Going Mobile with BI and Analytics
On airplanes, at coffee bars, at ballgames, and even while waiting out an oil change, I am, like many of you, encountering people intensely focused on their mobile smartphones and tablets. I can’t say that I’ve been nosy enough to check out whether those I’ve seen are using the devices for business intelligence, but some – at least the fellow at the oil change shop – do seem to be working with spreadsheets and charts, not just enjoying social media or entertainment. As technology and software options evolve, there’s less and less standing in the way of people using the devices for BI. The revolution is coming.
Mobile is on my mind in part because I am working on an upcoming TDWI Best Practices report, “Mobile BI and Analytics: Extending Intelligence to a Mobile Workforce.” If you would still like to participate in the research, we would be glad to have your input. The survey is still open.
Also, I recently had a chance to talk about mobile BI on a CIO Talk Radio program dedicated to this subject. The Internet-based show is aired through Voice America Business Radio and is hosted by Sanjog Aul, vice president of Programs for the Chicago Chapter of the Society for Information Management (SIM). Also appearing on the program was Howard Dresner, chief research officer of Dresner Advisory Services, and well known for his many years as the lead analyst for BI at Gartner. Howard, of course, had a lot of interesting things to say, and I enjoyed our discussion very much. If you would like to hear the program, follow this link
In my initial analysis of the TDWI survey results, I am seeing that senior executives currently dominate as users of mobile BI. This is expected; senior executives often are the first to try “the new toys” for data access and analysis. However, the survey shows that #1 benefit organizations seek to achieve from implementing mobile BI and analytics is the improvement of sales, service, and support. This indicates a strong desire to put mobile BI in the hands of frontline managers and other personnel who are in daily touch with customers.
If you have experiences with mobile BI and analytics or thoughts about how you see this technology evolving, please drop me a line at dstodder@tdwi.org.
Posted by David Stodder on September 9, 2011