BI, CI and OSINT as Global Disciplines
Our world has become a global village since the technological revolution of the 1990s, especially with the introduction and expansion of the internet. As a result, the professions of Business Intelligence (BI) and Competitive Intelligence (CI) have become international in scope. Nowadays, many professionals involved in BI or CI are required to tackle multi-arena projects, obliging OSINT analysts to become familiar with the characteristics and features of OSINT in several countries.
International Research: Different Languages, Different Countries, Different Challenges
For example, when preparing a market survey or conducting a SWOT analysis on a specific industry involving actors from different countries, we must understand the OSINT collection and analysis potential in each relevant country.
In many cases, when collecting and analyzing information about a particular company, we find that its lists of shareholders and directors often include individuals of different nationalities.
The Advantage of Local Expertise in OSINT
It is reasonable to assume that OSINT analysts from a given country are more familiar with their country’s OSINT potential than with that of other countries.
A French OSINT analyst is most probably an expert in France’s OSINT resources, including media, social networks, business databases, legal sources, and more. Such an analyst will probably be able to provide effective OSINT solutions in French-speaking countries around the world, but not necessarily in non-French-speaking countries.
Why Do OSINT Capabilities Differ Dramatically Between Countries?
The OSINT potential in a given country is not only a reflection of its language but also – perhaps more importantly – its character:
- A democratic country is generally more accessible for OSINT collection and its OSINT outputs are more reliable than those of a non-democratic country.
- A developed country will yield far more OSINT solutions than a developing one.
- A country that strongly guards its citizens’ privacy makes it difficult to access online court records or asset ownership data.
- Collecting OSINT in a federal country is significantly more challenging than doing so in a centralized country.
- A country where the written language differs greatly from the spoken language will create serious difficulties for OSINT collection, especially in social-media research.
OSINT as Backgammon: Winning Even With a Bad Roll
It is often said that a good backgammon player knows what move to make even with a bad roll of the dice.
This saying holds true in the field of OSINT and competitive intelligence. A skilled professional will know how to extract valuable OSINT solutions even when the OSINT potential in a particular country appears to be low.
