Digital Themes

Operations Intelligence

Operations intelligence, also referred to as operational intelligence, utilizes real time data analytics in order to gain insight into processes and activities. Operations intelligence typically uses artificial intelligence and machine learning in order to gather intelligence information and analyze large amounts of raw data. Operations intelligence can be used in a variety of ways, including for the military and for businesses.

The military relies on operational intelligence as part of any strategy. The United States Air Force has an entire career field dedicated to operations intelligence. After the completion of eight and a half weeks of basic military training, Airmen without speech disorders can join this field. As part of their jobs, they will undergo intelligence training so that they can identify usable intelligence from within raw data, such as from geospatial databases,  in order to make informed recommendations around diplomatic and combat operations. This helps ensure that all risks are minimized before any plans are finalized. However, operations intelligence is not limited only to field missions, it can also be utilized to identify important cultural aspects and to assess and protect cybernetworks.

In business settings operational intelligence acts as a kind of business intelligence that can be used to gain real time insights into various business processes and procedures. Operations intelligence is typically used in this setting in order to identify areas of inefficiencies or threats, and then to provide solutions. For example, if there are communications deficiencies that are occurring between customers and developers, rectifying the situation can help speed up development and increase customer satisfaction. By looking through large amounts of data and analyzing it automatically, operations intelligence allows for new insights that would otherwise take a large amount of time to understand.

Operations intelligence benefits businesses and organizations in a variety of ways, including:

  • Decreased time to market: By looking at data across businesses, from development to sales to customer feedback, companies can identify the best ways to increase speed. If development is hindered by lack of information from consumers, then the organization can seek out feedback from their target audience and relay it to developers for new insights and to speed up the process.

  • Improved spending analytics: Through tracking of spending and budgeting, organizations can identify areas of opportunity. If computers are having to be replaced every six months, organizations can look into what is causing the failure and identify ways to fix it, such as switching to new equipment or enrolling in product repair plans.

  • Specialized marketing: Data around sales can help organizations identify how best to market their products and services. Operations intelligence can track how sales increased or decreased depending on marketing strategies, so that only the most effective strategies are utilized going forward. With proper data gathering tools, organizations can even gain insights into who is most often purchasing from them, and then specialize their marketing to appeal to specific groups.

  • Identify obsolescence: Operations intelligence can analyze data around how often a particular software, product, or even process has been used. If something hasn’t been used for a long period of time, organizations can remove the obsolete product, software, or process in order to speed up processes or to stop paying for unnecessary software and contracts.
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