mip's scan

The Emergence of Mobile Business Intelligence

I was listening to the keynote speech here at the MicroStrategy World conference (follow it live via this social media equipped page) at the start of the day and I was really excited by the keynote that was delivered by MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor.  The reason I was excited was because the core message regarding MicroStrategy for 2010 was centered around mobility.  With the advent of the iPhone and the new paradigm that has evolved, MicroStrategy has seen how that will unleash business intelligence. I think they are correct in this thinking.  It was the core message the other day in the videocast I posted of Stephen Hayward and myself.  

I have often said to client, unrelated to BI, that the new model that Apple has introduced to the world is accelerating the widgetization, or from Apple's perspective, the applification of the Internet.  The web can't be consumed on a phone like it is at the desktop.  Apple got this.  They created a really robust browser, but more importantly, they gave developers and ultimately users applications that are like small packaged up piece of web content and functionality.  This drove a more natural usage of the web because it could be done when you needed it.  

mip's scan videoCast

I created a videoCast today which was released on the mipcast site and on the Project X blog.  In case you were interested, the topic was the emerging trend for business intelligence in 2010.  It is a brief video chat (about 5 minutes) that we thought we'd record as a part of some casual discussions we'd been having at the start of the conference we are attending.  

To watch the video over at the mipcast, click here.

Or you can see the version that was uploaded to YouTube after the jump below.

Better Business Intelligence = Better Business Results

 A short while back I saw that the Aberdeen Group conducted a study that found that organizations using MicroStrategy realized stronger sales growth than peer companies who were not using the BI suite.  The full details of the report can be read here in this press release from MicroStrategy, but to highlight the key message:

According to the Aberdeen Group report, customers using MicroStrategy software achieved a 6% increase in sales during the time period as compared to an industry average of a 4% decline in sales revenue. Among large BI vendors in the survey, only MicroStrategy customers experienced significant sales growth.

When I saw this information, I must admit, I wasn't surprised. To me, having been in strategic consulting for years and years I have always known and seen in my client work that when you have the correct inputs for your business then you realize greater success.  When I assist organizations with their IT strategy, that strategy is always crafted with an underlying understanding:  help the business get to where it wants to go.  The IT within an organization must be an enabler.

The same is true for business intelligence efforts inside organizations.  The data locked in so many systems and massaged & manipulated in so many Excel worksheets is there to enable the business reach its strategic objectives.  Like IT resources though, that data needs to be strategically used.  In setting an IT strategy, we start with a "vision", in setting a business intelligence strategy, we start with questions.  Key questions you need answered in order to make good strategic decisions.

That is why what the Aberdeen Group study has found makes total sense. Customers realized that 6% growth while others were declining because they were able to make sound decisions against what was happening in the market around them.  Their data wasn't stuck in system-silos or it wasn't being misunderstood or it wasn't being analyzed too late.  Leverage a tier-one BI solution like MicroStrategy allows them to accurately and quickly understand their market.  In today's economic environment, things change quickly; its very volatile.  Companies need to become very agile and adaptable.  Having a tier-one solution like MicroStrategy, coupled with the ever,  important starting point, a Strategic BI Plan that works with the business to identify and articulate the business questions that need answering, will allow your organization to become that nimble agile competitor in your marketplace. 

Cloud Storage - Which To Choose?

I was with a client last week for a series of meetings.  I didn't bring my laptop or netbook with me because of the nature of the meetings I was going to be in, neither was required.  At the close one of the meetings, my client asked me about some printed material I'd shown him previously and was wondering if he could have a soft copy of it.  

I simply pulled out my iPhone, opened a tool I use called SoonR and was able to give him the file (I will explain in greater detail how this all works).  An IT person was looking over my shoulder and said "Oh, you should use Dropbox."  I told him I had Dropbox as well and he said "You have both?  That's kind of redundant isn't it?"

By now you may be scratching your head?  SoonR?  Dropbox?  What in the world is mip talking about?  Well it all relates to services that are cloud-based storage.  I want to talk about three such services:  SoonR, Dropbox and Zumodrive.  I'll describe the three and let you know which one I think is worth installing on your computer and (if you have it) a handheld device like the iPhone.

Mobile Blogging

I haven't blogged a lot in the past using my iPhone. A long while back I'd tried the Typepad client for my posts here at mip's scan, but found it lacking.

I downloaded the Typepad iPhone app again yesterday to see what was new. Now, as I sit on the plane, I'm blogging at 30,000 feet. I'm in "airplane mode" of course, which means my iPhone is not connected currently (obviously not allowed when flying), but the Typepad app will save this as a draft. That is great.

