For most people, the “Real-Time Web” is synonymous with the exploding number of live social activities online, from tweets on Twitter to status updates on Facebook to the sharing of news, web links and videos on a myriad of other sites. It’s a whole new layer of innovation that’s opening up on the web.

As a lender, there is no doubt about the premium you place on timely information. Today, it has reached a point where the value of information diminishes in direct proportion to how old it is. The converse is true and accurate, timely, actionable information can make all the difference between profit and loss on a transaction. Information’s growth and absorption has grown at an exponential rate.

We live in a world in which the newspaper is in danger of becoming obsolete in favour of digital media where you can break stories in a matter of minutes. But minutes are not fast enough for our information-hungry communities anymore. For example, if it takes us several minutes to break a story, it may be too late – Twitter probably has already broken the story and thousands of people are already discussing its ramifications.

However, the Real-time Web goes way beyond Twitter to a fundamental re-thinking of the way the Web works through to the way content is transferred, filtered, organised and archived online. We’re reaching a point where the flow of information has become so heavy that the only way to really keep track of it is via real-time web tools. The fact itself has huge consequences shaping the way that businesses operate and what they expect from clients, suppliers and internal processes. But there are some major disadvantages to the real-time evolution. With faster information, there need to be more filters and checks to ensure its accuracy.

This trend brings up two very important questions. First, is the Web going to become more and more of a real-time phenomenon, where speed matters most of all? Secondly, is it sustainable and can you filter the information so that it does not overwhelm?

On the first question: the general trend seems to be towards real-time. As long as demand for information exceeds supply, faster information will be valued by our society.

The answer to the second question is the most difficult one to answer. We can only read and listen to so much at a time. There may very well be a tipping point where the need to quell the information flow is heightened, but as long as the technology exists and develops, real-time will continue to move forward. We should expect faster information, faster technology, and more filters to help us control it.

Real-Time solutions from Vision Critical exploit all of the opportunities afforded by the medium described above, with none of the problems associated with Real-Time Web. Since OSMO^® draws real-time information from the original source, i.e. the accounts package, without manual intervention, the integrity of the information is peerless. The software allows complete connectivity with minimal impact on infrastructure. The transparency and visibility of business information makes OSMO^® the automatic choice to create innovative solutions for any lender, capturing the spirit of the Real-Time Web in its purest form.

The filters and analytical tools that check the validity of the information, combined with accurate real-time reporting resolve the main problems discussed above and address the lenders’ requirements for an early warning of incidences of potential fraud. The ability to develop bespoke reports and to drill down to invoice-level granularity also harnesses the power of the medium and eliminates the negatives normally associated with it.

We started by talking about social media in the context of Real-Time Web. With these advantages, it’s hardly surprising that OSMO^® is the lenders’ friend.