While mobile business intelligence (BI) is in its early days—according to a recent report[1] from Forrester Research—it’s on the trajectory to become the next big thing for organizations, especially in light of the adoption of mobile devices and BYOD programs.
Upgrading the Boardroom
A new trend in meetings—executives carrying their tablets into the boardroom in lieu of a stack of papers—is helping the business case for mobile BI.
“The need to access KPIs and other business information on their tablets arose from there too,” notes[2] editor Pranjal Kshirsagar in an article about the Forrester report for BizTech2.com. “This removes a key obstacle to making a business case: When business leaders themselves express a need, funds are typically easier to find.”
Howard Dresner, founder and president of Dresner Advisory Services, explores this concept in a recent report[3] on mobile BI. “Although mobile BI is starting to filter downwards within organizations, the top consumers remain primarily executives,” he says.
Kshirsagar also points out that mobile portability is becoming important to enterprises researching BI tools. He says mobile BI should be looked at as an “integral part of the process of workflow via the mobile device,” adding that “businesses should not think of it as another layer of complexity, but actually as the answer to their primal need to access relevant, up-to-date business information anywhere, anytime.”
While the business case is made, Kshirsagar reports that there are some hindrances to further adoption—“lack of screen real estate, limitation of interactive gestures, and security concerns.”
Catching Up to Technology
And there’s another limitation as well—the skills gap.
“While IT professionals generally have a basic familiarity with mobile devices, they are not necessarily mobile BI experts,” writes freelance tech writer Doug Bonderud[4].
So, in light of these challenges and a growing demand for mobile BI functions from executives, what’s the next step?
We think it starts with a simple look at your tools and your users. In our most recent Spotfire release, we considered mobile BI a key requirement for both executives and frontline employees moving forward. That’s why we looked at the “last mile”—the need to have accurate and relevant operational information wherever you are.
TIBCO Spotfire Mobile Metrics meets this demand. It visually signals important changes in your business conditions right on your mobile device; you can always keep track of the health of your organization, without complications.
