Executives and managers are able to work more completely while on the go, thanks to feature-rich and rapidly improving smartphones and tablets, enabled by expanding and ever-faster wireless networks. Almost every day there are new and updated apps for data-intensive applications such as CRM and ERP.

Yet these tools fire out so much that decision-makers find difficulty in making sense of it, without returning to the tools -- like business intelligence (BI) -- on their desktops. On the other hand, in today’s highly competitive environment, going back to home base is no longer an option. You snooze, you lose.

“Our research found that employees at top performing organizations -- the best-in-class -- were more than twice as likely as others to be able to find needed information using mobile business intelligence [mobile BI],” said David White (News - Alert), senior research analyst, Aberdeen Group. “One of the reasons for this higher level of performance is that they are more likely to have a richer presentation of information that they can interact with. For example, the best-in-class are more likely to use charts and dashboards, and three times more likely to have the ability to drill down to access detailed information.”

Now, thanks to an alliance between MeLLmo Inc., creator of Roambi, a business app for interactive mobile analytics, and SAS (News - Alert), which makes business analytics software and services, businesses now have access to analytics tools anytime, anywhere. The two companies have signed off on a global partnership to deliver mobile BI to enterprises worldwide via the Roambi mobile solution. Availability is expected in early April 2011.

The partnership will integrate Roambi ES3 with SAS Enterprise BI Server. With this melding together, decision-makers can access and visually interact with SAS-delivered BI data on any iPhone (News - Alert) or iPad, anytime, anywhere.

Roambi transforms SAS BI reports and data into dashboard-style analytics, instantly delivered to any iPhone or iPad. Its interactive and engaging user experience lets on-the-go SAS users quickly and intuitively access and analyze up-to-the-minute company information, says the two companies. With SAS and Roambi technology, decision-makers in many industries can benefit. For example, a supply chain manager for a manufacturing firm might be on the road when market conditions cause a spike in orders for a typically slow moving product. The manager could check parts inventory levels on his mobile device and immediately initiate action if quantities are insufficient to meet demand.

“Our customers depend on the insight they get from SAS and are eager to have mobile access to up-to-the-minute company information,” said Jim Davis, SAS senior vice president and chief marketing officer. “The growing numbers of tablet computers and smart phones are an ideal way to extend the power of SAS beyond the traditional office environment. Roambi’s intuitive and immersive mobile experience aligns perfectly with our mission of driving innovation and empowering better decisions.”

“For today’s fast-paced and always-on work style, it is more important than ever for workers to have quick, reliable, mobile access to the latest business intelligence whenever and wherever they need it,” said Santiago Becerra, MeLLmo chairman and co-founder. “We are excited to partner with SAS to deliver engaging, intuitive mobile business intelligence to their global customers.”