Location Intelligence and Data: In Context

As digital infrastructure spreads, location matters less for business success than the ability to collect and use data effectively.

Location used to be one of the biggest determinants of business success, shaping everything from labor costs to access to customers. Digital technology has steadily eroded that advantage — companies like Amazon and Google built global influence with comparatively little regard for physical location.

That's part of why 'data is the new oil' has become such a popular phrase, though the comparison only goes so far: unlike oil, data isn't finite, and companies that build strong data collection and analysis capabilities can keep generating value from it indefinitely.

The New Determinant of Success

Technologies like cloud, IoT, blockchain, and machine learning are what now let businesses operate and transact globally — making physical location far less relevant to success than it once was.