According to a report by the McKinsey Global Institute, the United States alone could face a shortage of 1.5 million managers and analysts with the knowledge of how to use the analysis of big data to make effective decisions by 2018.
A business analyst is an expert who has the skills and knowledge in both business analytics and data sciences, and understands the business needs and IT resources. Successful business analysts have multiple roles, such as to be clear communicators, smooth facilitators, precise analyzers, and team players. Also, the ideal analyst has the versatility of various business functions, such as operations, finance, engineering, technology or architecture.
In other words, business analysts are a bridge that connects each department throughout every step of development. Business analysts can make things all happen more efficiently and effectively. So what do business analysts do? Business analysts typically take the lead role in:
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- The analyst works with the business to identify opportunities for improvement in business operations and processes
- The analyst is involved in the design or modification of business systems or IT systems
- The analyst interacts with the business stakeholders and subject matter experts in order to understand their problems and needs
- The analyst gathers, documents, and analyzes business needs and requirements
- The analyst solves business problems and, as needed, designs technical solutions
- The analyst documents the functional, and sometimes technical, design of the system
- The analyst interacts with system architects and developers to ensure the system is properly implemented
- The analyst may help test the system and create system documentation and user manuals
Now you might want to know how much does a business analyst make. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, take a look at these job titles and average salaries, for a variety of business analyst jobs:
| Job Title | Average Annual Salary |
| Information Security Analyst | $92,600 |
| Computer Systems Analyst | 87,220 |
| Management Analyst | $81,330 |
| Financial Analyst | $81,760 |
Here are some business analytic opening positions listed below:
- Zoom is looking for Business Analyst(s), Data Science https://zoom.us/careers
- Cisco is looking for Business Analyst(s) https://jobs.cisco.com/jobs/ProjectDetail/Business-Analyst/1240538?
- Oracle is looking for Financial Analyst(s) https://oracle.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?job=1800120Z&tz=GMT-07%3A00