IBM's new business advice

       IBM has announced the creation of a new business unti to provide consilting services to business and industry.
       Called Business Analytics and Optimisation (BAO), the new unit will draw on IBM's expertise in vertical industries, research, mathematics and information management, as well as its understanding of the consequences and outcomes of business decisions, to help clients improve both the speed and the quality of their decision-making.
       A recent survey by IBM's Institute for Business Value reported one in two business leaders said they did not have access to the information in their organisation they needed to do their job.
       With organisations facing unprecedented scrutiny, pressure and ever-shrinking margins for eroor, leaders are looking for new ways to inject certainty and predictability into their decision-making.
       The survey also showed eight out of 10 business leaders made major decisions even though information was either missing or not trusted.
       Shyam Mamidi, IBM Asean Global Business Services' line leader for business analytics and optimisation, said the BAO service brought reinforcements to the framework and supported it with information and measures to bring visibility to decisionmakers.
       The firm will offer BAO services in five primary areas: BAO strategy, business intelligence and performance management, advanced analytics and optimisation, enterprise information management and enterprise content management.
       It will also focus on various industries such as financial services, telecommunications, manyfacturing and distribution.