• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Revelwood Logo

Revelwood

Your SUPER-powered WP Engine Site

  • Who We Are
    • About Us
      • Our Company
      • Our Team
      • Partners
    • Careers
      • Join Our Team
  • What We Do
    • Solutions
      • Workday Adaptive Planning
      • IBM Planning Analytics
      • BlackLine
    • Services
      • Implementation Services
      • Customer Care
        • Help Desk
        • System Administration as a Service
      • Training
        • Workday Adaptive Planning Training
        • IBM Planning Analytics / TM1 Training
    • Products
      • DataMaestro
      • LightSpeed
      • IBM Planning Analytics Utilities
  • How We Help
    • Use Cases
    • Client Success Stories
  • How We Think
    • Knowledge Center
    • Events
    • News
  • Contact Us

News & Events

What the Heck is Cognitive Computing?

 

News and events

September 26, 2016

By Justin Croft

I’m often asked to define cognitive computing. Honestly, it’s not always easy to define. So first, let’s step back and take a look at the overall analytics landscape. Within analytics, you have descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics. Descriptive analytics summarizes what happened. Predictive analytics studies recent and historical data and enables analysts to make predictions about what is likely to happen. Prescriptive analytics defines a set of actions users should take based on predictions.

Cognitive computing takes all of this much further. It’s an intelligent solution that helps people—or more specifically, knowledge workers—make better decisions. What’s really exciting about cognitive computing is that it learns as it goes. And it’s learning from your unique data, your specific business drivers and scenarios. So ultimately, the answers cognitive computing delivers to you are truly unique to you.

Think of it this way… Software, even customized software, is fairly formulaic. If this, then that. Or think of it as a decision tree. Or a hierarchy. The foundation of the software you are using is the same foundation your competitor is using. The data, of course is different, but at the end of the day, how different are the results?

Cognitive computing starts with that same foundation, but adapts as it learns. It adapts to your data. There is no one right answer, just the right answer for your situation. For example, IBM Customer Insight for Banking is used by both large national banks and regional banks. The questions they ask may be the same, but because their customers, their business goals, their marketing campaigns, their demographics, and many other variables are all different, the answers will be different. It is as different as purchasing a suit off the rack is as from purchasing a bespoke suit, custom tailored just for your measurements, your style, your taste, and your budget. Not just hemmed, or let out, or taken in here or there.

Of course, this definition really just skims the surface of cognitive computing. The magic of it, if you will, is the sheer power of it—Watson can perform cognitive computing against extremely large data sets. Whether it’s IBM Watson Health, or our first introduction to Watson years ago, when it competed on Jeopardy!, Watson can quickly sort through volumes of data that humans simply never could.

When I look at cognitive computing in this context, I like to pose this question: if your knowledge workers had the power of cognitive computing today—the power to quickly sort through untold volumes of data and find the right data to make the best possible decision—what could that mean to your business?

If the idea of cognitive computing intrigues you, consider attending the upcoming IBM World of Watson conference, which focuses on cognitive computing in action today, and where it is going tomorrow.

Read more blog posts on cognitive computing and AI:

Embracing Cognitive Computing

How will Artificial Intelligence Impact your Industry?

Pull a Rabbit out of a Hat — or At Least Insight out of Your Data

Author

  • Justin Croft

    View all posts
    • Categories

      • Accounting and Accounts Receivable
      • Awards & Recognition
      • Data Analytics in Finance
      • Financial Close & Consolidation
      • FP&A Done Right
      • IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks
      • News & Events
      • Success Stories
      • Tech Bulletins
      • Workday Adaptive Planning Insights
      • Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks

    Popular Posts

    Authors

    Adam Riskin
    Adam Riskin
    Brian Colucci
    Brian Colucci
    Brian Combs
    Brian Combs
    Cameron Burke
    Cameron Burke
    Dave Miersch
    Dave Miersch
    Ivan Cepero
    Ivan Cepero
    John Pra Sisto
    John Pra Sisto
    Jonathan Dunn
    Jonathan Dunn
    Ken Wolf
    Ken Wolf
    Lee Lazarow
    Lee Lazarow
    Lisa Minneci
    Lisa Minneci
    Luke Griffie
    Luke Griffie
    Marc Assenza
    Marc Assenza
    Mary Luchs
    Mary Luchs
    Michael Mari
    Michael Mari
    Michelle Song
    Michelle Song
    Revelwood
    Revelwood
    Robert Nordhagen
    Robert Nordhagen
    Simon Foley
    Simon Foley
    Thomas McDade
    Thomas McDade

    Sign up for our newsletter

    Connect

Footer

Revelwood Overview

Revelwood helps finance organizations close, consolidate, plan, monitor and analyze business performance. As experts in solutions for the Office of Finance, we partner with best-in-breed software companies by applying best practices guidance and our pre-configured applications to help businesses achieve their full potential.

EXPERTISE

  • Workday Adaptive Planning
  • IBM Planning Analytics
  • BlackLine

ABOUT

  • Who We Are
  • What We Do
  • How We Help
  • How We Think
  • Privacy

CONNECT

World Headquarters

Florham Park, NJ | 201 984 3030

European Headquarters

London & Edinburgh | +44 (0)131 240 3866

Latin America Office

Miami, FL | 201 987 4198

Email
info@revelwood.com

Copyright © 2025 · Revelwood Inc. All rights reserved. Revelwood® and the Revelwood logo are registered marks of Revelwood Inc.