The interface is simple and usable. I like that they've integrated the ability to link my Twitter account via the iPhone app so each post can be Tweeted when published.

I brought my netbook along to do some blogging during conference sessions but may give the iPhone a whirl as my blogging tool.

Juice PackAir

So I'm sitting on the flight to Las Vegas and thought I'd blog here on my iPhone quickly. I'm using the Typepad iPhone app, which will save this and publish it once I get back on the ground. That itself is awesome and worth blogging about (see post titled Mobile Blogging, which I will write after this one).

This post however is about the great sleeve I've brought along, the Jucie Pack Air. It acts as a case for an iPhone and has a built-in battery. It adds some bulk, which I don't like because it doesn't allow the iPhone to go into my belt-attached holster I use, I my intent is to slip it on when needed.

So, how did it fair? Well, my iPhone was down to about 40% battery life when I boarded the plane in Toronto. After being in the air for an hour or so, I decided to watch a movie. I slipped the case on and watch a two hour movie. Much to my happy surprise, when the movie was done and I exited back to my home screen, I have found my battery sitting at 92%. That is fantastic. It actually charged while running video for 2 hours. That is impressive. Definitely glad I brought it along and look forward to using it during the upcoming conference to extend my ability to blog and Twitter without running out of "juice".

This is one iPhone accessory that will definitely accompany me on future trips.

Will be Heading Down to the Upcoming MicroStrategy World 2010 Conference

Thought I'd dash off a quick post with regard to a business intelligence conference I am heading over to this Sunday.  The conference is the MicroStrategy World 2010 conference being held in Las Vegas.  There are so many excellent tracks (information sessions) that I've had trouble deciding what I want to attend while I am there.

One of my primary objectives is to gain a deeper understanding of how MicroStrategy can be applied in a rapid / agile model.  I've been working at adapting many of my strategic tools / techniques to our RapidBI approach and understanding how our partner MicroStrategy and their platform enables us to do that and ultimately deliver value quickly and cost effectively to our customers.

If you are going to be at the conference, feel free to leave me a comment here on my blog - would be great to chat in person.

If you are interested, in addition to blogging from the conference, I'll also be Twittering. You can follow me here if you are so inclined.  I look forward to sharing info and blogging for you while I am down there.  If you have questions you might like me to bring forward at the conference, please let me know.

My Top 5 iPhone Apps

People often ask me if they can see my iPhone and see what apps I have on there.  I have pages of apps for a variety of things for both my work and personal life.  Eventually, someone will ask me "So what are the best apps?  If you had to pick 5 apps what are they?"

After having answered this question many times, I thought I'd create a post here and point out to my readers what the best apps are for me.  Again, the emphasis is on me.  The beauty of the iPhone is that with 100,000+ apps, it is highly customizable.  Everyone will have their own top 5 apps I'm sure.  For my 5 apps, I didn't consider into the mix the standard critical apps that come with the iPhone: email, phone, calendaring.  Those are apps that I open and close hundreds of times a day.  I wanted to focus on apps that I've added.  To find out what my top 5 apps are, keep reading.

mipcast podcast - January 19th Weekly Update

As some of you may remember, I podcasted for quite some time here on mip's scan and then created a site where I could put up enhanced podcasts over at the mipcast.  

Well, I'm please to let you know that I've rebooted that process of podcasting.  The latest podcast came out on mipcast earlier today and I thought I'd cross post an mp3 version of it here.  I will endeavor to podcast and videocast at least once a week.  If there are topics of interest, please be sure to let me know.

Happily listening!

Mipcast-january19

iPhone App for mip's scan Now Available

Well dear readers, ever evolving how this blog reaches out to you, I am pleased to let you know that an iPhone app for mip's scan (iTunes link) is now available!

I read about an interesting service online that would create an iPhone app for users leveraging a wizard-like approach.  Being the tinker that I am, always wanting to try things first hand to see if the value is there and not just the hype, I gave AppMakr a try.  

I have been working on some actual apps for about a month now with the purpose being to really learn how it all hangs together.  I will blog and share some of that with you in the next while.  While doing this I came across AppMakr, and this service from them intrigued me and so I wanted to try it out and see the end result.  I will create a full post on the experience shortly as well and my thoughts on the future of mobile app development.  

It was a great experience and in the process, I created an iPhone app for mip's scan.  You can download it for free from here.