Cognos

IBM Cognos
3600 Steeles Ave.
East Markham ON L3R 9Z7  Canada

History

Cognos was initially an Ottawa, Ontario-based company making business intelligence (BI) and performance management (PM) software. Founded in 1969, at its peak Cognos employed almost 3,500 people and served more than 23,000 customers in over 135 countries.

Originally Quasar Systems Limited, it adopted the Cognos name in 1982. On January 31, 2008, Cognos was officially acquired by IBM. The Cognos name continues to be applied to IBM’s line of business intelligence and performance management products.

In January 2010, as part of a reorganization of IBM Software Group, Cognos software and software from recently acquired SPSS were brought together to create the Business Analytics division.

Products

Cognos 10 - Early November 2010, IBM Cognos 10 was released. The release of Cognos 10, which combines social networking, collaboration, analytics also targets mobile workers.

Pushed by the growth of mobile transactions and estimates that the mobile workforce will globally reach 1.19 billion by 2013, IBM has combined the technology of Cognos, a company they acquired in 2008, with Lotus Connections.

Added to all that is the statistical engine, which IBM bought during the SPSS acquisition in 2009, which allows users to embed algorithms into their reports from IBM’s SPSS software.

The launch of Cognos 10 is so significant in IBM’s business intelligence strategy that it is hailing the release as “the most significant analytics offering since the acquisition of Cognos …”

Cognos 10 lets you explore any data, in any combination and over any time period with a broad range of analytics capabilities:

IBM Cognos BI v10.1, builds on the integrated IBM Cognos 8 v4 platform and adds a unifying workspace for all BI content called Business Insight. Performance improvement is a hallmark of the new release, including significant query engine enhancements to address noted customer concerns. Integration of statistics and predictive analytics into the BI platform is also enhanced. Products supporting collaborative BI and decision management have also been introduced. Early v10.1 customers report a virtually seamless upgrade from Cognos 8 v4, forestalling a potential hurdle for adoption.

IBM Cognos Express – Launched in 2009, the mid-market product IBM Cognos Express, based on Cognos TM1 and Cognos BI products, offers integrated reporting, analysis, and planning, and has been sold through IBM’s massive partner sales channel to hundreds of customers worldwide. The all-in-one package is modestly priced, and is available as on-premises software.

Marketing Channels

IBM Cognos is marketed through an extensive partner channel. IBM Cognos Express, which is targeted toward the mid-market, is sold and supported exclusively through IBM’s business partner channel.