Quants--or quantitative analytical specialists--are in high demand by everyone from Wall Street brokerages and banks to Web 2.0 enterprises the likes of Netflix and Google. Quants leverage a variety of business intelligence tools--such as financial and accounting software packages, enterprise resource planning systems, customer relationship management applications and custom algorithms and codes--to distill raw operational data into actionable intelligence that accelerates business performance and maximizes revenue and profit potential.
While quants are heavily dependent on algorithms, advanced software tools and sophisticated mathematics, researchers point out that quantitative analysis is entirely dependent on quant specialists. Entry-level quants can earn upward of six figures. More seasoned quants in the financial and investment community are commanding compensation packages valued at $1m or more.
When most people visualize business analytics, they think of computers, software, and printouts or screens full of numbers. What they should be envisioning, however, are their fellow human beings. It is people who make analytics work and who are the scarce ingredient in analytical competition.
Source: Baseline, http://www.baselinemag.com