IBM today introduced a business intelligence and planning software product for the mid-market that it described as low-cost and able to be deployed in a few hours.
The product, called IBM Cognos Express, is targeted at companies with 100 to 999 employees, Pricing starts at a one-time charge of $12,500, which includes one module and services what IBM described as “core” business users. Express can also be financed through IBM Global Financing for as low as $25 per user per month, subject to certain conditions, IBM said. The product will be available this month.
IBM Cognos Express, the result of a two-year development effort, comprises three products. The first, called Express Reporter, enables the creation of financial, operational, and transactional reports. It also allows users to perform ad hoc queries using drag-and-drop capabilities. Express Advisor enables analysis and “what if” scenario planning for long- and short-term performance forecasting. Key metrics, IBM said, can be shared using live dashboards.
The third component, Express Xcelerator, was described as helping managers transform spreadsheets using an in-memory analytics engine for real-time, multi-dimensional analysis, planning, budgeting, and forecasting. IBM Cognos Express also provides a centralized, Web-based console that manages all administrative aspects of installation, deployment, and ongoing management, IBM said.