ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In the current information-driven society and increasingly digitalized world, Gartner, Inc. says that sentiments are shifting from the economics of tangible assets to the economics of information — "infonomics" — and other intangible assets.
Infonomics is the theory, study and discipline of asserting economic significance to information. It strives to apply both economic and asset management principles and practices to the valuation, handling and deployment of information assets.
In the book "Infonomics, How to Monetize, Manage and Measure Information as an Asset for Competitive Advantage," Douglas Laney, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner, explains how chief data officers (CDOs) and other information and analytics leaders can help their organizations become more info savvy.
Mr. Laney is discussing some of the key findings from the book at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo, being held here through October 5. He will be holding a book signing during Gartner Symposium/ITxpo on Wednesday, October 4 from 1 to 2 p.m. ET and 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. ET in the EXP Lounge (Spotlight Center) in the Central Pavilion of the ITxpo.
"Traditionally, information managers have had a limited view of how they can help business leaders generate value from information, mainly focusing on operational and analytical benefits," said Mr. Laney. "Businesses that measure information's productive utility can make more intelligent investments in information-related initiatives, among other benefits. Infonomics provides the framework business needs to value information, manage it and measure it as a real asset."
Monetize: The trend to recognize and take advantage of information's unique economic characteristics is still in the early adoption phase, and is therefore a competitive differentiator. Organizations broadly monetizing their information assets by using them to reinvent, digitalize or eliminate existing business processes, products and services can readily outstrip their rivals. Yet many information and business leaders lack the experience and methods to monetize information in a wide variety of ways, thereby leaving much of it underutilized.
Manage: To date, no widely accepted set of principles and practices exists for managing information as an actual asset. Yet, domains outside of enterprise information management (EIM) and even outside of IT have long benefited from sets of detailed, well-honed asset management methods and standards. Rather than creating information asset management procedures from scratch, data and analytics leaders, including CDOs, should adopt and adapt practicable concepts from these other domains for improved information asset governance, availability and utility.
Measure: Most organizations lack any reliable way to determine the potential and realized value of their information assets — merely because information is not a recognized balance sheet asset. Even so, CIOs, CDOs and even CFOs should adopt information asset valuation methods to justify and prove information-related investments, spur information-based innovation, and foster an information-driven culture. Valuation approaches can include gauging information's quality characteristics, business relevancy and impact on business functions, along with its cost, market value or impact on expense savings or revenue streams.
"CIOs, CDOs and business executives need to ask themselves how their organization expects to survive, let alone thrive, in the Information Age without treating information as an actual asset," said Mr. Laney.
"Infonomics, How to Monetize, Manage and Measure Information as an Asset for Competitive Advantage," is available on Amazon and other booksellers. For other books by Gartner analysts, please visit www.gartner.com/books.
About Gartner Symposium/ITxpo
Gartner Symposium/ITxpo is the world's most important gathering of CIOs and senior IT leaders, uniting a global community of CIOs with the tools and strategies to help them lead the next generation of IT and achieve business outcomes. More than 23,000 CIOs, senior business and IT leaders worldwide will gather for the insights they need to ensure that their IT initiatives are key contributors to, and drivers of, their enterprise's success.
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Upcoming dates and locations for Gartner Symposium/ITxpo include:
October
23-26, Sao Paulo, Brazil
October
30-November 2, Gold Coast, Australia
October
31-November 2, Tokyo, Japan
November
5-9, Barcelona, Spain
November
13-16, Goa, India
About Gartner
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE:IT) is the world's leading research and advisory company. The company helps business leaders across all major functions in every industry and enterprise size with the objective insights they need to make the right decisions. Gartner's comprehensive suite of services delivers strategic advice and proven best practices to help clients succeed in their mission-critical priorities. Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, USA, and has more than 13,000 associates serving clients in 11,000 enterprises in 100 countries. For more information, visit gartner.com.