02
Sat, Nov
2 New Articles

Mobile Business Intelligence Gains Traction

Analysis of News Events
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

After a tepid response a few years ago, mobile BI products now appear ready for prime time as larger companies look forward to benefiting from their implementation.

 

In the march toward smaller, lighter, and more portable mobile devices, are we taking more with us or leaving more behind?

 

The answer could be, "a little bit of both" as the mobile hardware manufacturers lurch ahead of the software providers, who scramble to catch up. Meanwhile, both experiment with new products while the majority of us wait for the build-out of faster wireless cellular networks capable of handling video.

 

The recent explosion in sales of the second version of Apple's iPod tells you where the future is, however: If you haven't guessed it already, it's wireless. Consumers are primed to accept--and pay for--the convergence of everything having to do with communications onto something they can carry on their belt.

 

Savvy IT administrators realize they can't trail too far behind the consumer acceptance curve when it comes to providing for their business users, but there are concerns. Apart from the money to support wireless delivery solutions of business information, there are issues of staff support to provide the information on a multitude of form factors. The biggest concern, however, was, is, and always will be security, an issue that affects everyone-from the smallest mom and pop shop all the way to government and the White House. If we don't understand how to keep even email secure, then why would we be sending out reams of sensitive corporate or government data in reports formatted for mobile devices?

 

One of the reasons the BlackBerry has become the de facto standard in the U.S. for mobile business devices is because the company understands security and has built into its devices a number of capabilities that let IT administrators sleep at night. Besides BlackBerry, others, including Nokia, which uses the Symbian operating system, are on top of security issues, employing what is called remote shut-down and wiping. If a device, be it BlackBerry or Windows Mobile, is reported lost or stolen, a system administrator can send a remote "kill" command to the device to erase all data stored on it (and in memory) and disable it from future use. If the device isn't capable of being remotely killed, then it isn't suitable for business purposes.

 

While the emphasis that device manufacturers and solutions providers have placed on consumer devices has been on convenience, speed, incorporation of phone service, and access to the Internet, the emphasis on business devices has been less on phone access and more on security. Administrators are aware that only one level of security is probably not enough when sending sensitive data around on a cellular network.

 

Several recent announcements by large enterprises that intend to use mobile devices for accessing and disseminating business intelligence to executives and their mobile work force suggest that the security issues have now been overcome and it's safe to deploy business intelligence on mobile devices.

 

In one such announcement, Hess Corporation, a global integrated energy company engaged in the exploration, production, and sale of oil and natural gas, revealed that it had signed up to use IBM Cognos' Go! Mobile solution as part of its purchase of the IBM Cognos 8 business intelligence application. Hess says that "corporate executives, as well as regional and district managers, will be able to use their wireless handheld devices to read and securely interact with corporate performance information and make informed decisions regardless of their location or time."

 

Hess went with IBM Cognos 8 after doing its homework. An "extensive review of competitive offerings" preceded its decision, according to the company. Hess liked the "complete spectrum of business intelligence functionality on a single platform." Finance managers and business analysts, for instance, will use the software to analyze performance trends and to model future growth. Hess will use the business intelligence software to support its chain of more than 1,300 gasoline stations and convenience stores.

 

It's likely the availability of IBM Cognos 8 Go! Mobile was not the main reason the company went with an IBM Cognos 8 solution, but neither was it forced to opt for Go! Mobile, sold as a separate add-on.

 

Jane Farquhar, IBM Cognos 8 Go! Mobile product marketing manager, says she knows why Hess--and several other large companies recently--have been intrigued enough with Go! Mobile to integrate it into their IT infrastructure. The product has overlapping and robust security features, it's easy for IT to deploy, it doesn't require different versions of a report for viewing on a mobile device--you author once, consume anywhere--and it allows executives and mobile workers to make decisions with up-to-date, accurate information, regardless of where they might be at the time. This results in faster--and better--decisions. What's not to like?

 

"We like to call it BI on the belt," Farquhar tells MC Press Online. "We like to have that full desktop functionality anywhere you are. The more the work force becomes mobile, the more that people expect that functionality wherever they are."

