Mobile BI is the latest development in business intelligence software and aims to provide organizations with access to their dashboards on any mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet. While mobile BI software has been available for over a decade, until very recently mobile technology could not support the capabilities and features required for mobile tools to work effectively. Mobile BI dashboards are designed to compliment and build upon the success of desktop business intelligence solutions. Adoption of a mobile BI solution can provide organizations with an agile view of their KPIs (key performance indicators), even when individuals are working remotely.
Mobile BI is gaining in popularity because it provides access to KPI dashboards on any mobile device to any user from any location. This empowers everyone in your organization to make better, more informed decisions even when they are away from their desktop KPI dashboard. A commonly cited example of a typical mobile BI user is a sales rep. While away at a tradeshow, the sales rep still needs to keep tabs on the operational performance of their department. In fact, many of the KPIs and metrics displayed on their mobile BI dashboard can have an impact on seizing new opportunities or responding to immediate challenges. Mobile BI means that even though you may be away from the office, you don't have to be away from your business.
The development of mobile BI software is linked to the development of mobile devices, in particular smartphones. Despite rudimentary smarthpones emerging in the early 1990s with basic functions like calendar, mobile BI had to wait until data access using mobile technology became commonplace. In addition to this constraint, many vendors failed to streamline the user interface to accommodate for the limited screen space of a smartphone. In the late 2000s, a rapid increase in mobile technology usability (including the development of the tablet) and OS capabilities addressed technological limitations.
Seizing the new opportunity, many leading dashboard developers started working on mobile BI applications that were device and use case specific. Both the number and quality of mobile BI software has increased over the past few years, and is projected to continue unabated for many years to come. The future is certainly bright for mobile BI, especially with continued advances in browser capabilities and the growing trend towards real-time data.
Mobile BI deployments can either compliment on-premise business intelligence software or can operate on its own to improve data visibility and accessibility. Here are some of the commonly cited reasons for adopting mobile BI:
Klipfolio is an industry leader in operational BI and KPI dashboards with proven experience delivering best-in-class business intelligence software. Klipfolio Dashboard web and mobile is a mobile BI solution designed to provide access to KPI dashboards to everyone in your organization.
Here are some of the advantages of a Klipfolio mobile BI deployment:
