Cognos 8 BI Solution Updates

Future For Cognos BI

The acquisition of Cognos IBM has added some uncertainty into the industry, in particular any changes in:

• Product focus - will Cognos follow the footsteps of Adaytum and Applix, which do not fit well with IBM’s software infrastructure business
• Technical direction - will Cognos’ engineers focus on integration with existing IBM products (WebSphere & DB2) rather than a more innovative agenda
• Management, Account management and consulting relationships - as the two companies merge personnel
• Relationships with other DBMS vendors - previously working as an independent vendor
• Commercial policies, pricing, licensing, and terms and conditions
• Industry alliances - many of Cognos’ systems integration partners compete directly with IBM Business Consulting Services (BCS). Cognos is no longer implementation partner neutral.

For more information on Cognos Business Intelligence and Performance Products

Cognos 8 BI v4 Adds Blackberry Capability

October 17 2008

The latest release of Cognos 8, V4 adds more analytics and search features onto its mobile version. The upgrade is Cognos’s first major refresh since IBM aquired Cognos in 2007.

Go Dashboard

The new mobile client remains centred around Cognos’ Go Dashboard, feature IBM claims as more consumer-orientated for the non-techie user. Go Dashboard can also be used on Windows Mobile cellphones, or those running the Symbian OS used by Nokia and others.

The Dashboard uses Adobe Flash graphics, RSS feeds and widgets for quick performance reviews, along with modelling and structured and unstructured search features to drill down to specific information.

IBM claims the Cognos 8 v4 Go Dashboard has a satellite-navigation edge on its rivals. When used on a BlackBerry, Windows or Symbian mobile device with a GPS receiver, the Go Dashboard is the only BI product that can determine the users location to deliver business intelligence data customised to that physical location. The practical application of this is a little waffly, but it will be interesting to see any real user case evidence of business value.

A recent study by industry researcher TDWI found 24% of those with access actually used business intelligence software at one a week in 2005. This represents an increase in performance over 18% in 2005.

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