Information Builders Improves Data Access for Mobile Devices With Mobile Favorites

New Offering Allows Instant Information Access Through Mobile Reporting and Business Intelligence Applications


NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - November 7, 2007) - Information Builders, the leader in production business intelligence (BI) solutions, today announced the release of WebFOCUS Mobile Favorites™, a mobile business intelligence solution that allows users to access critical business data from any mobile device and manage it through a standard BI dashboard. This innovative offering leverages standard Web browser technology, allowing mobile BI to be delivered in a more rapid, efficient, and cost-effective manner.

Mobile devices have improved drastically from their simple voice calling origins. Smartphones are continuing to make up a greater percentage of the mobile handset market and many analyst firms profess that all applications should become mobile-enabled to maximize the effectiveness of these devices. After communication applications, such as e-mail, the most important business application a smartphone should enable is instant access to actionable data, such as business intelligence and reporting applications.

Information Builders Mobile Favorites™ offers business decision-makers a unique tool that is compliant with emerging mobile technology trends. It is a low cost solution that does not require any additional software or hardware investments, and no special security enhancements. Mobile Favorites™ allows the user to vary their information requests through simple, interactive forms, thus providing a greater variety of information.

With its innovative pure browser-based approach to mobile computing, Information Builders has established itself as the leader in delivering mobile reporting to business and non-technical users. With just two clicks, content can be easily added or removed from the Mobile Favorites folder in Information Builders' standard BI Dashboard. The process is no different from adding content to the favorites folder in a Web browser. From an end user perspective, reporting through Mobile Favorites™ is as easy to use as using e-mail or the Internet on a mobile device. Viewing a Mobile Favorites™ report is similar to scrolling through a Web page. Experienced mobile users can take advantage of parameterized reports and active reports, which allow users to customize content and apply analytics on the go. And, Active Technologies also allows interactive dashboards to be delivered to mobile devices.

Some of the benefits of WebFOCUS Mobile Favorites™ include:

--  The ability to share documents across multiple devices --
    organizations can deliver applications and content to mobile devices
    without having to change their underlying systems infrastructure. Users
    typically change or upgrade their devices every 18 months. Once in place,
    Mobile Favorites allows BI consumers to be device independent and also
    eliminates programmers' burden of customizing reports for multiple devices.
--  No device software to support -- reports are delivered directly to a
    device's browser, eliminating costly maintenance, updates, and versioning
    for different operating systems; reports are available on all mobile
    browsers.
--  No additional hardware required -- standard Web and BI technologies
    are used so that dedicated mobile servers aren't needed to convert BI
    content to mobile formats or manage interactions.
--  No unique design and delivery tools needed -- create mobile reports
    and make them immediately available using standard development and delivery
    tools; existing reports can be distributed to any mobile device without
    conversion.
--  No special security considerations -- provide a secure connection
    through mobile device and virtual protocol networks (VPNs); WebFOCUS
    Managed Reporting is used to manage user access and any Managed Reporting
    user can be immediately given access to mobile content.
    

"Today's smartphone and Blackberry users tend to be business professionals who need to remain connected with their companies when they are on the move," said Gerald Cohen, CEO of Information Builders. "Mobile Favorites™ is a powerful new tool that will help users not only stay connected, but also allows them to make informed and effective business decisions anywhere they go because they have the current, accurate data they need."

About Information Builders

Information Builders' award-winning combination of business intelligence and enterprise integration software has been providing innovative solutions to more than 12,000 customers for the past 30 years. WebFOCUS is the world's most widely utilized business intelligence platform. It provides the security, scalability, and flexibility needed at every level of global extended enterprises. Its simplicity helps create executive, analytical, and operational applications that reach dozens to millions of users. Information Builders subsidiary iWay Software provides state-of-the-art, multi-purpose integration engines that address all SOA, application, data, and information management requirements. Its integration adapters have been adopted by the leading software platform providers. Together, these products give Information Builders' customers the ability to live up to the company motto: Your business. No barriers.

Information Builders' award-winning technology has successfully provided quality software and superior services for 31 years to more than 12,000 customers, including most of the Fortune 100 and U.S. federal government agencies. Headquartered in New York City with 90 offices worldwide, the company employs 1,600 people and has over 350 business partners. For more information visit www.informationbuilders.com.

Contact Information: Press Contacts: Kathleen Moran Information Builders (212) 736-4433 Matt McCarthy Emerge PR (617) 729-3175

Mobile devices are way more than just phones -- rapidly replacing laptops as tools for users on the go.