An Interview With Michael Holcomb, Manager of Enterprise Database and Intelligence Reporting at Caesars Entertainment Corporation

Abstract

The following interview with Mr. Michael Holcomb, Manager of Enterprise Database and Intelligence Reporting at Caesars Entertainment Corporation, examines big data and analytics at Caesars from an information technology management perspective. Business intelligence (BI) and analytics are essential to this enormous customer-focused enterprise, where it guides decisions in virtually every aspect of the business. The interview describes how Caesars has consolidated its information and analytical processes into a single, integrated source that is accessed by BI experts across the company. It also discusses expectations for continued evolution of analytics as a critical success factor.

Notes

¹ MicroStrategy, Inc., provides BI, mobile software, and cloud-based services. MicroStrategy software helps businesses analyze internal and external data to make business decisions, It also provides tools for developing standard and mobile apps. Its offerings include MicroStrategy Analytics, MicroStrategy Mobile, and MicroStrategy Cloud—all which can be deployed in companies’ data centers, or as cloud services. Besides Caesars, other MicroStrategy clients include Facebook, Priceline.com, US Postal Service, and Lowe’s.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Brandon K. Phillips

Daniel A. Peak is an Associate Professor in the Information Technology and Decision Sciences Department at the University of North Texas (UNT). A concert pianist with BMusic and MMusic degrees, he received his Ph.D. with Information Systems and Finance majors from UNT. He has more than 25 years of executive IT consulting, planning, and project management experience. He is a member of numerous organizations and has publications in Information & Management, Computers and Human Behavior, Information Systems Management, Informing Science, Journal of Computer Information Systems, Quality Management Journal, Information Design Journal, International Journal of Art, Culture and Design Technologies, and other journals.

Daniel A. Peak

Brandon K. Phillips is a recent graduate of the University of North Texas (UNT) Ph.D. program in the Information Technology and Decision Sciences Department. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Accounting, Computer Science, and Entrepreneurship Department at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Prior to UNT, he was a systems analyst at Caesars Entertainment. He obtained his B.A. in information systems from Southwestern Oklahoma State University, and his M.S. in MIS from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. His research interests include business intelligence, data visualization, interface design, and social media.