IBM recently launched IBM Cognos Express, an all-in-one business intelligence and planning solution specifically built and priced for midsized clients. Deployed in just a matter of hours, the new solution offers clients a low-cost and low-risk, integrated approach to planning, analyzing and reporting performance, identifying trends, and ultimately helping them make smarter business decisions.
The new IBM Cognos Express solution has been designed by IBM with the specific purpose of being easy to install, easy to use, and easy to buy for midmarket customers. It is easy to install because it is a pre-configured solution that includes everything required for simple deployment and management. It is easy to use because of its self-service environment that allows users to easily build reports, analyses, dashboards and multi-dimensional plans on their own. And lastly, it is easy to buy because of its competitive pricing, modular packaging, and complete financing portfolio from IBM Global Financing.
Built on an open platform, the IBM Cognos Express portfolio includes three products that can be purchased together or individually to meet a specific need. These products are IBM Cognos Express Reporter (which lets business users securely access any type of data to create detailed financial, operational, and transactional production reports and perform ad hoc queries using simple drag and drop authoring capabilities), IBM Cognos Express Advisor (which offers sophisticated analysis and "what if" scenario planning), and IBM Cognos Express Xcelerator, a product that helps managers transform their common spreadsheets with an underlying in-memory analytics engine for real-time multidimensional analysis. The new solution also offers a centralized, web-based console that manages all administrative aspects of installation, deployment and ongoing management, minimizing the need for any IT staff assistance.
Caroline Seymour, business unit executive, IBM Cognos Mid-Market, tells 5 Minute Briefing that "the three products for reporting, analysis, and planning are all interconnected and all rely on consistent, centrally managed data driven by the in-memory analytics server. This ensures that business information is accurate and consistent across an organization and enables the continued use of Excel as an analysis tool without the problem of creating isolated data silos."
The new Cognos Express products are available this month, direct from IBM or its network of resellers worldwide.
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