iQ4bis NZ punching the weight

September 26, 2011

After a recent visit from the iQ4bis president Ray Major, we were able to get a top-down view of how our New Zealand office was performing. And we were pleased to hear that yet again, the kiwis were making an impression on the world stage.

Major was excited to see our “advancements in product development, sales and marketing”, and made special mention of the way our team functioned. “What impressed me the most about my visit though, was the cohesion within the team and the use of a great model with regards to accountability,” said Major.

He noted that the New Zealand team took ownership of our own successes and failures, rather than resorting to blame or excuses, and upheld us as a model for the other offices to follow.

Intell OnDemand and EnviroWaste

September 26, 2011


With one of the first roll-outs of Intell OnDemand, we’re already beginning to see some successes. Envirowaste’s Finance Director, Earl Gasparich, says Intell OnDemand will let them offer their clients more accurate, timely and well-organised information about what they’re throwing away. He says in the past, their clients were relying on static reports that very often raised as many questions as they answered. Intell OnDemand will change all that.
“It means they can get right down into the information and identify areas for improvement in their own organisation. And then if they need to make changes, having the numbers there in black and white means it’ll be easier to get buy-in from their staff.” Timeliness was also the key, with customers being able to access the most current data instantaneously, rather than waiting for static reports. Envirowaste will also cut the time they spend on reporting by as much as 50%.
According to Gasparich, Intell OnDemand is fast becoming an effective sales tool. “It gives us a competitive advantage. We demonstrate this tool to potential clients as a point of difference. The feedback we’ve had so far is that being able to offer the kind of reporting you get with Intell OnDemand is the key to opening doors.”
  With security always an important issue, Intell OnDemand’s simple solution for granting access to Envirowaste’s data is working well – customers simply log in through a simple log in screen but with an ironclad security, hosted in the cloud. “…this way, our data stays safely behind our corporate firewall and as far as our client is concerned it’s as seamless and easy as logging in to Facebook or Hotmail.”  
   
 


New additions to our client portfolio

September 26, 2011


With our big push towards innovation, team work and introduction of Intell OnDemand in Q3, we’ve seen a number of new clients take the step to making more of their business information, with iQ4Bis system.

A special welcome to:
Fuji Xerox NZ

Fuji Xerox has been in New Zealand since 1964, employs over 500 employees and in 2010 turned over approx $220m. In New Zealand, they focus on partnering with businesses to provide innovative solutions that maximise efficiency and drive out cost.
  Quit Group

The Quit Group, which operates as Quitline is an incorporated charity committed to helping all New Zealanders quit smoking. They offer support to smokers, through a variety of communications channels, helping them understand the three parts of their smoking addiction and formulate strategies for beating these. They also assist employers to reduce smoking rates in the workplace through their programme Quit@work.
  NZPM Group

With around 1,000 shareholders, NZPM is the only 100% New Zealand owned national plumbing co-operative. A complex organisation, they manage a nationwide chain of plumbing outlets, have refrigeration focused subsidiaries and joint venture operations in New Zealand, Australia, India and Thailand and operate a revolutionary polypropylene piping division, the country’s leading import distributor.

  Tandem Travel

Tandem travel began as the corporate travel wing of Air New Zealand, and is now the travel management service preferred by New Zealand’s leading companies. Still affiliated with Air New Zealand they get some very special advantages from the airline which they can pass on to customers.

  Atlantic Pacific American Express (APX)

APX offers a comprehensive range of Corporate Travel Management services to SME’s and Corporates, making the process of booking and coordinating flights, simpler and easier.

 
 


iQ4bis Analysis V6: Faster, cleaner and more powerful

June 6, 2011


iQ4bis is now easier to navigate, responds faster to queries and features a streamlined interface that makes it the most ‘user-friendly’ BI solution on the market. The latest version, iQ4bis Analysis
Version 6.0 (V6), is the result of more than 18 months of intensive development and incorporates many innovative features that have been suggested by long-time and new users. “We built V6 from the ground up to take advantage of breakthroughs in browser technology, HTML5 and faster JavaScript engines,” says Asj Smith, GM – APAC at iQ4bis. “The end result is a more intuitive interface for users, simplified toolbars and a much faster experience. V6 delivers on the promise of ‘information at the speed of thought’.”

