How Open Source Intelligence Is Helping Businesses Improve

Businesses that use open-source intelligence have an advantage.

 So, what exactly is open source intelligence (OSINT)? 

This is the use of openly available sources to collect information. One example would be the use of a company's web server information. A website can gather a fair amount of information from users which can then be used for intelligence purposes; data is thus stored on the server for later use. Data related to time spent on a website, IP addresses, how the site was found and other information are readily available online and can be collected. Thanks to the internet, the business world is now powered by computer data that can tell a valuable story.

What can OSINT do for your business?

The advantages of using OSINT are varied. For those who want to hone their marketing skills, website analytics/metrics provide useful information for making marketing decisions. Knowing who is interested in a product or service is useful in identifying a targeted group of customers to focus marketing efforts on. Entertainment providers can benefit from OSINT by gaining a better understanding of their audience and those who offer roofing services could also apply OSINT to the inspection of house roofing within an area.

The pros and cons of using OSINT

One obvious reward of using open source intelligence is gaining a more in-depth knowledge of clients, resulting in increased revenue. Are those buying your product of the millennial generation? If not, they will react differently to the marketing approach used for attracting baby boomers; a company that uses OSINT will have this knowledge. Sometimes having the intelligence information by itself can be lucrative. It can be a product in and of itself - think Facebook.

One negative side of using OSINT is that some consider open information to be private. A telephone number, for example, is not private information in and of itself. Nevertheless, most people do not want their telephone number handed out to strangers; some people are naturally wary of having their personal information tracked. For this reason, the use of OSINT for financial gain/business advancement can be controversial.

OSINT Techniques

Specialist software applications can be used to print out data that a company can use to make more money. Searching hashtags through the use of such software can be profitable. Background checks are an OSINT technique used by nearly all companies to ensure they hire the right candidate. Social media platforms often provide application programming interfaces (APIs) for use in OSINT projects.

Using OSINT daily

The ups and downs of sales are tracked daily by pizza manufacturers to gain insight into the  number of pizzas to plan for per day. Television shows also use OSINT to this day, to track and quantify viewership. Most businesses can apply the insights afforded through the use of the sales tracking functionality of OSINT to understand their customers and their requirements.  

The daily influx of valuable information online can help businesses improve dramatically as they learn to harness technology in a way that delivers competitive advantage. 

Knowledge is power.

It has been said that all companies are now tech companies. In the current age of information, this statement should be clearer than ever when a business uses OSINT.