Microstrategy rolls out BI app for iPhone, iPad

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Microstrategy rolls out BI app for iPhone, iPad

Customers can try up to 25 licenses at no charge

By Chris Kanaracus, IDG News Service

July 06, 2010 09:22 AM ET

Microstrategy on Tuesday is announcing a next-generation mobile BI (business intelligence) application for Apple's iPhone and iPad, joining the growing pack of enterprise vendors that are embracing the red-hot platform.

Previously, Microstrategy had focused mobile support on Research In Motion's BlackBerry devices. The new iPhone apps up the ante over "traditional" mobile BI software, which consists of basic reports, grids and graphs, said Mark LaRow, senior vice president of marketing.

The increased processing power afforded by devices like the iPhone means mobile applications can provide many more interactive dashboards and other types of applications that work with data pulled into the local device. This reduces stress on the back-end data warehousing system as well, LaRow said

Microstrategy has sought to make the user experience more streamlined via features like automatic user role identification, auto-location detection through GPS data and a barcode scanning feature that employs the phone's camera.

The applications take an "aesthetically open" approach, with users able to apply "virtually any look and feel," LaRow said.

Microstrategy Mobile pricing ranges from US$550 to $2,000 per user, according to a spokeswoman for the company.

Full story - http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/070610-microstrategy-rolls-out-bi-app.html?hpg1=bn