The Apple iPad – you’ve seen them everywhere. People use them at the local coffee shop, they are used to order meals at top-end restaurants and you may even have one sitting at your desk. Tablet computers have introduced a new – and more mobile way – to consume data and information. At the same time, business intelligence (BI) tools are gaining in importance in the enterprise. Wouldn’t it make sense that the technology of the iPad would serve as the perfect platform for your business intelligence system?
BI Tools and the Market Outlook
According to predictions from research firm Gartner, 33 percent of BI tools used within the organization will be consumed on mobile devices by 2013. This indicates there is a tremendous opportunity blooming for those who leverage mobile devices – such as the iPad – those who rely on BI tools to effectively conduct their jobs. Interestingly, while some industry analysts sometimes agree that forecasts such as those shared by Gartner tend to be too aggressive, the opposite appears to be the case here. Industry experts believe that BI software will be available on mobile platforms rather quickly and that tablets are leading that movement. As tablets continue to gain adoption in the enterprise, decision makers like you are looking to this new platform to support your BI tools so you can take that data with you when you are on the go.
New Apps for the iPad that Support BI Tools
If there is one thing about BI tools it is that they have to be flexible and scalable as the information is always moving. You are capturing data on your clients, prospective customers, the market, the competition, and more. This data never stands still and you have to be able to capture it and then do something with it. Investing in BI tools is a waste of money if you don’t plan to leverage that information to put your company in a better position moving forward. Vendors operating in the BI tools space understand this need and are developing products and apps that fit within the direction your company is moving. Next, you will find a list different of BI tools apps that support the iPad, and the good news is that this is just the beginning.
BI Tools: Apps for the iPad
BI tools vendor MicroStrategy launched its iPad app last July and is constantly innovating on its BI tools ideas to extend capabilities for visualizing data on iPads and other mobile devices. Established vendors QlikTech and PushBI both offer BI tools for the iPad, while the former was quick to market with its offering, the latter focuses on clients that push BI tools data to users. Roambi helps to mobilize existing BI tools reports and TIBCO offers real-time intelligence for financial services. Location intelligence is driven by Yellofin and a number of cloud-based BI tools vendors offer non-native support for the iPad, including Jaspersoft, SAP, JackBe and Tableau.
BI Tools Apps Through Customization
If you don’t find something you like with one of these BI tools vendors, you do have the option of mobilizing your existing enterprise applications by leveraging tools from players like Webalo, Bitzer Mobile and LeapFactor. It may require a bit of a learning curve, but will allow you to leverage the BI tools you already know.