Intelligent developers should get busy with business intelligence

Companies will face a skills shortfall as business intelligence requirements jump three fold in the next three years.

But the number of IT workers trained in the necessary skills will rise to meet just a fraction of demand, according to the Gartner Group.

"By 2005 the average enterprise will need three times as much analytical expertise as last year because of the volume of data they process, but the number of skilled staff will only increase to meet half that need," said Howard Dresner, vice president and research director with the Gartner Group.

And the business intelligence crisis will be further exacerbated by a misunderstanding between CEOs and IT departments on what exactly business intelligence is and how it should be used - an obstacle Dresner termed the business intelligence paradox.

"The business intelligence paradox is a dangerous force present within all enterprises& it introduces significant obstacles to the business mission," he said.