Business Analytics Blog

Top 10 Dashboard Software Considerations

  

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1. Windows Based Clients are Smarter
• The bottom line is that Windows based Clients are Smarter. Does the dashboard software offer a very robust set of tools including Executive Dashboard Reporting Software, Data Reporting Tools, Analytics Calculation Engine (ACE), Seasonality Trend Forecasting, and Data Mining Software? Does it include an Enterprise Portal to tie relative data sources and together as well as a Training Facilitator to share your Stored your Business Intelligence Advice relative to the status each of your Key Performance Indicators (KPI)?
2. Flexibility, Connectivity & Scalability
• Is the application scalable from a small business single user to enterprise with multiple users and multiple companies? Are there limitations to the number of custom dashboards, reports, and KPI you can build yourself? Can you connect to nearly any open data source in all of your other business applications and collaborate your Business intelligence into visualizations and automated reports? Is the dashboard software designed for Small and Medium sized businesses, and scalable for Enterprise companies who need full multi-location integration and access using the World Wide Web?
3. Web Based “Cloud” Dashboards are not Interactive
• With most web applications, you cannot drill down to details, graphs, change date ranges, open other local applications, export your data as easily, and build custom reports. In a Web environment, there are constraints by the Web browser and network environment.
4. Are Dashboards accessible via the web
• If you want to access your data via the Web, there are many secure tools to access your dashboard software and your other local applications. Secure VPNs (Virtual Private Networks), RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol), GoToMyPC, and other remote access tools to view your sensitive business data. If you simply want your custom reports and dashboards sent to your Smart phone or Smart Pad device, can you send them automatically every day via e-mail with a built-in report Scheduler?
5. Time and Money
• Many business intelligence software licensing starts at $15,000 - $100,000 and take months for implementation. Can implementation be done in less than an hour (for use with QuickBooks Dashboard and QuickBooks Reporting) with predefined financial indicators, dashboards and reports? Can you build Custom Dashboards and Custom Reports as you go? Are there monthly subscription fees? If you want to stay updated each year, how much do you pay? Do you have to repurchase the entire software, or just a fraction of the price?
6. Tighter security over your business data
• With a local application, your data stays in your control behind your firewall at your business in an encrypted secure database. Is your data susceptible to hackers, internet service interruption, or a provider going out of business?
7. Data Source Integration
   
• Composite applications are the future. A composite application is simply a framework that ties together several existing applications. Integration of Data from applications such as QuickBooks, Multiple Company files, Sage Act, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Dynamics, Excel Spreadsheets, and Data bases are essential for financial and operational KPI and Reporting.
8. Cross-platform issues
• Are you forced to use a specific browser to access your data? If you are using a Macintosh, can you access your data on a Terminal server using Remote Desktop or other tools such as Go to My PC?
9. Human resources
   
• Will the dashboard software eliminate wasted countless hours of crunching redundant numbers in Excel? Excel continues to be one of the most important tools in business, but can you save time and money by reducing its usage? Does the application connect to Excel and collaborate spreadsheets? Can the days of manually cutting, pasting, and updating spreadsheets may be reduced or eliminated? Can you save human resources and help your employees get back to more productive tasks? Will the time savings return your investment for dashboard software in a short time?
10. More for your Money
• No other single application offers as much as CleverQ Analytics Software without spending tens of thousands of dollars for other Business Intelligence Platforms and multiple software packages. CleverQ is affordable for the small business, powerful enough for medium business, and scalable to enterprise.