Small Business Technology News

SMB Business Intelligence Migrating To The Cloud

Written by Tim Morral
Published: 2/27/2012

Nearly half of SMBs report an intention to pursue cloud-based business intelligence over the next twelve months.

As the need for better, faster and more accurate business data continues to rise, increasing numbers of SMBs are incorporating business intelligence tools into their reporting agendas -- and in many cases, they are relying on BI tools that reside in the cloud.

Small Business Cloud Computing Business Intelligence

In a recent study of U.S. small and medium-sized businesses, the market research and industry analyst organization Techaisle found that even though only 22% of SMBs currently employ business intelligence tools, an additional 27% are planning to launch business intelligence tools within the next year.

The study also found that a whopping 47% users plan to migrate their business intelligence away from spreadsheets to the cloud, which represents a single year increase of 59%.

The SMB business intelligence market is divided among a selection of recognizable vendors. Microsoft occupies the top slot, followed by Oracle, Cloud9 Analytics, Host Analytics, MIcrostrategy, SAP Business Objects and other brands.

Cloud-based business intelligence offers SMBs several distinct advantages. In addition to lower setup costs, the anytime, anywhere nature of cloud-based BI solutions facilitates multiple locations or the use of telecommuter employees.

To extend the portability of their solutions, 18% of SMBs that leverage BI are making plans to leverage mobile business intelligence on smartphones, tablets and other wireless devices.

The downside of the shift toward cloud-based BI is that cloud business intelligence is susceptible to the same vulnerabilities as other types of cloud applications. But improvements in data security, system integrity and other areas are expected to make cloud-based and mobile BI tools more attractive and drive adoption rates among SMBs.

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