Intelligence, analysis and planning for the mid-market with IBM Cognos Express

15 October 2009

The mid-market is the fastest growing market segment worldwide, and as such is touted as the saviour of the world's economy, contributing 65% of the total global Gross Domestic Product.

However, these businesses are facing a number of challenges in trying to move forward, including an information overload that leaves them unable to take advantage of this  strategic asset within their businesses. In fact, according to a recent IBM study of mid-market enterprise, 83% of executives in this space rank Business Intelligence (BI) and analytics as a top priority for dealing with vast amounts of information and thereby improving competitiveness. And planning has been identified by global firm AMR Research as the single most strategically important investment for the mid-sized business.

"Remaining competitive in today's economy not only requires these tools to be implemented, it is also imperative to link BI to planning, so that an information-driven culture can be created, insights gained through the early identification of opportunities and issues through analysis, and action taken to align resources with strategic and business decisions through the planning aspect," says David McWilliam, Regional Manager: BI and PM, IBM Software Group Sub Saharan Africa.

It is easy to see that these technology solutions can greatly assist mid-sized businesses to be more competitive and therefore more profitable. But because of their limited budgets and overstretched IT resources, enterprise BI, planning and analytics solutions are just not feasible due to their high cost and the complexity of implementing these solutions. And while the needs of mid-sized companies are similar to those of large enterprises when it comes to information management, they are not identical.

The mid-market needs certain tools, such as business analytics to drill down into data to improve decision making ability; an analytics engine to provide the capability for multi-dimensional analysis; reporting and planning; query and reporting tools to enable users to extract meaning from data and deliver reports; and analysis and visualisation for  improved information management and real-time analysis. Automated planning, budgeting and forecasting are also vital tools, as mid-sized businesses do not necessarily have the time or the resources to conduct these processes manually. Automation also reduces the capacity for human error-  something that can prove to be immensely costly to businesses working under tight budget constraints.

"The market is ripe for the introduction of powerful, easy to use, easy to implement and more affordably priced BI, analytics and planning solutions to help mid-sized organizations harness the power of their information.  This allows for smart, speedy business insight, which helps improve efficiencies, enhance customer service and increase business agility," McWilliam adds.

IBM introduces Cognos Express, the first and only integrated reporting, analysis, planning, forecasting and budgeting solution purposely built for mid-sized companies.

Key Features and Functionality of Cognos Express

. Easy to install, easy to use, easy to buy - Cognos Express is a pre-configured solution that includes everything required for simple deployment and management, with self service access to empower business users and remove the burden from IT departments.  It is packaged and priced attractively, allowing mid-sized organisations to start small, deliver immediate value and grow the business.

. Centralised administration and data management - integrated reporting, analysis, planning, forecasting and budgeting.

. Express Reporter - query and reporting with simple, intuitive authoring covering operational, transactional, managed, dashboards and ad hoc reports, and flexible report delivery.

. Express Advisor - analysis and visualisation with slice and dice, drill down and drill through capability for real time analysis, high impact data visualisations and on-the-fly business view changes.

. Express Xcelerator - planning, budgeting and forecasting capability to transform Excel into a powerful analytics server for multidimensional analysis and planning, with centrally managed data, business hierarchies, rules and calculations to allow for continuous planning, aggregation and analysis via either Excel or Web interface.

. All-in-one pre-packaged BI and planning solution - for quick and easy deployment with low costs and low risk. Preconfigured and scalable - add in new capabilities as your business grows.

For further information or to reach a representative: www.ibm.com/cognos
IBM Cognos Software
David McWilliam
Manager: IBM Business Intelligence & Performance Management
Tel: 011-6035700
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