The first time you open the new version you’ll immediately notice the cleaner interface. “We’ve totally retooled the ‘look and feel’ so that you can drag and drop the types of information you want to see,” says Smith. “You can hide non-essential menus and screen ‘trees’ which means your views contain more information and less clutter. For mobile users, we’ve revamped the menu options for iPads and other small format devices. Plus we have added new chart types such as Linear Gauge, Area, and Doughnut charts.”
But that is just what you see as an end user. The real excitement is behind the scenes. “While iQ4bis now has a cleaner interface and is easier to navigate,” continues Smith, “V6 has been completely rewritten in HTML5 which means that it is optimised to take advantage of the latest browser/server architecture. We have designed iQ4bis to be ‘browser-neutral’ so that it can run under Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Opera. It is also available on iOS, Linux and Symbian platforms. The end result is that iQ4bis is blazingly fast because the processing is done on the server and only raw data is transmitted for assembly on the client. This also means that remote users over slower connections will see a quantum leap in performance.”
The team at iQ4bis are already installing the new version at user sites. “We can upgrade your current iQ4bis configuration with absolutely no disruption to services,” says Paul Hutson, Development Lead at iQ4bis. “Your users will see immediate enhancements to their interfaces and your IT team will find that non-technical users will be even more empowered to customise their views and perform their own analyses. Before, iQ4bis could compete favourably with any BI platform anywhere. But now, with V6, iQ4bis blows away the competition.”
   
 


Affordable solutions in tough economic times

June 6, 2011


Right now, with business confidence on the mend, it is the time to be more proactive in streamlining your business processes so that you will be in a position to rocket ahead when the recovery picks up steam. But, in the short term, you face an environment of belt-tightening and squeezed profitability. So how can you simultaneously boost productivity while keeping expenses to the minimum? The answer is to leverage your current information resources so that you can make faster and more informed decisions. And business intelligence (BI) is the solution of choice for businesses…just like yours…to help them thrive in times of economic recovery…
“Smart information and knowledge management (I&KM) professionals are leveraging BI as a corporate asset to continue to survive, compete, and thrive — even in tough economic times.” Boris Evelson, Forrester Research.
BI is helping businesses all across New Zealand do more with less and is all about helping managers work smarter and leverage existing information resources. To make better business decisions in today’s fast pace environment you need:
  • Up to the minute good quality accurate information
  • A fast and easy and intuitive way to view and analysis that information
“Smart information and knowledge management (I&KM) professionals are leveraging BI as a corporate asset to continue to survive, compete, and thrive — even in tough economic times.” Boris Evelson, Forrester Research
You already have all the accurate, up-to-date data you need from your enterprise applications. The missing piece which is the part that allows you to see, query and report on all of this data in a meaningful context, is exactly what a BI solution provides.
Information at the speed of thought
If you have up-to-the minute information at your fingertips, you can manage your inventory more tightly, see at a glance if your special promotion is making an impact, ascertain which colours or models are the most popular and adjust your ordering as appropriate. You can make better sales forecasts and then, measure the metrics against projections; as well as, further refine your business processes. Most importantly, you don’t want to wait for weeks to do it. You can’t afford it. Not if you want to stay ahead of the game.
So what should you be doing? “If you don’t have a BI solution yet– it just a matter of time before you adopt BI – you need to be looking very carefully at the type of information your managers need to do their jobs more effectively,” says Asj Smith, GM – APAC at iQ4bis. “Chances are you already have the data floating around in your various enterprise applications. Then you need to look for a BI platform that can access, collate and deliver that information to your managers in an interface that they can drive themselves. Besides that, if your current BI application isn’t set up for ‘self-service’ business intelligence then you should be looking for a more agile solution that provides a more accessible window into your databases.”
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Microsoft’s Business Intelligence Summit

June 6, 2011


The message at the recent Microsoft BI Summit was clear: BI is transforming the way smart companies use their enterprise data to successfully compete in today’s challenging economy. “In spite of belt tightening across the board, savvy companies are investing in BI and are reaping quantifiable benefits,” says King Pui, Marketing Manager – APAC at iQ4bis. “Speaker after speaker talked about how Microsoft’s BI offerings are the ideal platforms from which to launch a BI programme that could deliver real value. The key points were empowering people, improving effectiveness, increase IT efficiency and, most importantly, real end results. And, as a Microsoft Gold Partner, iQ4bis is well placed to deliver those benefits to our clients.”

