Synergy Computing takes BI to next level with Cognos 8; achieves African first

Synergy Computing has achieved an African first on the new Cognos 8 platform which was announced at the world launch of Cognos 8 Business Intelligence last week: it has implemented the beta test software at leading South African retailer Woolworths.

"Self-service requests for ad hoc reporting, and the ability for all users to create a personal, flexible information portal that can pull in key metrics, RSS [really simply syndication] feeds, and company dashboards are key new capabilities in Cognos 8 BI that deliver the power of business intelligence to all users while providing a single self-service BI environment to the organisation," says Peter Versveld, IT executive, Business Intelligence at Woolworths.

With the launch of the Cognos 8 suite - geared for Web delivery of business intelligence while focusing on ease of use for clients - the business intelligence leader has delivered tighter integration of its ReportNet, PowerPlay, Metrics Manager and Decision Stream products, while also including Cognos NoticeCast-like monitoring and alerting functionality.

"With its broad set of functions, tighter integration and new capabilities, Cognos 8 will not only be a strong competitor, but it will strengthen Cognos' position in the BI market," says Andrew Connold, MD of Synergy Computing.

"The new version of the suite will be a free upgrade for existing Cognos customers on maintenance and is expected to provide a significant incentive for these customers to remain with Cognos."

Connold points out that a broad array of data access and manipulation capabilities is an essential element of any enterprise-ready BI suite, and Cognos 8 addresses this requirement by offering static, parameterised and interactive reporting.

He says that it also delivers On Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) analysis capabilities, embedded event notification and data integration services, all within a user interface that has been enhanced to minimise control response latency.

"Much like other blends of OLAP and relational databases, Cognos 8 should significantly improve query performance for business users, who will find it significantly easier to integrate into existing IT infrastructure," he says.

He states that the high degree of integration of the components of the suite will also simplify administration, by means of sharing tasks relating to users, security, schedules and OLAP, as well as event and data integration functions.

"Although I expect BI standardisation agendas to increasingly drive enterprise-wide adoption for the larger BI players, for the moment, however, issues such as architecture, integration ease, cost of ownership and accessibility of administration will be significant buying decision factors, along with customer satisfaction, which will also play an ever-increasing role in such decisions," concludes Connold.