Performance Management Software: Making Life Easier

Cognos software is well known business intelligence and performance management software which is owned and developed by IBM. It is used by many firms and companies around the world to effectively plan and manage business.It helps in several steps such as forecasting, planning, warehousing, and dash boarding. Business intelligence software such as Cognos 10 helps you use your resources effectively and reduce the stress on managers as well. It helps middle and senior level managers use their time for important purposes and leave the nitty gritty details of management to the software.Integration With Other IBM ProductsThe software has recently been integrated with some other products under the IBM range and this has increased its effectiveness manifold. The Cognos 10 is now integrated with products such as Lotus Connect and SPSS Analytics.It also comes with a mobile capability and this proves a valuable resource for managers who are constantly on the move. Tablets and some smart phones such as Blackberry can be used to access the complete version of it.It is said that software is used by around 23000 firms around the globe and this makes it one of the most used business intelligence software around the world.  Irrespective of the size of business, a variant is available.The Express has been specifically designed with the needs of the small and medium sized business in mind. It effectively integrates the Cognos 8 with other functions such as planning, budgeting and forecasting. The Express is considered by many as all round small business software.The Cognos 8 was one of the first options from the product line and it is capable of performing functions such as analysis, reporting, score carding and dash boarding. This reduces the stress of the manager to a large extent and most of the team related needs are taken care of by the software.The entire product range has been built as an open source option and data sources from several vendors can be used along with it. Some of the vendors which provide integrated data sources include Oracle, SAP, NCR Teradata, and Microsoft.Training and AwardsUsing the software is not that difficult and it requires only a certain level of training. Several independent firms provide this training services and this range from overall training to department oriented training. For example, the functions of different departments such as human resources, accounting, financing and marketing are varied and each of them will have a separate use for the software. Individualized training methods are used and most firms offer flexible classes too.It has won numerous awards such as the eWEEK Excellence Award for Analytics and Reporting, TechTargets Search CRM.com 2005 product of the year award and Lotus Advisor Editors Choice Award. It also ranks consistently in the Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Business Intelligence.IBM also provides a few application tools for development and this include IBM Cognos Axiant 4GL, IBM Cognos Powerhouse Web and IBM Cognos Powerhouse Web 4GL.Analyzing DataEvery company has a vast amount of data which is stored in its databases. However, such data is completely useless unless and until it is complied and analyzed. This process takes a long time and includes 100’s of hours of man power.