Like every other type of business application today, Business Intelligence solutions must be mobile in order to meet the demands of the user base. Every business must recognize the reality of the mobile society in which we live and, whether they want to attract consumers and customers or provide business applications that satisfy the needs of employees, mobile access is critical for every user and critical to business success. But, the democratization of business intelligence is a broader, systemic issue that goes far beyond mobility.
Whether inside or outside the office, every individual contributor, team member, manager, executive, IT professional, HR, sales, marketing, production coordinator, and financial analyst needs business intelligence. We can’t empower our team members or hold them accountable for results without giving them the tools and information they need to do their jobs and to know whether their efforts are succeeding and contributing to the strategic, operational and tactical goals and objectives of the company.
A BI Solution that is flexible to the demands of disparate screen and device sizes and can provide access via in-office desktops, tablets, smart phones and laptops offers crucial access to data and allows employees to quickly discover and identify issues and opportunities and stay ahead of the competition. Secured, appropriate access to integrated data across all types of devices and across the entire enterprise, in all locations and functions will ensure that the business is collaborating, sharing and working together with the same, current, concise information.
That kind of business intelligence initiative demands a flexible, practical solution that provides comprehensive features like cross-tab OLAP, graphical OLAP, balanced scorecards, key performance indicators (KPIs), forecasting and predictive analysis, impact and sensitivity analysis and other features that are sophisticated enough to satisfy every need but simple enough for every user. Users need reporting, personalized alerts and personalized dashboards that allow them to see data in a way that is meaningful to their role, so they don’t have to change their business process or workflow to accommodate the software solution. Data must be integrated from ERP, CRM, HR and other enterprise systems as well as disparate data sources like spreadsheets, etc.
There is no room in today’s competitive business landscape for data segregation or restriction. Information is power. Measurable information, presented in an analytical environment allows every user to slice, dice, drill down and through data and present results in a clear, concise manner with graphs, charts and presentation tools that allow average users to produce and share reports without the help of a programmer or an analyst.
Data democratization is not just a great buzzword. It is a crucial part of business success going forward for every company and every team. The days of keeping employees in the dark and restricting information are over. With appropriate user-level, multi-layered security, a business intelligence solution can keep your employees functioning at an optimal level without risking proprietary or confidential information that is beyond the limits of their function or role. Business intelligence and data democratization go hand in hand and will lead the business toward success and stability with accurate planning, forecasting and results driven business processes.
