Vendor:
Founded:
Headquarters:
MicroStrategy
1989
Tysons Corner, VA
Customers:
Deployment Model:
Free Trial:
4,000+
Cloud, On-Premise
Yes
MicroStrategy At A Glance
Product Overview
MicroStrategy puts business intelligence in the hands of any user – meaning the user will not need to rely on IT to provide analyses and reports. There’s no complicated code to write or query to understand – just a click or drag and drop. This platform also gives the end user flexible deployment options – it can either be hosted on site or in the cloud. A benefit of choosing the cloud option includes lower start-up costs and no hardware or software responsibilities. MicroStrategy has reported that the cloud platform can be deployed in 48 hours.
The platform is housed in a single-design environment that can be deployed in any setting. It also allows for data to be transferred from any source, such as relational database, the cloud, enterprise applications, or even Big Data and Hadoop. It comes with built-in widgets that can be inserted via drag-and-drop functionality.
The platform is available in a variety of interfaces, such as Web, email, and mobile. Users can run analyses, edit reports, and share their BI data straight from their smartphones or tablets.
MicroStrategy considers these features as important for mobile data:
- Ability to access data offline
- Data security
- Ability to utilize full mobile experience, such as access to GPS
- Ability to take action within the mobile app, i.e. post comments, share data/reports, etc
- Downloading big data to devices during off-performance hours
Features
MicroStrategy has self-service functionality that allows users to create dashboards, filter the data and share the reports. There’s an Intelligent Library, where users can interact with dossiers and documents within the library and get real-time notifications. Users can also explore the data further within the visualizations, including drilling down into the specific points. The software has a collaboration feature that lets users create a discussion thread within the specific visualization.
MicroStrategy has federated analytics functionality, an open source framework that allows users to use it alongside their existing BI tool, such as Tableau or Power BI. It can also be embedded within an organization’s preferred application.
Additional features include ad hoc reporting, automated scheduling, predictive analytics and data mapping.
Target Market
MicroStrategy’s customers include many different industries, such as manufacturing, government, education, health care, media and entertainment, retail, and technology. Below is a partial list:
- Sonic Automotive
- Lowe's
- Petco
- AllianceBernstein
- Genesys
- Vibes
- Zurich Insurance
- Coca-Cola
- The Container Store
- Omega World Travel
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Implementation/Integration
MicroStrategy users start with a free trial. Then, they have the option of choosing any one of the deployment methods.
- Desktop – The Desktop tool can be installed on a PC or Mac. It includes features, such as visual data discovery, ability to create and edit analytics, and individual use licenses.
- Web – This is similar to the Desktop tool, except that it can be integrated with Microsoft Office suite.
- Mobile – The mobile tool is accessible on Apple iOS and Android devices. It includes features, such as native apps deployment and transactional read/write capability.
- Architect – This deployment method features development lifecycle management, schema development and modeling tools, and multifunctional role management.
MicroStrategy also offers a 64-bit server infrastructure with features such as in-memory analytics, data discovery, multiple data source connectivity, and embeddable reports and dashboards.
MicroStrategy offers implementation services including installation and configuration, customization, cloud intelligence, application integration, and conversion (if company has an older BI system).
Customer Service & Support
MicroStrategy provides training on not just its solutions, but on Business Intelligence as a whole. Training can be done either at one of MicroStrategy’s training locations or online. Customers can also take a course at their own pace via the Learning Portal.
MicroStrategy also offers four tiers of customer support. The Standard Support tier covers access to the Knowledge Base at any time, technical support during regular business hours, and new upgrades and releases of the software, The Extended Support tier covers the Standard Support features but also includes live technical support at any time.
Priority Support allows for the customer to get an assigned account manager that can provide help if none of the other means of support is sufficient. And finally, there is the Elite Support tier that covers all three tiers plus add a dedicated support engineer, critical support at any time including weekends and holidays, copy of metadata stored on MicroStrategy’s servers, and higher priority in upcoming enhancement requests or Beta testing programs.
Pricing
MicroStrategy doesn’t publicly display its pricing information. Please contact the vendor directly for a quote.
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MicroStrategy users have noted that there is a particularly steep learning curve to the technology, and the set-up and initial configuration can be time consuming. IT resources will need to be devoted to help build up expertise within the user base. Also, some users have mentioned that the performance can be slow at times, due to the large datasets.
Screenshots
About
MicroStrategy has a simple mission – to provide a flexible, scalable, user-friendly platform for its clients. In addition to its analytics platform, MicroStrategy also provide mobile, loyalty (to measure customer loyalty and engagement), and identity (to help improve cyber security). Solutions are also provided based on industry and company function.
MicroStrategy has offices in 27 countries and 1,997 employees. It has also won multiple awards over the years from various business and technology publications.
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