This IDC study provides insights into drivers and inhibitors for the business analytics services market. A forecast for the worldwide business analytics services market is presented for 2006-2010.

"The business analytics services market will be increasingly impacted by trends toward consolidation of software features and delivery of application services in the context of a business process," said Brian McDonough, research manager, Business Analytics. "Business analytics software vendors must consider the threat of external competition real and create strategies to deal with trends toward greater consolidation of software functions and unified access and management of structured and unstructured data. In the meantime, the business analytics services market will generate significant revenue with growth in the high single digits overall and double-digit growth rates in markets associated with solving specific business problems."