 

Go! Mobile was launched in February 2007 on the BlackBerry platform. By December 2007, the company had expanded its support to Symbian and Windows Mobile. Farquhar says the company is closely watching whether other mobile platforms, particularly the Apple iPhone, will gain traction in the corporate environment, but so far, businesses are sticking with the aforementioned top three.

 

"We're certainly monitoring the market," says Farquhar. "The iPhone is one we're hearing a lot of buzz about, and we'll continue to watch that and take action as we see the iPhone kind of break into the enterprise market."

 

Farquhar says that a number of companies have adopted the "mixed platform" approach in which company policy is that IT will support whatever platform the employees want--providing, of course, it's one of the big three: BlackBerry, Symbian, or Windows Mobile.

 

Farquhar says IBM Cognos developers worked closely with the Research In Motion (RIM) BlackBerry team in developing the security for Go! Mobile. It's a hand-in-glove solution that allows an administrator to wipe clean the mobile device should it become lost, including information in memory. The only condition, of course, is that the device must be turned on and within range of the network. If the person in possession of the device is smart enough to turn it off, however, there still are safeguards to protect access to the data.

 

There are the usual password protections so that only an authenticated user can access the device. If a device is dormant for awhile, it locks up. Entering an incorrect password a few times results in lockup even for the correct password. There also are robust features built into IBM Cognos 8 that restrict users, depending on their permission and authority levels, to only the information they can access on their desktop.

 

A feature that is unique to IBM Cognos is what the company calls "lease key" technology. Reports are set to expire after a preset period, much the same way an electronic hotel key won't work after the guest checks out. Accessibility windows can be set for periods measured in mere hours.

 

Asked whether a screen the size of that offered on most mobile devices actually presented enough real estate to display the kind of information most business intelligence users would need, Farquhar replied that Go! Mobile developers spent a lot of time working out how to display information on the smaller screens.

 

"You absolutely can read everything," says Farquhar. "Obviously, it's going to be shrunk down to fit the form factor. Each one of the items on a dashboard, for instance, would be selectable, and there is actually some interactivity within the chart on the dashboard. There are tool tips that fly out that will allow you to see exactly what it is that you're hovering around."

 

Traditional business intelligence delivered on a mobile device would most likely have been delivered by email, probably either as a spreadsheet or a PDF. Neither is particularly suited to a small form factor. Often the files are too large and are limited in terms of their interactivity. With Go! Mobile, you can access everything on your handheld device that you can get on your desktop.

 

While IBM Cognos was among the first companies in this recent wave of mobile BI products to offer a complete mobile business intelligence solution, it has a number of competitors. Other companies that had previously introduced incomplete or unpopular solutions a few years back have since updated them. Users investigating mobile business intelligence solutions will want to look at offerings from Information Builders (and its WebFOCUS Active Reports, which supports the Opera Mobile Browser), SAP's Business Objects (with its MoBI product), Webalo Mobile Dashboard and its patented Webalo User Proxy (which allows for rapid and flexible deployment of applications to mobile users), Qualcomm Inc.'s Firethorn Holdings LLC, Sybase, and Microsoft, which offers a mobile edition of SQL Server.

Chris Smith

Chris Smith was the Senior News Editor at MC Press Online from 2007 to 2012 and was responsible for the news content on the company's Web site. Chris has been writing about the IBM midrange industry since 1992 when he signed on with Duke Communications as West Coast Editor of News 3X/400. With a bachelor's from the University of California at Berkeley, where he majored in English and minored in Journalism, and a master's in Journalism from the University of Colorado, Boulder, Chris later studied computer programming and AS/400 operations at Long Beach City College. An award-winning writer with two Maggie Awards, four business books, and a collection of poetry to his credit, Chris began his newspaper career as a reporter in northern California, later worked as night city editor for the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, and went on to edit a national cable television trade magazine. He was Communications Manager for McDonnell Douglas Corp. in Long Beach, Calif., before it merged with Boeing, and oversaw implementation of the company's first IBM desktop publishing system there. An editor for MC Press Online since 2007, Chris has authored some 300 articles on a broad range of topics surrounding the IBM midrange platform that have appeared in the company's eight industry-leading newsletters. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: