I recently attended the QlikView Mobile Roadshow in Denver and I was really impressed by Donald Farmer’s comments. Donald is Qlik’s product evangelist and from the moment he opened his mouth, I knew that this guy understands mobility, mobile work, and the emerging app-centric enterprise.
Don’s comments demonstrated clear trends and pathways leading to a conclusion that mobile work is all about location context and the need for elegant, streamlined mobile BI solutions that are as simple as possible, yet not too simple. He also scratched off old and weathered paint concerning the definition of “mobile worker” stating:
“… you don’t have to be a mobile worker to need mobility.”
As I listened to Don, I got the sense he was reading snippets from The App-Centric Enterprise (the corporate briefing and the white paper) or my recent article specifically covering the new definition of “Mobile Worker”, to wit …
“Today, nearly every worker is a mobile worker. Some are more mobile than others, but all workers can benefit from the increased agility of doing work-related stuff in any geo-context. Organizations expect it’s employees to be always-on. As invasive as this sounds, most workers would rather have it that way. Employees want to be in touch; they want to be in-the-loop, and they typically regard other employees who aren’t immediately accessible, as a hindrance to the overall ability to get stuff done.”
Poorly Integrated Demos
With this event as the sole data point concerning QlickTech’s strategy in mobile BI, the event presented a wind shear of positioning. On one hand Donald Farmer showed promise that a large and growing BI company had really challenged traditional [desktop] BI solutions and made a clear effort to understand the the business drivers that are based in the consumerized app market model. On the other hand, the Qlick representatives demonstrated the exact opposite, using terms, applications (not apps), and corporate posturing that is simply not reflective of a team that has actually embraced the reasons why apps are, in all mobility contexts, more helpful than applications. This road show is not so “showy” when it comes to legitimate innovation in BI apps.
The presentation content from QlikTech’s regional VP and his demo expert, attempted to bank on the same old desktop displays that are not likely to ever be useful in mobile work contexts, and in some cases were never very useful to desktop workers to begin with. Case in point …
Mobile Drives Business Intelligence in 2011
According to Aberdeen data, mobile business intelligence initiatives will surge in 2011. Citing the fact that employees are twice as likely to use BI solutions if available over smart phones and tablets. Only 27% of employees without mobile access use BI systems, whereas, more than 54% use enterprise BI solutions when the applications and services are accessible through modern mobile devices.
BI is simply more useful in a mobile context. Don Farmer gets it but I don’t get the sense that QlikTech [marketing] executives get it.
The QlikView app is available in the iTunes App Store and supports both iPad and iPhone. Qlik Technologies (Nasdaq:QLIK)
Bill, I too have had an uneasy feeling about the QV story for some time. You have finally put into words the reasons I feel this way.
David,
There will certainly continue to be companies that want specifically what QlikTech offers and in the product packaging they support (i.e., a traditional BI suite with greater mobile support). However, I get the sense that they [too] are not completely on the rails with respect to this century’s BI requirements, at least from a marketing and positioning perspective. There’s no debate – execution, financials, growth – all point in the right direction. But imagine how much better they’d be if they got a few more of their cylinders firing with timing precision? Just sayin’ …