Save content
Have you found this content useful? Use the button above to save it to your profile.
AIA

Software shorts: Cognos Express takes BI into the mid-range

by
26th Oct 2009
Save content
Have you found this content useful? Use the button above to save it to your profile.

A round-up of this month's news from the business software industry.

Software shorts: Cognos Express takes BI into the mid-range

23 Oct - “What took them so long?” might be the first reaction to news that IBM has broadened its business intelligence software range with Cognos Express, a pared down version of the Cognos 8 BI suite.

While others such as Adaptive Planning, Microsoft and even Cognos reseller Inca have been marketing BI tools to the mid-market for some years, the Cognos move has been slowed by its absorption into the IBM empire.

The recession has increased demand for BI tools, IBM Cognos UK country manager Ged Simmons told our sister site Finance Week, but several elements within the portfolio needed to be bought together to create Cognos Express.

The software relies heavily on a spreadsheet-like grid for data entry and analysis and is organised into three modules accessed via a web browser interface: Reporter for queries and reports; Adviser for analysis and visualisation; and Xcelerator for planning, budgeting and forecasting. Each costs around £8,000 and with a quick, template-driven implementation process, a small workgroup system should be up and running for around £25,000, Simmons said.

“Finance is our number one entry point. Making sure they can take ownership very quickly is what differentiates the mid-market from banks and big companies where IT probably defines strategy,” he said.

* * *

DocuSoft launches Email File Manager v2

15 Oct - Paperless office specialist DocuSoft has update its Email File Manager, which bring email messages into the core DocuSoft document storage system.

Build as an add-on for Microsoft Outlook, the Email File Manager can import emails and their attachments from Outlook folders in batches to the DocuSoft archive and includes a Save on Send prompt to capture outgoing mails. The messages are then available to be accessed and shared using both the DocuSoft management tools, but are still viewable within Outlook.

The DocuSoft paperless office system includes versions tailored for accountancy practices. Large amounts of information coming into and leaving the firm via email that are not captured by a document management software could undermine client service and compliance. DocuSoft’s Email File Manager plugs that gap.

* * *

Access FocalPoint approves expenses on the iPhone

14 Oct - Visitors arriving at the Softworld Accounting & Finance event at Olympia were greeted by the show’s most attention-grabbing launch, a free iPhone app from Access Technology Group that lets you view and approve timesheet and expenses in its FocalPoint application.

The Access FocalPoint for iPhone app can give you up-to-date views of reports generated within the parent project management application. At the moment, the iPhone app only works for viewing and approving, but Access is working on routines to input expenses and timesheet data, plus similar features for the BlackBerry version, said director Steve Berridge.

The mobile implementation for FocalPoint was more than a gimmick, he said.

“We think mobile is the future. When we go to sales opportunities for FocalPoint, people always ask, ‘Can I do approvals?’ The answer now is yes - if you’ve got an iPhone or BlackBerry,” Berridge said.

* * *

MyN meets Online<>50 in Ambition Accounts

MyN's Jonathan Harris (left) and Online<>50's Rob Lambden at Softworld14 Oct - The Software as a Service corner in Softworld Accounting & Finance at Olympia saw Online<>50 playing host to MyN sales director Jonathan Harris (left of picture), reflecting how the online service now hosts the latter’s application as part of its Ambition Accounts Online service.

Online<>50 is one of the leading online providers and has a longstanding hosting arrangement to host Sage 50 Accounts, but to meet rising demand it needed a product below that level. MyN provided the means to deliver that, explained Online<>50 director Rob Lambden (right).

“Most people want a Windows interface and giving them that choice is important,” said Lambden. “Ambition is both, so we can give it to them on the web or in Windows and do it for £35 per user per month.”

Harris added that the relationship with Online<>50 relfected MyN’s “Web or Windows” strategy to cater for businesses with multiple sites or mobile workers that wanted the advantages of the Web while being able to link into a hybrid on-premise environment. “The fact we’re in both spaces will give us a shot at both markets,” Harris added.
 

 

Tags:

Replies (0)

Please login or register to join the discussion.

There are currently no replies, be the first to post a reply.