In addition, those results can be significantly amplified as more and more people within the organisation tap into the power of BI. Law firm Minter Ellison Rudd Watts (MERW) is a case in point. Their iQ4bis solution has helped them streamline their business processes. In fact, Lynden Glass, the finance director of MERW and a featured speaker at the BI Summit, has stated that “reports that would have taken three to four hours to produce can now be generated in five to ten minutes. Savings from more efficient time tracking and better debtor management has covered the cost of iQ4bis within six months. You really realise the power of iQ4bis when you get that sort of turnaround.”
Make the right decision
“If you put quality information in front of smart people, they will make the most prudent decision every time,” continues Pui. “But today’s line level and C-level managers don’t have the time to do their own searches for data and then crunch the numbers. To make the best possible decision in the right timeframe, management needs information served up piping hot in an easily-accessible format.”
In fact, that was the overwhelming message at the Summit. Many of the people we spoke with had already invested significant resources into various iterations of what we characterise as ‘Big BI’; they had yet to see concrete benefits. Ideally, the most effective BI solution is the one that managers can drive themselves and is fuelled with the freshest information. BI should be able to deliver information at the speed of thought.
Another topic that resonated at the Microsoft BI Summit was BI for non-technical users. In the past, it was the analysts and IT staff who had to ‘push’ information out to the users, especially management. Now, with today’s more intuitive interfaces, non-tech types can ‘pull’ the exact up-to-date information that they need with just a few clicks, and then, query and report. The days of static reports are numbered as BI moves into the fast lane.
   
 


iQ4bis growing client list

June 6, 2011


Q2 2011 has ushered in a time of intense activity at the iQ4bis Auckland office. Not only have the pre-sales team been flat out conducting a series of ‘Proof of Concept’ (POC) demonstrations that were booked as a direct result of the Microsoft BI Summit but the professional services team has been equally active installing iQ4bis for the ever expanding client list.
‘It’s a busy time for us,” says Asj Smith, GM – APAC at iQ4bis. “Not only are we upgrading a number of our long-time customers to the latest version of iQ4bis (see the associated story), but we had a huge spike in POC requests from the Microsoft BI Summit. And if you add the recent release of our new ‘Intell OnDemand’ solution that provides An end-to-end solution that authenticates your externalcustomers and enables them to directly access elements ofyour corporate data, online, you’ll understand why we are so enthusiastic about spearheading the drive towards providing ‘information at the speed of thought’.
Why all the activity, especially when business confidence is stagnant? “Organisations recognise that better access to accurate, up-to-date information increases the bottom line,” says Brett Fraser, Senior Account Manager at iQ4bis. “Managers recognise that iQ4bis’ rapid implementation times and quick return on investment (ROI) make good economic sense. But we’re also seeing a growing trend in which we are seeing more POC’s scheduled due to word of mouth and referrals. NZ is an intimate marketplace and people talk. As people move from one company and role to another, they tend to remember which solutions deliver real results. And iQ4bis has been the beneficiary of this informal network. Once people see how easy iQ4bis is to implement and operate, they are friends for life. And they are not shy about saying so. It’s an exciting time at iQ4bis and we expect to see a continuation of this growth for, at least, the remainder of the year.”
   
 


iQ4bis March Newsletter

March 20, 2011

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welcome t
  Welcome to the first issue of the iQ4bis Newsletter. Each month we’ll highlight
recent developments, user tips, cliesnt profiles and other items of interest to the business community. We value your feedback. If you have any questions or comments or would like to see specific content, let us know.		  
 
 
  iQ4bis Analysis V6 Release  
  iQ4bis Analysis V6 is due to be launched in April. This release is at the forefront of transforming business intelligence (BI) into a pervasive technology for non-technical users.  
  Click here to read more  
<br /> iQ4bis ‘Down Trader’ View: Where are we losing the plot
  Smart companies identify trends before their competitors. Upwards… and downwards. ‘Down Trader’ gives you a jump start by highlighting patterns that might otherwise go unnoticed. Down Trader view will keep your best customers clearly in view.
  
