While mobile BI is in its early days, it’s on the trajectory to become the next big thing in organizations, especially in light of the adoption of mobile devices and BYOD programs, according to a recent report from Forrester Research.
And 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 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 on mobile business intelligence.
“Although mobile BI is starting to filter downwards within organizations, the top consumers remain primarily executives,” he says.
Kshirsagar also points out that this feature 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.”
He notes, “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.”
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,” according to Doug Bonderud.
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 saw this as a key requirement for both executives and front line employees moving forward. That’s why we looked at the “last mile” – the need to have accurate and relevant operational information wherever you are.
Spotfire’s Mobile Metrics meets this demand. It visually signals important changes in your business conditions right on your mobile device, so that you can always keep the pulse on the health of your organization without complications.
Next Steps:
- Try Spotfire! and start discovering meaningful insights in your own data.
