Most people have already formed their opinions of mobile business intelligence (BI). Unfortunately, most of the opinions are not favorable and there’s a good reason for this: Early attempts at transforming useful business applications into a mobile environment have failed. Some were quick to gain that first-mover advantage to the small screen by simply shrinking their application to accommodate the reduced real estate of the screen. Other attempts pushed out static reports on a mobile screen which may have been marginally helpful but it typically created a tremendously frustrating user experience, leaving no opportunity to interact with the data. These approaches may have given access to some information, but it certainly didn’t give the mobile user a positive experience.

As the worlds of serious business applications and personal productivity devices merge, people want and expect their business intelligence to always be within arm’s reach. However, just posting a static report on a mobile screen may be marginally helpful but it typically creates a tremendously frustrating user experience, leaving no opportunity to interact with the data.

Blackberries, smartphones and iPhones have made the ability to bring work and play everywhere. With a constant connection to people, the Internet and entertainment, business applications on mobile devices were a natural progression. People can no longer afford to wait to get back to the office to access the information required to do their jobs. Until recently, this information and interaction with technology came in the form of carrying a notebook computer or using a blackberry for email, calendar and simple task functions. Now that people can access and edit documents through their phones - and with the easy user interfaces offered through the iPhone - the use of mobile devices for business is becoming second nature.

Dashboard Insight recently spoke with ComponentOne's Chris Meredith about his various mobile BI solutions, security options - and where he expects the mobile platform to be in the next few years.

Access to mobile, timely, and accurate information – mobile business intelligence (BI) – was critical to redevelopment efforts. Richardson's Deputy CIO Eric Matthews explains that the goal was to "improve communications to our citizens and continue to redevelop our facilities, infrastructure, residential and business areas" and "to find ways to be efficient and deliver high-quality services to both our citizens and internally for our departments."

Transpara’s Visual KPI presents operating information from multiple data sources to users in context and on-demand, enabling timely, informed decision making from any location. Designed for mobile handsets, Visual KPI supports any modern web browser – including 300+ mobile devices (Windows Mobile, Blackberry, iPhone and Palm Pre, etc.) – and easily scales to the desktop and larger form factors (flat panels, etc.)

Dashboard Insight recently spoke with Transpara's Michael Saucier about the hurdles in getting BI data on mobile devices, while offering an explanation of "spontaneous collaboration.”

Building on the reports and dashboards from Ctuit Radar, our industry leading business intelligence software for restaurants, Radar To Go delivers next day point of sale data and analysis from your restaurant company to your mobile device. Radar To Go has been optimized for mobile devices by providing fast loading images, reports and data tables with improved navigation.

Dashboard Insight recently spoke with Bango's Andy Bovingdon about the difficulties in getting quality data from mobile visitors, visitor identification technology, plus a few words on increasing conversion rates.

In the last five years, advancements in mobile device hardware and software have provided a new medium for presenting information. With iPhone, Blackberry, Android, and Palm enabled devices competing to attract both consumer and business user adoption, there are tremendous opportunities to improve the way businesses monitor and consume information while un-tethered from a computer.

It’s no secret that the health industry requires change to effectively manage the growing needs of providers, payers, and most importantly patients. To meet these needs and offer cutting edge technology that offer real solutions, Hands On Technology chose ComponentOne FlexGrid™ for Mobile Devices to implement a mobile physical therapy documentation solution. With the initial release of their product, TheraWriter.PT, clinics across the United States are able to utilize this technology to reduce their time-consuming documentation efforts.

Mobile devices get smarter every day, and more of us than ever depend on them. But there is a drawback to our increasing dependence on smart mobile devices--they have the potential to be even more risky than laptop computers. This risk is due to two key factors. First, users tend to be as careful with their mobile devices as they are with their laptops, and second, security solutions (encryption, antivirus, etc.) are not as pervasively deployed on mobile devices as they are on laptop computers.

The question is, can all those employees be as connected, well-informed and productive while away from the office as they are when seated in front of a desktop computer? As far as business intelligence software providers are concerned, the answer is a resounding "yes," but they're not banking on all those workers toting around laptops. "Smart phones" are already the business platform of choice for road warriors, and given current replacement cycles and advances in technology, it won't be long before these, e-mail-, Web- and compute-capable devices become a ubiquitous business tool.

Dashboard Insight recently spoke with Rado Kotorov about his "extended BI strategy," solutions for mobile devices and why he currently prefers his clients thin!

In the last five years, advancements in mobile device hardware and software have provided a new medium for presenting information. With iPhone, Blackberry, Android, and Palm enabled devices competing to attract both consumer and business user adoption, there are tremendous opportunities to improve the way businesses monitor and consume information while un-tethered from a computer.

For years we have been hearing about “consumer BI,” “pervasive BI,” and “BI for the masses.” Whichever term you use, it’s clear that the focus has shifted from BI professionals (who need complex tools to create and analyze information) to rank-and-file workers (who simply want to access BI content in intuitive ways).

The need and demand for mobile business intelligence (BI) increases with each passing month, as executive management has become less tethered to their desks and office-based PCs. The traditional workspace is now obsolete; with remote access so ubiquitous, the whole world is an office. Such an agile and fluid workforce requires access to corporate knowledge stores which must provide unfettered access, regardless of geographic location, time of day, and content delivery platform.

Dashboard Insight recently spoke with Archer's Steve Schlarman about risk and regulatory intelligence, the top GRC best practices, plus he gives a glimpse into the future of Archer Technologies.

It was inevitable.  BI dashboards and their users became more sophisticated, much quicker than any of us could have imagined.  BI dashboards have grown up into real-time “mashboards,” where users have a huge portfolio of data and corresponding operational functions at their immediate disposal.  For example, from a vanilla PDA or mobile handheld device, a user on-the-go is now able to glean a complete picture of their supply chains - making sure product inventory is keeping up with outstanding (or anticipated) orders, while at the same time having the capability to see how each product is performing in various marketplaces along demographic and geographic dimensions.  All this can be done without having to exit the application that is running in front of them; knowledge or insight about all supporting systems or applications is simply not required.