IBMs BI solution sees local release

IBM business analytics package available locally

IBM has launched IBM Cognos Express, an all-in-one business intelligence (BI) and planning solution designed and priced for mid-sized clients.

A recent IBM Global CIO Study involving 2,500 CIOs from 78 countries found that 83% of midmarket executives ranked ‘BI and analytics’ as their top priority for improving competitiveness and cutting costs. Faced with limited budgets and overstretched IT resources, mid-sized organisations are seeking faster and more affordable analytics solutions that can help them cope with information overload.

The new IBM Cognos Express solution provides pre-configured business analytics and planning capabilities in a single offering, enabling mid-market executives to launch their business analytics strategy and then evolve it as their needs grow.

Through its self-service environment, IBM Cognos Express allows clients to build reports, analyses, dashboards and multi-dimensional plans on their own.

The solution also comes with an in-memory analytics server that allows clients to centrally manage data, business rules, and calculations.

“Mid-sized organisations are the engines that will lead the global economy back to growth and prosperity. Even in today’s unsettled landscape, mid-sized companies are striving to better harness their information so they can continue to innovate and grow,” says David McWilliam, Manager: IBM Business Intelligence & Performance Management – South Africa.

“We are committed to helping our mid-market clients harness the power of analytics with immediate, less-costly access to business insights, with the predictive abilities they need to make better, sharper, timelier decisions.”