient
isnít there to receive the package when it arrives,which is frustrating for him,the
sender and the courier.The problem is that packages are directed to a physical loca-
tion,which is static,but the intended recipient is mobile.Yet with information and
technology available today,the delivery ìaddressîcould be a person who could be
found in real time,anywhere.
How would that work? Imagine that a delivery company had access to your
electronic appointments calendar and could locate you using the Global
Positioning System via your vehicle or cell phone ó with your permis-
sion,ofcourse.The company could notify you ofan imminent delivery
and ask ifa courier should bring your package directly to you right away,leave it at
Organizations are
another location,or reschedule delivery for a more convenient time and place.
Depending on your choice,you might ìsignîfor the package,by verifying your iden-
increasingly able to
tity through a smart card or a thumbprint.This kind ofdelivery would be a highly per-
gather and process