Cape Town, 25 Sep 2013
Africa has more than 695 million mobile subscriptions and a penetration rate of 65%, making mobile devices the most prevalent form of technology on the continent. Mobile technology can often be viewed as an enabler of development in Africa, and it is my belief that mobile BI can contribute significantly in this regard. As with any other technology advancement, mobile BI is not a one-size-fits-all solution. The underlying processes, infrastructure, data quality and mobile systems security need to all be in order before mobile BI can deliver any real value, says Kudzai Kashora, SAP Consultant at ConVista Consulting.
Mobile BI is the use of business intelligence or decision support systems via mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet devices. Currently, there is a growing need for mobile BI in the business world, as the nature of work is changing and employees are more mobile than before. Mobile devices assist in making information more ubiquitous so that workers are no longer dependent on working from a stationary location such as the office. Innovative organisations can capitalise on the ability of their employees to be productive while out on the road and, ultimately, this can help them to improve organisational performance and competitiveness.
While the potential contribution of mobile BI to the business world is quite exciting, its ability to be more than a business tool is what sets this phenomenon apart. The South African government statistical body (Stats SA) published the results of the 2011 census using iPhone and iPad custom-built applications made with Roambi Mobile BI software. This could be linked to the fact that South Africa has the second-highest smartphone penetration in Africa. With the increased usage of smart devices in other African countries, mobile BI could be adopted more broadly across the continent.
Sources
Hatt,T. Digital empowerment in the developing world. Retrieved 19 April 2013 from https://mobiledevelopmentintelligence.com/insight#Digital_empowerment_in_the_developing_world
Twentyman, J. Mobile BI as a tool of democracy in South Africa. Retrieved 19 April 2013 from http://www.enterpriseappexpo.com/mobile-bi-as-a-tool-of-democracy-in-south-africa
Kudzai Kashora is an SAP Consultant with ConVista Consulting, who completed her BCom (Hons) Degree in Information Systems at the University of Cape Town. She has been working in the SAP industry since 2011 and is currently doing her Masters in Information Systems at UCT. As her passion is business intelligence and mobility, she has chosen to do a thesis on how organisations can create business value from Leveraging Mobile BI.
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