Support Solution with Shared Infrastructure for Full and Thin Clients
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SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 22, 1997--Business
Objects (NASDAQ:BOBJY), the world's leading provider of integrated
enterprise decision support tools, today announced that it has begun
shipping WebIntelligence(TM), its enterprise query, reporting, and
analysis solution for the world wide web.
WebIntelligence is a multi-tier, thin-client decision support
system (DSS) that provides non-technical end users with ad hoc query,
reporting, and analysis of information stored in corporate data
warehouses, data marts, and packaged business applications.
Through its distributed architecture and 100% Java query applet,
WebIntelligence eliminates the need for client-side installation and
maintenance of both application software and database middleware,
providing organizations with a cost-effective way to broadly deploy
DSS capabilities, and extend DSS beyond the organization to reach
suppliers, partners, and customers.
WebIntelligence uses only native web technologies, including
dynamic HTML and Java. WebIntelligence leverages the existing
BusinessObjects infrastructure including the Business Objects
repository which enables enterprise-wide sharing of reports and the
Business Objects patented semantic layer which provides non-technical
users with a business representation of data.
Because WebIntelligence and BusinessObjects both leverage this
shared infrastructure, customers set up, maintain, and administer a
single DSS environment to support both full and thin client users.
This reduces administration costs by eliminating the need to set up
and maintain separate DSS environments.
"The more I see of WebIntelligence, the more I like it," said
Wayne Eckerson, senior consultant, Patricia Seybold Group. "The
product has been designed from the ground up to work across the Web.
It offers robust scalability and security features that make it
suitable for both intranet and extranet applications and also
leverages both HTML and Java in an optimal manner to support the
reporting requirements of mainstream business users."
"We are really excited about WebIntelligence because it will
allow us to share real time information with our customers and
suppliers," said Don Stoller, director of decision services at Owens
& Minor, a leading wholesale distributor of brand name medical and
surgical supplies.
"This ability to provide up-to-date information directly to
customers and suppliers via an extranet differentiates us from our
competitors. For example, our customer base includes integrated
healthcare systems that operate a number of hospitals. With the
ability to query the hospitals' purchasing patterns via
WebIntelligence, our customers can identify ways to consolidate and
standardize purchasing processes, which will save them considerable
time and money."
"WebIntelligence is a true revolution. Now business users
everywhere can start querying, analyzing, and reporting on data in a
way they could not even imagine in the past. This product delivers
on our vision of information democracy where anybody can utilize the
vast amounts of information located in databases and business
applications, inside or outside the enterprise without having to be a
data expert, and from anywhere in the world. Business decisions can
now be made on hard data instead of gut feel," said Bernard
Liautaud, president and CEO of Business Objects.
"With WebIntelligence, we are continuing our tradition of
innovation by combining decision support with a true web
architecture. After an extensive six month beta testing phase, we
are pleased to deliver on our commitment today and release a robust
product to our customers."
Key Advantages of WebIntelligence
WebIntelligence provides organizations with five key advantages:
-- Self-Service Data Access. Because it uses the Business Objects
patented "semantic layer," industry-leading query technology, and
familiar, easy-to-use interface, WebIntelligence provides end users
with self-service access to data stored in data warehouses, data
marts, and packaged business applications (such as SAP R/3). Using
WebIntelligence, end users can autonomously access these data sources
without having to submit development requests to IS.
To customize their data access, WebIntelligence allows users to
create personal home pages that tailor their entry point into the
system. To broaden the user's reach beyond corporate databases and
onto the entire worldwide web, WebIntelligence includes "hyperdrill,"
which allows report cells themselves to be hyperlinks that can "drill
out" of a report and into any internet-based data source.
-- High Availability and Performance. WebIntelligence is designed
for high availability, high performance, and maximum scalability.
WebIntelligence's unique and powerful distributed component
architecture (DCA) allows software components to be distributed
across different internet servers.
Automatic failover is provided when a machine running a
WebIntelligence component fails. The architecture also allows the
dynamic addition of both web servers and WebIntelligence component
servers to meet increased demands. A key part of the WebIntelligence
DCA is implemented using a state-of-the-art, CORBA-compliant object
request broker (ORB) licensed from Visigenic Software.
-- Zero-Administration Client. WebIntelligence provides a true
zero-administration client because of its use of Java and dynamic
HTML technology for communication with the user's desktop.
WebIntelligence requires only a standard worldwide web browser
equipped with a standard Java virtual machine. There is no
client-side administration required, because neither application
software nor database middleware is installed on the client desktop.
This eliminates one of the key impediments to wide-scale deployment
of decision support technology deployment cost.
-- Security. WebIntelligence provides the tight security required
to protect data in today's networked world. Both by leveraging the
existing BusinessObjects security infrastructure and through an
architecture designed to work with web security standards,
WebIntelligence provides access to corporate data, but for only those
authorized to do so.
WebIntelligence includes security features such as user name and
password checking via the BusinessObjects repository; data access
control down to the row level; resource control to limit the amount
of time data is transferred over the network and/or the amount of
time a query can run; and support for secure socket layer (SSL)
communications, which protects data transferred over the network
through the use of advanced encryption algorithms.
-- Unified Metadata. WebIntelligence leverages the existing
BusinessObjects metadata and repository, providing customers with a
single, unified DSS metadata that can be used to support both
client/server and internet computing environments. This reduces
customer setup and maintenance costs because only a single metadata
infrastructure needs to be set up to support both full- and
thin-client users.
Availability and Pricing
WebIntelligence is now shipping and will be priced at $595 per
user when purchased standalone or $295 when purchased in conjunction
with BusinessObjects.
About Business Objects
Business Objects is the world's leading provider of integrated
enterprise decision support tools. Business Objects products provide
non-technical business users with access to information stored in
data warehouses, data marts, and packaged business applications.
Business Objects provides a complete suite of decision support tools
including query, reporting, online analytical processing, data
mining, and DSS administration for both client/server and internet
environments. Business Objects has sold more than 630,000 licenses
to over 5,400 organizations in more than 60 countries worldwide.
Business Objects may be reached by phone at 408/953-6000 or on
the worldwide web at businessobjects.com . The company's
stock is publicly traded under the ticker symbol BOBJY. Business
Objects product inquiries should contact 800/527-0580.
Note to Editors: BusinessObjects and WebIntelligence are
trademarks of Business Objects SA. Other company and product names
may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are
associated.
A full-text copy of this announcement may be obtained by calling
the company's fax retrieval line at 800/414-2114 and selecting option
"two." The announcement may also be downloaded from the Web; access
"http://www.businesswire.com/cnn" and search on "Business Objects."
CONTACT: Business Objects
Danielle Dawson, 408/953-6108
KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS COMED
INTERACTIVE/MULTIMEDIA/INTERNET PRODUCT
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