In my last post I presented my assessment that 2011 will prove to be a watershed year for mobile BI. I noted that wireless infrastructure, devices, and software applications are maturing to the point where mobile BI deployments will expand rapidly, in this and the coming years. Now I want to look at strategic considerations for business in deploying mobile business intelligence.
To begin I want to examine mobile BI in the context of the PRIME model I have presented elsewhere on this blog. From a device standpoint, I think it's very clear that tablet devices such as the Apple iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab are best suited to most of the functions (Produce, Review, Investigate, Extrapolate) of data interaction I describe in the model. I say this due to the limited amount of screen area available on most smartphones.
The exception for me is the Monitor function, where a smartphone app could be a very useful client for performance management alerts. Such an app could present the mobile decision maker with up to the minute information, say, a change in a key performance indicator. The decision maker could then delegate investigation to an appropriate knowledge worker -- either through the app itself or with a good old-fashioned phone call. A smartphone with a larger screen and/or higher resolution might work for basic queries or reports.
As to mobile BI deployment, I would not be surprised to see small- and medium-sized businesses out in front of their larger counterparts. The reason I say this is that small and medium businesses are most likely to have immediate need of the flexibility that mobile BI provides. After all, in a larger business with a more mature BI implementation knowledge workers are likely to be equipped with laptops and working either at the office or at home. More time and improvements in device performance may be needed before these companies see tablet devices as ready for "industrial-strength" deployment to their back-office workers. I could more easily see initial deployment to front-line workers that the company wants to empower, for example, with customer intelligence in real- or near-real time.
In a smaller company by contrast, managers and even executives may already be on the front line and/or need to double as analysts. The ability to perform mobile analysis would be most welcome for them. (Those who have seen the iPad commercials currently running in the US are probably salivating already.) And if the business were using a software as a service (SaaS) model any performance disadvantage should be minimized since the heavy lifting is being done in the cloud. If you missed my post on SaaS check it out here. Oh, and don't skimp on the bandwidth.
Showing posts with label SaaS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SaaS. Show all posts
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Sunday, December 12, 2010
BI Concept: Software as a Service (SaaS)
There's been a buildup of buzz in recent months around the terms "Software as a Service" (SaaS) and "cloud computing." SaaS hss been touted as "the next big thing" for a number of different applications, including business intelligence.
What is "The Cloud?"
The simplest answer is: it's simply the Internet. I first heard the term "cloud" used in an IT context to describe data communications. There it was used to describe how data moved most efficiently from a source to a destination. "Cloud" has since been applied to the idea of allowing computer software to run over the Internet instead of having it on your local desktop or network server.
Since the application is being "served" to you over the Internet, you're running the software as a service, hence the acronym. If you've played Web-based online games, you've probably already used SaaS.
But BI isn't a game
Playing Bejewled over the Internet is one thing; using business intelligence tools over the Internet is something else. In order to use the tools you have to supply the application with your business data, either by uploading it to the service provider or by allowing the service provider access to the data inside your company's firewall. In the new age of "spies without borders" (see my article WikiLeaks and Beyond) this can be a disconcerting prospect. But if you can accept the risk, there are potential advantages in going the SaaS route.
Evaluating SaaS
In financial terms you can look at the decision to go with SaaS as a classic "lease versus purchase" decision with a few twists. The advantages are that you don't have a large initial investment in servers, licenses, or human resources. You simply pay for what you need now, and buy more as you need it later. If the vendor also markets its software for licensing on your own servers (as is the case with SAP Business Objects or IBM Cognos) it's a potential opportunity to "try before you buy."
The disadvantages are that you're at the mercy of multiple failure points. If the vendor's website or your internet router goes down at a critical time, you're stuck. But if you're already comfortable using another SaaS product like Salesforce.com this may not be such a big problem for you.
What is "The Cloud?"
The simplest answer is: it's simply the Internet. I first heard the term "cloud" used in an IT context to describe data communications. There it was used to describe how data moved most efficiently from a source to a destination. "Cloud" has since been applied to the idea of allowing computer software to run over the Internet instead of having it on your local desktop or network server.
Since the application is being "served" to you over the Internet, you're running the software as a service, hence the acronym. If you've played Web-based online games, you've probably already used SaaS.
But BI isn't a game
Playing Bejewled over the Internet is one thing; using business intelligence tools over the Internet is something else. In order to use the tools you have to supply the application with your business data, either by uploading it to the service provider or by allowing the service provider access to the data inside your company's firewall. In the new age of "spies without borders" (see my article WikiLeaks and Beyond) this can be a disconcerting prospect. But if you can accept the risk, there are potential advantages in going the SaaS route.
Evaluating SaaS
In financial terms you can look at the decision to go with SaaS as a classic "lease versus purchase" decision with a few twists. The advantages are that you don't have a large initial investment in servers, licenses, or human resources. You simply pay for what you need now, and buy more as you need it later. If the vendor also markets its software for licensing on your own servers (as is the case with SAP Business Objects or IBM Cognos) it's a potential opportunity to "try before you buy."
The disadvantages are that you're at the mercy of multiple failure points. If the vendor's website or your internet router goes down at a critical time, you're stuck. But if you're already comfortable using another SaaS product like Salesforce.com this may not be such a big problem for you.
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