BI comes to Google Maps

Google and Information Builders have launched the first business intelligence software 'mash-up', giving users access to analytics via Google Maps, says MCSolutions.

For manufacturers with multiple sites of interest, WebFocus for Google Maps is potentially a significant development since it has the potential to enable very easy and intuitive access to online performance data.

It also marks Google's entry into the enterprise market - again blurring of boundaries between consumer and business technology.

A new offering from Bitam caters to companies needing an affordable application for analysing metrics related to business goals. Its BI platform is now offered as Software as a Service, according to LocalTechWire.

Bitam's suite of Enterprise Performance Management solutions now include pay-as-you-go convenience. For a monthly user fee, companies can access the Web-hosted application to create a visual dashboard of actual performance against key performance indicators with graphs, charts and tables.

"Our goal is to eliminate the barriers for customers to deploy BI solutions, but still for customisation and in-depth analysis to make better business decisions," says Antonio Rajan, US northeast manager.

At the Gartner BI and Information Management Summit in Singapore, analysts gathered to discuss the changing BI landscape, says CRN Australia.

In Gartner's Executive Programs survey of 1 500 CIOs, BI has ranked as the top technology priority for the third year in a row.

Analysts also predicted that revenue for BI software vendors in Asia Pacific is expected to surpass US$399 million in 2008 and reach US$577.6 million in 2011 with a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.5%.