They can use those tools to eke out real competitive advantages against rivals that haven't embraced the new capabilities. Even the most advanced tools, such as those IBM developed to such powerful effect with its Watson competitor on the Jeopardy game show, are within reach of companies with $10m, $50m or $100m in annual sales. It's happening across the landscape in all industries, says Andy Monshaw, general manager of IBM's Midmarket Business, based in Somers, New York. "The only thing that is a barrier to adoption right now is the knowledge of the mid-market customers themselves," Monshaw says. "They don't yet all know that they can leverage this."

In fact, the business of selling business analytical systems to small and medium-sized enterprises is one of the hottest segments in the information technology industry.

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Keywords: Business Intelligence & Analytics, Technology, Business Strategy Alignment, Quality & Metrics, Supply Chain Analysis & Consulting, Global Supply Chain Management, IBM, Watson