2011 INFORMS Annual Meeting
Charlotte, NC
The Evolution of Analytics
Keith Collins
Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, SAS
Disciplines like operations research, statistics, forecasting and econometrics have distinct roots and continue to develop in their own right - in research and academia. In practice it's increasingly recognized that they have grown together, producing a hybrid known as "business analytics." INFORMS has endorsed and embraced this trend through its actions and in its mission statement. What is propelling the business analytics trend, what problems does it seek to address, and where is it going? Business analytics have evolved steadily over the past several decades, adapting to address changing needs and incorporate new technologies. Collins will step listeners back in time to better understand where we are now. As computational advances and the corresponding data deluge present ongoing challenges, Collins will lead us toward the future with insights into the tremendous opportunities these changes herald for all of us.
Keith Collins, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at SAS, is part of the executive team which drives corporate technology strategies for SAS® solutions. He is responsible for leading Research & Development, Information Services and Technical Support. He led the effort to develop SAS®9, the breakthrough platform that is redefining business analytics. A graduate of North Carolina State University, Collins is a founding member of the advisory board for the university's computer science department and holds a seat on the Friends of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.