Business intelligence vs. Business analytics: Objectives and key differences

Businesses can adapt and choose from different marketing tactics and strategies to help foster development and sales generation in their operations.

However, like how organizations study the right marketing plan that fits their services, they struggle to understand Business intelligence vs. Business analytics. 

These two are vital in helping leaders find the most applicable data-driven software tools and talents that can help deliver business growth and development. 

Business intelligence vs. Business analytics: An overview

Business intelligence and business analytics confuse many company professionals about their use and purpose. Some argued about their definitions and that their concepts are subsets of each other.

To help us understand their uses more clearly, let us first define both terms.

What is business intelligence?

With the word intelligence itself, business intelligence is a set of applicable data and information that aims to supervise daily business operations.

Heads of businesses deal with various intelligence tools with the help of expert professionals to gather relevant data. These sets of information are mostly about operational challenges, work dynamics, reports, and business advantages, to help achieve their goals.

Most intelligence tools include software and systems, like spreadsheets, analytical processing in digital, reporting, and monitoring software. 

These help many businesses to leverage industry challenges and navigate organizational targets toward transformational growth.

What is business analytics?

Business analytics is more inclined to statistical-based approaches. It uses quantitative tools that forecast and envision future innovative strategies for business development. 

While business intelligence can tell us the current insights and movement of customers, business analytics help us define the future dynamics of the customers using the following tools: 

• Correlational and regression analysis 
• Forecasting and factoring analysis
• Text and image analysis

It led some experts to redefine business analytics as the term for a set of forecasting tools used with the compass of business intelligence. With its complexity, many companies outsource talents to master the science of data analysis.

Business intelligence vs. Business analytics: Shared objectives

Despite its interchanging use in business, there are also common factors that made these two very close to each other. Both significantly contribute to the operation of various firms, leading to their success. 

Organizational growth and business development

As elaborated, business intelligence and business analytics have different approaches. However, the end goal of these concepts is highly centered on helping organizational leaders take clear actions toward growth and development. 

Tools for both concepts provide reliable data and information, which translates conclusions and recommendations as a basis for taking innovative strategies.

Use of data interpretation, analysis, and observation 

Another shared objective is the ability of business intelligence and business analytics to use data interpretation, analysis, and observation. These actions help identify which areas in operation need focus and improvement.

Both approaches equip businesses with information that sets clear direction. It helps determine what actions and future challenges might arise as the company expands and explores future developments.

Business intelligence vs. Business analytics: Key differences

Given their shared objectives, we cannot deny the difference between the two in their applicability and purpose. These differences will help you determine what approach is best for your business:

Focus of information and data analytics 

The focus of business intelligence is rooted in historical and current data to give a picture of what has happened in the past compared to what is happening now. 

It associates with the questions “what” and “how,” identifying the factors that work and what areas need to be improved.

Business analytics is composed of predictive analytics through methods of data mining. It determines and forecasts the future of the business in the industry. It answers the question “why,” making more reliable predictions for the future. 

Language and business trends

Business analytics recorded more applicability than business intelligence. It shows in the number of Google searches found for business analytics. 

It resulted in some experts considering business analytics as an umbrella term, not just a commonly used one to describe statistical and predictive tools. The significant need for data science and analytics led to an increase in the hiring of data scientists and engineers for many companies.

Age and size of the organization 

The age and size of the organization serve as indicators of whether a business intelligence or analytical approach is applicable. 

Business intelligence is more applicable in smaller organizations with limited resources to hire staff with a background in data science. They want to utilize corporate and business data to improve processes and set appropriate development plans.

The age of an organization also impacts a leader’s decision to use intelligence or analytics tools. Brands that are new or have recently undergone changes are more inclined to use business analytics for predictions.

Leveraging business intelligence and business analytics

By knowing Business intelligence vs. Business analytics shared objectives and differences, your company can determine which best suits your business needs. 

It will vary depending on the organization’s capability to provide and conform to the requirements of the approaches. But the most important thing is the reliability and weight of its outcomes.

In this regard, Arcanys can play a crucial role in assisting organizations in optimizing their business analytics strategies. This firm can ensure that businesses can fully harness the potential of data-driven insights for business growth.

Business intelligence and business analytics are vital measures to constantly bring change and development to business, considering the ever-changing trends and systems in the global market.