A Com­pe­titive Intel­ligence Center acts as the com­pany nerve center where essen­tial infor­mation is colla­ted, pro­cessed, ana­lyzed and final­ly presen­ted. Whether virtual or real – a con­tinuous­ly opera­ted CI cen­ter helps compa­nies to avoid un­pleasant sur­prises through early warning mecha­nisms and allows produc­tive compe­titor manage­ment. By setting up and opera­ting a CI center, compa­nies can be pro­active and make high-qua­lity, informed deci­sions based on intel­ligence.