Dynamic Corporate Dashboarding Platforms Transform Decisions for Management On the Go

Today, our increasingly mobile workforce needs more than email and a calendar on their smartphone. This is especially true for executive management who need to be able to make informed, on-the-go decisions. Although corporate dashboards have been recognised as an effective business management tool, they have experienced a recent resurgence due to the advance of new technologies and data platforms that allow for real time and easy display of important information. Mobile corporate dashboards are becoming the “must have” business intelligence tool for executives and business management.

In a survey conducted by Gartner, it was found that by 2013 one-third of all business intelligence usage will be on a mobile device, such as a smart-phone or tablet. In part, the changing dynamic of many work-places is fuelling adoption of mobile corporate dashboards as users of corporate dashboards want to access their data anytime and anywhere. Gartner reports mobile business intelligence to be growing at a staggering 40% compound annual growth rate.

According Colin Hundermark, a Director at Step Strategic Venturing, corporate dashboards are becoming an increasingly important management tool in a world that continues to get busier. “For many business owners, CEOs or directors of a business, the most important focus area should be business profitability. In order to increase the overall efficiency of an organisation, it is crucial that executives are focused on the key strategic metrics that drive shareholder return.”

Hundermark says that once the key metrics for the organisation or a division have been determined, they must be presented in a visually compelling format that is easy for executives to digest on a regular basis. He says that there are many sophisticated technologies available that allow companies to draw information from their server and update the dashboard data in real-time.

Hundermark adds that “Another positive consequence of corporate dashboards is that teams know that their managers will have real-time access to important data at their fingertips and will no longer have to wait for a monthly report. This begins to drive the right behaviour.”

Roambi, a data visualization app for iPads from MeLLmo, is one such technology platform that personifies how iPads and smartphones are transforming the way we do business. Roambi has recently entered the South African market following successful adoption by a worldwide customer base of Fortune 500 companies and small or medium businesses across a diverse range of industries including: telecommunications, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, consumer technology, packaged goods and others.

“Companies need to figure out what the key drivers of their business are, and then create a dashboard that makes this information available to them in a consumable manner in real-time,” says Hundermark.

Roambi brings management data to life by pulling it into an infographic and is unique where it is able to work with multiple types of databases so that the result is not tied down to a single data source. This pulls all the necessary management information into a single data dashboard.

Roambi has been adopted by several listed companies including Hitachi, Neudisic, Primerica (a leading life insurance and financial service provider) and have recently expanded into Asia through a strategic partnership with Deloitte China Consulting and the establishment of their Shanghai office.

Roambi has won several awards and has been named in more than 40 “Top Business Apps” lists, including: Apple, NY Times, InformationWeek, BusinesssWeek and Mashable. Step Strategic Venturing has identified Roambi as an important tool to improve both management and operational efficiency and will be promoting its adoption by businesses in South Africa.

Hundermark concludes that by implementing this streamlined approach to management, businesses will likely see a noticeable improvement in their productivity and overall efficiency.

“By monitoring the value drivers of a business, managers can ensure that they are focused on the right areas and will therefore become increasingly nimble in detecting trends as well as catching early warning signs to guard against potential problems,” he says.