The business world moves fast and it shows no signs of slowing.
A business that is not poised to take advantage of opportunities at 'the speed of light' is likely to leave the spoils for their competitors.
And that 'speed of light' may be in that smart phone or iPad in the form of accessible Business Intelligence or BI.
Business Intelligence solutions have been around for years as business makes use of the reams of data at its disposal.
It aids in decision-making, forecasting, and strategic planning.
Mobile BI takes the accessing of information into new realms of possibility.
Executives and salespeople can have customer information at their fingertips avoiding the need to "call the office" or sift through a mountain of reports.
Decision makers can look up information that helps them close deals faster and with better knowledge of the facts.
What-if scenarios can be played out in real time with potential outcomes displayed on-screen in minutes.
A knowledgeable worker is a productive worker.
Is Your Company Ready for Mobile Business Intelligence Technology While mobile business intelligence offers many benefits, it's not without its perils.
First and foremost is the security issue.
Once information is outside a company's fortress - its firewall - it becomes a security issue.
A company must balance its ability to empower executives and aid in decision-making with the risk of that information being hijacked.
Information security must be configured beforehand with any mobile business intelligence solution.
For mobile business intelligence to be effective, company data must be made accessible and be accurate across the business.
Data must be standardized and audited to ensure that users are receiving relevant and timely information.
No amount of technological innovation is going to aid the decision-making process if the information being accessed is not factual.
Assessing Your Needs for Mobile BI If you currently use business intelligence applications, you have a head start on determining your needs for mobile BI.
The key is to determine your KPIs for each level of each user.
The key performance indicators for an executive will be much different than the KPIs for salespeople.
It's much the same as configuring the internal information system to the needs of the user.
As borders open up and business operates in a global environment, it becomes more important for business players to be able to make split second decisions.
The more information they can access, the greater the likelihood of those decisions bearing fruit.
Mobile business intelligence changes the game.
Has your company made the move to Mobile Business Intelligence?