Based on the wide use of Microsoft Office products within organizations, Microsoft has a natural advantage due to its far reach. Organizations which have not implemented BI solutions and that cannot afford the large price tags associated with BI vendor solutions can use Microsoft's general BI solution, as it encompasses a back-end solution to complement its front end analytics. This means that Microsoft, although coming late to the BI game, may actually push a broader use of BI tools throughout organizations, making it easier for other vendors to penetrate the mid-market and to expand their client base.
Also, the ease of use (due to MS Office integration) provides users with a big bonus in terms of integrating BSM into the current Microsoft product suite. Users can leverage their current products to define the required metrics to help measure performance. An example of linking BI with the broader Microsoft offering is through the use of Microsoft's Web portal, SharePoint. In SharePoint, documents can be linked across the organization; enterprise search and Web forms can be used; document management can be leveraged; and the various functionalities can be accessed within the same portal and within the BI structure as well.
In terms of functionality, accounting for SCDs is an important factor when implementing a BI solution across an organization. SCDs are an evolutionary process because business needs change over time. This means that the data identified and captured, as well as the relationships identified between data elements, likely will change over time. Therefore, having a built-in wizard that helps account for business model changes that can be related to metrics set is an important (and often overlooked) feature that is not always provided in a user-friendly manner—or at all—by other vendors.
Microsoft's late arrival to the market may have consequences, as many other BI and performance management vendors already integrate with Microsoft. Within the enterprise market, many BI tools have already been implemented across the organization, thereby making the adoption of yet another Microsoft product unlikely. Although Microsoft may choose to focus on BI and its complete performance management offering, the functionality provided by BSM does not outweigh that provided by other vendors. Microsoft's BSM functionality is fairly standard in terms of its competition. Additionally, even though Microsoft is focusing on using its partnerships to increase its user base, the BI suite offered has not been differentiated enough to provide users a reason to implement it on top of an existing BI or performance management software suite.
Also, the ease of use (due to MS Office integration) provides users with a big bonus in terms of integrating BSM into the current Microsoft product suite. Users can leverage their current products to define the required metrics to help measure performance. An example of linking BI with the broader Microsoft offering is through the use of Microsoft's Web portal, SharePoint. In SharePoint, documents can be linked across the organization; enterprise search and Web forms can be used; document management can be leveraged; and the various functionalities can be accessed within the same portal and within the BI structure as well.
In terms of functionality, accounting for SCDs is an important factor when implementing a BI solution across an organization. SCDs are an evolutionary process because business needs change over time. This means that the data identified and captured, as well as the relationships identified between data elements, likely will change over time. Therefore, having a built-in wizard that helps account for business model changes that can be related to metrics set is an important (and often overlooked) feature that is not always provided in a user-friendly manner—or at all—by other vendors.
Microsoft's late arrival to the market may have consequences, as many other BI and performance management vendors already integrate with Microsoft. Within the enterprise market, many BI tools have already been implemented across the organization, thereby making the adoption of yet another Microsoft product unlikely. Although Microsoft may choose to focus on BI and its complete performance management offering, the functionality provided by BSM does not outweigh that provided by other vendors. Microsoft's BSM functionality is fairly standard in terms of its competition. Additionally, even though Microsoft is focusing on using its partnerships to increase its user base, the BI suite offered has not been differentiated enough to provide users a reason to implement it on top of an existing BI or performance management software suite.
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