Business Objects shifts attention to mid-market

Business Objects has revealed plans to focus its attention on the mid-market, armed with a now-complete business intelligence (BI) product line specifically aimed at businesses with smaller budgets and IT departments.

The BI firm said while it has traditionally focused on the enterprise market, the increased profits to be gained from targeting the mid-market platform has shifted its attention.

The change in strategy comes hot on the heels of the planned merger with SAP. Business Objects is upbeat about prospects for the deal. John Schwarz, chief executive of the BI vendor, said that the partnership would be an “unbeatable combination” because it would bring more opportunities for Business Objects to gain a share of the mid-market.

Todd Rowe, Business Objects vice president, pointed out that the mid-market is growing 50 per cent faster than the enterprise market and has a compound annual growth rate of 12.5 per cent, compared with 8.3 per cent in enterprise. Also, 70 per cent of business can be done through channel partners, who cover the cost of the sale, he added.

The mid-market is also more fragmented, and with consolidation in the BI space on the increase, market share is “there for the taking”, Rowe said.

Business Objects’ Edge Series mid-market product range was launched in February with Edge Standard. This was followed by the release of Edge Professional in July and Edge Premium this week.

Business Objects adapted its BI offerings to target the new market, creating a simplified solution for IT departments with less manpower, Rowe said. Functionality was added, such as wizards, which can be used to build dashboards in a step-by-step process.

Products were also made more accessible by cutting their costs by 70 per cent, Rowe said. Business Objects is managing to sell its products at such low prices because of the bigger margins in the mid-market, he added.

Rowe said that Business Objects is unique as it is the only BI vendor that has an entire business division focused on the mid-market, and is the first to develop a whole product range specifically for this market. It also has the largest channel ecosystem for the mid-market globally, he added.