Business Objects XI for Univ. of Mich.

University of Michigan representatives recently announced their decision to deploy Business Objects XI Release 2, and today Business Objects representatives announced that U. Mich. had standardized on Business Objects.

A Business Objects customer since 1998, the university plans to expand its existing deployment and migrate to BusinessObjects™ XI Release 2, a program that includes the Crystal line of reporting and data visualization software. By using the BI platform, Wolverine administrators and faculty hope to be able to predict course demand, forecast future aid and improve decision making. The University also selected Business Objects Dashboard Manager to assist executives and other non-technical users in analyzing data and managing performance. “For the past eight years, Business Objects has been the backbone of our BI solution,” said University of Michigan administrative information services associate vice president Laura Patterson in press material, and we hope that upgrading to Business Objects XI Release 2 will help us gain greater visibility and control over key performance indicators.”

The University of Michigan has seen quite a few changes to its technology infrastructure as of late, going so far as to create the Advisors on Information Management Strategy board, a federation of BI user groups on campus; 39,000 students are enrolled in the university, some 2,500 Business Objects users are at the University of Michigan today, and this latter number is expected to increase as the BI deployment expands. AIMS helps the university steer the Wolverines’ BI deployment while developing standards and best practices for BI. As part of its university-wide BI strategy, AIMS will be a key player in the migration process to Business Objects XI Release 2. “Like many public institutions,” said Business Objects government business unit vice president Jay Johnson, “the University of Michigan is developing a BI center of excellence to help them achieve their fiscal and academic goals.”

He went on to say that “limited funding, new reporting requirements, and increased competition mean universities must function more like businesses.” Business Objects is the world’s leading business intelligence (BI) software company, with over 35,000 customers worldwide, including over 80 percent of the Fortune 500. The dual headquartered firm calls both San Jose, Calif., and Paris, France home.