There is little doubt that information is a potential strategic asset in almost all companies – and there also little doubt, that it is rarely treated as such. As the many pressures of the information age increase, we predict a critical need for companies to raise their maturity in Information Management. However the journey from a world of uncontrollable data growth, poor data quality and fragmented reporting solutions towards strategic Information Management is multifaceted and challenging.

Companies in the Nordic region are often recognized as being on the forefront of this journey. Apparently we have the world’s highest spend on Business Intelligence and Data Warehouse tools, and we seem to be early adopters of related disciplines such as Performance Management and Master Data Management. Never-the-less I am sure that you agree, that we have a long way to go and a lot to learn, which is why we believe that this annual knowledge-sharing event is of great value to everybody working with information in the IT department as well as in the business.

The previous years the event has gathered several hundred delegates and received extremely positive evaluations. This year we have been able to put together the most ambitious program yet. I am proud to say that we have:

• 5 tracks with a total of 50 presentations ranging from quite technical to very business focused
• More than 20 companies and public institutions presenting their real-life experiences
• Speakers from 10 different countries
• Sponsors and speakers from the whole industry to make this an event with no particular vendor bias
• An impressive collection of global thought-leaders including Frank Buytendijk, Michael Coveney, Stephen Brobst, Mike Ferguson and - last but not least - Howard Dresner, who actually coined the term Business Intelligence back in 1989

I hope that you will join us to help make IM2008 the largest and most inspiring Information Management conference in northern Europe. The conference provides a unique annual opportunity to learn from the experts and network with your peers.

Best regards

Michael Borges, CEO, Platon