Data on-the-go: Breaking down the advantages of mobile BI solutions
The smartphone era has ushered in a new era of business intelligence. As business moves from the office to the road, home, or other remote location, analytics needs to as well.
With mobile BI solutions, you can now have real-time access to all your data wherever you are. Never again will someone be stuck without an answer because they couldn’t log into their desktop or were out of cell phone range. With the mobile apps now offered by modern BI platforms, you have instant access to insights no matter where you are and what device is handy.
In this article, we’ll cover four advantages of mobile BI solutions:
- Instant information and alerts
- Drill into data and get the answers you need at your fingertips
- Access to metrics and KPIs anywhere, anytime
- Work when you want to work, without having to log onto a desktop, or worse — wait until you can return to the office to get your work done.
First, let’s look at why mobile BI apps are essential for business today.
The need for mobile BI solutions
The world has gone mobile. If you don’t believe it, just take a look around the next time you’re in a public place. You’ll see people of all ages glued to their phones, tablets, and laptops.
And it’s not just personal use that is driving this trend. Businesses are catching up. A recent study found that 72% of people access the internet through their phones on a daily basis — and that number is only expected to grow.
In fact, more and more, business intelligence is being done from outside the office. The number of BI professionals using their mobile devices for work purposes is rising, and fast.
This makes it clear that there needs to be real-time access to data from anywhere—and business intelligence solutions need to meet the demand of users working from anywhere.
When you have this capability, it opens the door to analytics and insights that simply do not need to be limited to the desktop. The key to making this happen is finding a platform that combines maximum data accessibility with mobile-native analytics and reporting capabilities so you can easily run your business from any device.
How mobile BI solutions deliver instant information and alerts
One of the biggest advantages of mobile BI solutions is getting real-time information and alerts. This means that you don’t have to wait until you’re at your desk to find out what is happening in your business. You can get alerts on your phone or tablet whenever something important happens.
For example, if you’re a sales manager, you can get alerts for new leads, closed deals, and more. If you’re in marketing, you can get alerts for new blog posts, social media campaigns, and so on. The possibilities are endless.
Drill into data and get the answers you need at your fingertips
Another advantage of mobile BI solutions is that you have instant access to all your data from wherever you are.
This means that whether you’re on a train, in a meeting, or sitting in an airport lounge, you can see all the data you need to make decisions.
In addition, you can drill into data and get the answers you need without having to go back to your desk. This is especially useful if you’re on a tight deadline or need to respond quickly to a situation.
You no longer have to wait for your team to send your reports and the days of worrying about having the most up-to-date file are long gone. You can get insights and answers on the go. This is especially important for businesses owners and executives that are constantly on the move.
Access to metrics and KPIs anywhere, anytime
Taken together, instant information and alerts plus the ability to drill into data give you the power to get insights anytime, anywhere. But this isn’t all. Having access to all of your data in a single environment allows you to answer follow-up questions as well.
Get the initial insight you need and then dig into the details in order to formulate a plan of action. Easily collaborate with your team and coordinate key decisions regardless of everyone’s schedule or availability.
Work when you want to work
The major advantage of mobile BI solutions is the ability to get work done where and when it makes sense for you. There’s no need to worry about logging onto a desktop or bringing up the right data.
All you have to do is take out your mobile device and get down to business. With these capabilities, you can make the most of every minute — whether at home, in transit, or at the office.
So, there you have it — five major advantages of mobile BI solutions. When you have access to data on the go, you can get real-time information and alerts, drill into data for insights, get work done whenever and wherever you want, and have accurate metrics and KPIs at your fingertips.
The need for mobile BI solutions is growing
As more and more businesses move away from the traditional office environment, the need for mobile BI solutions is growing.
In order to keep up with the competition, you need to be able to make decisions quickly and have access to accurate data at all times.
A BI platform can give you this capability, and when combined with the right mobile-native experience, you can get the answers that you need, where and when you need them. As the amount of data that we have continues to grow exponentially, the need for tools that can handle it all becomes even more critical.
How to get started with mobile BI solutions
Don’t let the complexity hold you back if you feel like it’s time to take your business intelligence capabilities mobile. You can get started with a few simple steps:
- If you don’t already have a BI tool, identify industry leaders in mobile-friendly BI
- Find out what kind of mobile analytics capabilities your existing platform has
- Test out the mobile experience and make sure you select a solution that doesn’t require additional development for content to be consumed on a mobile device
The key is to find a solution that will work for you and your business. With the right mobile BI platform and apps, you can be more productive than ever before.
Once you’ve identified the solution that can take your business intelligence capabilities to another level, it’s time to start thinking about how they will change the way you work.
For example, if you have access to instant information and alerts plus the ability to drill into data, you’ll be able to stay ahead of your competition more easily.
That’s really just the beginning of what a mobile BI platform can do for you. When you start to discover the capabilities of a mobile-native BI platform, you’ll wonder how you ever got along with only a desktop view.