Hyperion Solutions Corp. has become the latest business intelligence company to overhaul its portfolio.With the recent release of System 9, the company has created what it calls a shared platform for its business performance management applications.
It’s a strategy that’s been applauded by one of the company’s solution providers.
“This is a major step for them,” said Mike Haley, president of Landmark Decisions Inc., a Bedford, N.S. consulting firm which specializes in helping organizations with performance management strategies.
Down under
Among its clients are the government of New Zealand and Air Canada’s cargo division.
Hyperion’s specialty is making financial management and business intelligence applications.
Until now they were separate applications.
System 9 creates a common base called Foundation Services, on top of which run optional Applications Plus, which includes planning, financial management, strategic finance, professional scorecard software, and BI Plus, a business intelligence module.
A shared Web-based front end called Workspace can connect to Microsoft Office. There’s also a new licencing model under which users can install the entire suite but licence only what they need.
To encourage non-business intelligence specialists to use the application, users can put dashboards on their desktops.
Master Data Management lets organizations create centralized metadata of all information, making it easier to do queries across multiple databases.
Don Mactavish, a Hyperion director of marketing, calls it “a convergence of all Hyperion had.”
“It’s a massive launch for us.”
The company’s partners will benefit as well, he said. VARs often focus on either Hyperion’s financial consolidation or business intelligence applications, he said. But they’ll find that much of what they learn in System 9 cuts across both areas, which can be applied should they choose to branch out.
Another selling point is the common infrastructure, which will make the system easier for IT departments to manage the suite, he said.
System 9 works on Windows, Linux and Unix platforms and connects to most databases and ERP systems.
Competitors include Ottawa’s Cognos Inc., Business Objects, SAS, Information Builders.
The trend to running applications on top of business intelligence platforms is increasing, noted Keith Gile, an industry analyst with Forrester Research, so Hyperion’s goal of creating an integrated suite is a good idea.
Customers are trying to cut down on the number of business intelligence solutions, some of which are redundant.
System 9 “puts (Hyperion) in a pretty good position because they can offer more with a single platform.”
That’s also attractive to IT departments, he said.
