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Smart phones and tablets will dominate in BI applications this year

Important IT trend of this year will be increasing interest in sophisticated business data analyses – so called Business Intelligence (BI) analyses. S&T CZ company expects the global market of BI solutions growing up to 15% in 2011. Especially applications displaying the BI analyses on mobile devices will come to the fore. “Access to essential information anytime and anywhere is necessary for right and fast decision-making. Modern mobiles and tablets are powerful enough to process and display even demanding business data analysis. Therefore BI developers start offering of special mobile applications tailored to small screens,” says Pavel Jiruše, BI Manager in S&T CZ. Mobile BI applications either prepare the analysis themselves or download required information from company’s information system via Internet.

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BI aims to SME market Growing interest in BI relates to increasing competitiveness of small and medium enterprises (SME) wanting to find hidden reserves. "No sensible control is possible without knowing actual company status. Especi-ally attention of smaller compa-nies newly moves from traditi-onal applications to Business Intelligence area," says Pavel JIruše, BI Manager in S& CZ.

Companies will look more to the future

In the last year, BI was used especially in Enterprise Performance Management – EPM. Companies mainly measured success of managerial decisions, solved planning, financial consolidation, data quality or consolidated reporting across the whole enterprise. In 2011, the existing BI solutions will be further developed and extended by new generation of analytical tools. “These will enable on-line creation of demanding simulations and models of future company development instead of simple presentation of historical data,” explains Pavel Jiruše.

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The most common use of BI in companies, source: S&T CZ 1. Financial reporting and Controlling 2. Sales reporting 3. Operation reporting 4. Planning and budgeting 5. Financial consolidation

Mobiles and tablets can manage even complex calculations

Mobile applications analysing managerial data do not play a passive role only. So called active reports bring the more popular functions now. A manager leaving the office just downloads a report to be analysed to his/her mobile device, including all necessary data. ”Then the manager can analyse the data travelling for example by aeroplane and having no access to the standard company’s reporting tool,” explains Pavel Jiruše.

To get an instant evaluation of current status, managers are happy with a quick overview of up-to-date information presented on-line by mobile. On the other side, active reports are useful in situation where a more detailed analysis of static data is needed, e.g. a revenue drawdown in the last quarter.

Every child can use modern BI applications

Expensive training of employees in BI tools using is no longer needed. Except of new functions the using of BI solutions changed as well. Each new version brings more intuitive and simpler user interface. "User training of Business Intelligence tools was necessary before. But this is different today because the modern BI applications provide us with all information very easily, just by a few mouse clicks," adds Pavel Jiruše.

Companies also can choose from big palette of BI tools. No one BI platform can be declared as the best one. System integrators offer several types of different BI tools therefore.

"Specific client requirements always determine which tool should be chosen and why. Furthermore, method and quality of Business Intelligence implementation is much more important than the tool itself. Selection of a quality implementer is therefore critical. His experience and knowledge then allow him to review the situation and recommend the optimal BI platform," closes Pavel Jiruše, BI Manager in S&T CZ.