Analytics Demand Has an Online Answer

Business performance management (BPM) and analytics software solutions provider Applix on Monday announced the launch of Applix On-Demand (AOD), an online repository of customizable solutions for the Applix user community. Applix On-Demand provides customers and partners immediate access to tools, interfaces, and applications specifically designed to support integrated BPM and expand the flexibility of the Applix platform, according to the company. The announcement comes approximately one month after business intelligence player Cognos announced plans to buy Applix for $339 million. The introduction of Applix On-Demand could fortify the already-strong Applix user community (some 3,000 customers) and possibly influence Cognos' choice of whether to fully absorb Applix or maintain it as its own brand within the Cognos family. Applix says its service offers customers greater flexibility and scalability, enabling its platform to reach more users within an organization. The company also claims that the templates and solutions available on AOD require fewer resources and provide a real-time, reconfigurable view into an organization's financial and operational reporting and analytics. "Applix On-Demand puts the business user in charge, reducing the cost and need for IT involvement while providing a 'lens' that allows for a deeper view into an individual department or the entire business," said Ben Plummer, senior vice president of marketing and strategic alliances at Applix, in a statement. "Responding to the increased demand of our customers and partners for these modules, this new service will facilitate greater business agility and continue to address the increasing complexity of organizations with a streamlined corporate asset." AOD comprises three sections:

• Resources: includes a trio of centers for administrators, subscribers, and customers;
• Community: includes on-demand blogs for keeping up with news and developments, forums for discussion, feedback, and, in the future, the Applix Wiki; and
• Live Demos: includes walkthroughs of various Applix capabilities.

Following this initial rollout, Applix will continue to offer customers and partners updated solutions and modules to further build out the repository. The Resources section's three centers are:

• Developer Center: Provides administrators with tools to solve common development and maintenance needs, and to contribute their own tips and techniques for optimizing the capabilities of the Applix platform;
• Solution Center: Provides subscribers with sample solutions across a variety of industries and functional areas; and
• Application Center: Provides Applix customers with a venue for exploring Applix and third-party products built on the Applix Platform, including add-in technology components and specialized functional applications.

"Applix On-Demand provides Applix's user community with the convenience of leveraging general best practices templates and the capability to tailor them to meet their organizations' specific needs," said Dan Vesset, program vice president of IDC's business analytics research, in a statement. "Not only does AOD help Applix users to jump-start their business analytics projects, but it has also the potential to evolve over time into a software-as-a-service offering." Related articles: Cognos To Purchase Applix The $339 million acquisition is the latest example of the convergence of business intelligence and performance management. Feature: The 2007 Market Awards: Business Intelligence Cognos, in the face of investigations into company finances, continues to be a top contender in the BI space. BI Tools Market Shows Continued Growth A study by IDC reveals that BI software is both popular and necessary; Business Objects and SAS continue to lead the field. For Cognos, the Time Is Now The company releases a new BI and performance management solution tailored for the SMB segment and based on technology acquired from the Celequest purchase. BI and PM: Two Sides of the Same Coin Spending on business intelligence and performance management is expected to balloon as companies seek to bring financial data and operational metrics to the corporate masses, according to a new study. Cognos's Quest for Real-Time BI The BI vendor adds real-time operational dashboards to its performance management solution and announces tighter integration with Salesforce.com. Gartner Releases Its BI Magic Quadrant The analyst firm expects the business intelligence market to experience sustained growth as the technology includes more users within an organization.