The availability of external data sources and information for firms has expanded in recent decades. At the same time, the importance of business intelligence (BI) in the competition between firms has been increasingly highlighted. This competition poses challenges, however, especially for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The purpose of this paper is to delineate a general picture of the conditions of the role of external information in BI as it applies to SMEs in the Finnish marine industry. According to the results, the use of external information in BI was generally occasional and unsystematic. This was due to time and resource limitations to be allocated for BI. However, the interest in developing BI processes is evident. Thus, this study puts forward development proposals that promise to help SMEs enhance and rationalise their BI processes, according to the development targets that they have identified.