  Click here to read about how iQ4bis can provide the answers you need.  
  iQ4bis Analysis / Inventory: Reduce costs,<br /> increase profits  
  “With iQ4bis we were able to develop a process where we could track the age and location of our entire inventory and match inventory holdings with customer demand. Within months of initiating the programme we were able to bring our inventories down by $2 million without any reduction in delivery or service. We couldn’t have done it without iQ4bis.”
  
  Garry Vistarini, Chief Financial Officer of RMD Metals  
  Click here to read more  
  iQ4bis Team Profile: Manu Ikkala, Senior BI Consultant  
  Successful BI implementations are the result of good processes, good data, good software and, most importantly, good people, on both the client side and with the vendor. Manu Ikkala, one of the senior consultants in iQ4bis with more than 30 years of experiences, understands the complexity of BI where he is able to provide successful solutions.  
  Find out how Manu can help you by clicking here  
 
  If you do not wish to receive further iQ4bis newsletters, please click here to unsubscribe.  
     
 


iQ4bis Analysis: V6 Release

March 3, 2011

iQ4bis LogoMarch 2011
iQ4bis-Analysis: V6-Release
iQ4bis Analysis V6 Release
The big event is the Q2 release of iQ4bis Analysis 6.0,” says Smith, General Manager of iQ4bis. “6.0 will be a quantum leap for us as we have rewritten the code from the ground up to incorporate the very latest technology. It is able to allow business users to use it in all decision making process where; at the same time, it is also able to improve the accuracy and consistency of the decision making process. From the end-user point-of-view, iQ4bis 6.0 will be faster, easier to configure and more powerful. 6.0 will run on a variety of platforms including Microsoft Windows, Linux, iOS, and Symbian with support for all major browsers. What this means is that users will be able to access iQ4bis – and by extension almost any corporate information with proper authentication and security – from almost any device including smartphones, tablets and netbooks.” Watch this space for news as it develops.
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iQ4bis Down Trader View

March 3, 2011

iQ4bis LogoMarch 2011
iQ4bis-Down Trader View
<br /> iQ4bis Analysis / Inventory: Reduce costs, increase profits
Any shop-keeper or small business owner knows exactly which customers buy which products. But for larger organisations with thousands of customers and tens of thousands of transactions every day, individual customers can get lost in the crowd. Successful companies are the ones who can retain a ‘personal view’ of customers and individual transactions. 
They have the facts at their fingertips. Which customers have decreased their purchases over the last three months? Which ones have increased? Which brand is underperforming at which branch? And how has your advertising campaign for Brand Y affected sales in your different outlets?
You can identify these trends by spending days crunching your sales records. Or you can see them immediately with the iQ4bis ‘Down Trader’ View. “Trend View provides another window into your sales data,” says Manu Ikkala, iQ4bis Senior BI consultant. “You already have all of the information – they are all standard fields in most ERP solutions – so all we have to do is identify the exact data sets that you want to monitor and define the time frames. You can change how you sort the customers – descending to see the best performers at the top or ascending to identify the customers that need some personal attention. And, of course, as you uncover the trends you can drill down into that particular customer or brand to see the underlying data.”
Successful businesses are the ones that can react quickly as market dynamics change. “With Down Trader View,” says Brian Gray, one of the key senior consultants of iQ4bis, “you can quickly identify which accounts have changed their engagement with you. If a good customer has tailed off, you’ll be able to see exactly when and by how much. Then you can investigate further to find out why and, more importantly, bring them back on board. If you don’t have a handle on you customer’s behaviour, you might not notice until it is too late. Good customers are the bread and butter of most organisations and Down Trader View gives you the ability to more tightly manage your relationship with your best clients.”
For further information on Down Trader View and other application-specific views, email
Brian Gray and he’ll be happy to discuss your particular requirements.
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