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Big data? Small data? Does size really matters?
The use of data is already central to the strategies and operation of large and medium-sized businesses and also gaining momentum in the eyes of the smallest ones, down to the single entrepreneur. In the era of Big Data, we must not be deceived and think that we are too small to manage them. Not only. The vast majority of business analyses involve relatively small datasets, or small subsamples of larger datasets: the “small data”. From the usual behaviors in one's home to the data contained in a company balance sheet, small data allows to track the needs and aspirations of people as well as organizations and provide tailor-made answers to satisfy them.
Not all data are the same
In this search for the “right” data for our business, it’s key to understand that not all data are the same in terms of quality: that is, reliability, updating, and completeness. As for the Italian economy, the first step to know better "who's who" in the realm of business would certainly be an online search on the official Italian Business Register at https://italianbusinessregister.it (IBR).
IBR is the international outlet of the official business register held at the Italian Chambers of Commerce, where all companies operating in Italy are required by law to register and file any further modifications to their activity. The database (available in four languages) is simple to use and within everyone's reach to make sure a given company does exist and find out what is the declared activity, its assets, its type of governance, plus further information useful to reduce risks and gain a competitive advantage in terms of market knowledge.
Knowing your partner from A to Z
The company registration document provided by IBR contains the legal and personal data of the company (name, legal form, registered office, tax code number, type of activity carried out), as well as a list of all certifications the company has achieved or qualifications required by laws and regulations to perform certain activities. For example, qualifications for participating in public tenders, certifications as a producer or manufacturer of organic food, rating issued by the Italian antitrust authority to certify the implementation of transparency in carrying out one’s business, other environmental and energy certifications, quality standard certifications, IT services certifications and so on.
Further than guaranteeing the effective existence of the company, the official certification of such achievements or statuses sets the IBR company profile as a basic component of anyone’s business toolbox, providing a constantly updated knowledge of partners and clients. In a data-driven economy like the one we are all living, information is the fourth factor of production along with land, capital, and labor. Ignoring the difference between quality and officially certified data and data from unchecked (or difficult to check) sources can be a fatal mistake.
IBR is the English version – output included – of the official Italian Business Register held at the Chambers of Commerce, the public entities responsible by law for collecting, storing and distributing information on all Italian businesses.
The search features allow for filtering one’s own target by type of company - including a specific view over the innovative startup segment in the Register - thus easily traceable both by sector of activity and territory. In a few steps, it is possible to obtain a “map” of potential partners to refer to for investment purposes or, more simply, to establish a business connection based on sound and trusted public information. Once the map is drawn, drilling down to specific information – legal, financial, geographical and more – is made easy by the availability of a number of different outputs.
As all documents retrieved through IBR are official, starting a search from here is a step on solid ground. The guarantee of reliability of the information provided is also backed by a "QR Code" printed on the first page of the report, the identification code thanks to which anyone can check, directly from their smartphone or tablet (as well as from a PC), that the document in their possession corresponds to the one on file in the Business Register at the time of extraction.
Outputs available at IBR
It contains the personal, legal, economic and fiscal information of a company, as reported in the Italian Business Register. Includes references to registration, name, details, contacts, address of the registered office, PEC (certified e-mail), registered office, secondary offices and local units, tax code / VAT number, legal nature, date of foundation, corporate purpose, distribution of share capital, activities carried out, any quality certificates, certifications, administrative positions, control positions and qualifications, corporate bodies, owners and partners with shares, presence in other registers, possession of roles and licenses.
Through the use of filters, it is also possible to extract from the portal customized lists of companies, both simple (with information only on the company name and geographic data) and more structured, in which - in addition to the basic data - it is also possible to obtain information on data economic, personnel-related and additional information such as website, telephone number and e-mail address where stated.
The portal provides the series of deposited accounting documents (the annual account and the financial statements which form a part of it that a company is required to draw up periodically, in accordance with the law, in order to follow the principle of truthfulness and provide a clear, truthful and correct picture of its financial situation.
Italianbusinessregister.it in short
Created since its inception - in 1996 - electronically by InfoCamere, on behalf of the Italian chamber system, the Business Register is the official, complete and updated archive of public information relating to companies operating in Italy, required by law to register with Chambers of Commerce. Thanks to the italianbusinessregister.it portal, the Register can be consulted by the international public through a version completely designed to facilitate the search and identification of information essential for establishing reliable B2B relationships between foreign operators and Italian companies. From the name to the deeds of incorporation, to the persons who hold positions within them, passing through any changes made after birth and up to the economic activities carried out and the offices in the area and the certifications received, the Register is the essential starting point for each operator who wants to know the Italian production system - from large groups to business networks and up to innovative startups - to verify the truthfulness of information on a customer or potential supplier or to identify possible partners to develop their business.
