COMMENT: Exercising power of information

Sep 3 2009 by Justin Short, The Journal

INFORMATION is power. It’s a cliche by which history's greatest leaders have stood and it's as true today as it ever was.

During the Second World War, Winston Churchill knew Coventry was about to be blitzed but allowed it to happen.

He knew that if he had moved to prevent it, the Nazis would have known their coded messages were being intercepted – and broken – by the Allies.

It was an incredible bluff, and one which almost certainly contributed to the overall victory.

You can’t imagine what was going through Churchill’s mind, but he used the information at his disposal to make the sort of tough decision which really counts in an emergency.

The recession is another such crisis in which it would be all too easy to lose our heads and forget to keep our sights trained on what is most important, as careful analysis of what’s in front of us is still crucial.

At my business, Rocket Solutions, we know only too well how powerful information can be.

Used correctly, it can have an astonishing impact on a business, enhancing productivity and increasing efficiency.

Of course, not everyone can take stock and make the right decisions in the same way that Churchill could.

Using data properly, to analyse and tackle weaknesses in any organisation, can be difficult in the heat of the moment.

Luckily, help is at hand. Technologies exist that can present businesses with the evidence they need, giving them an at-a-glance guide to exactly what’s happening, removing the ‘difficult’ part of any difficult decisions.

By implementing technologies such as business intelligence, firms can gather, store and analyse data efficiently to ensure that their strategies are executed as effectively as possible.

Making the right business decisions now can only help ensure the region’s economy is in the best possible shape when the recovery begins – and I’m sure Britain’s greatest ever leader would approve.

Justin Short is the managing director of Rocket Solutions, which specialises in business intelligence, performance management and enterprise portals