Why InetSoft BI?

Cloud computing and software-as-a-service are quickly evolving into a mixture of public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid cloud environments. InetSoft's business intelligence solution is a highly versatile platform for different application scenarios in this new computing era.

InetSoft Hosted Cloud Flexible BI

InetSoft's cloud flexible business intelligence solution delivers the benefit of cloud computing and software-as-a-service while giving you the maximum level of control. In terms of software-as-a-service, BI software is unique because it inherently depends on the data not being embedded in the application.

Many SaaS BI vendors have created a cloud platform where you must transfer and update all data. This can create severe new issues because of bandwidth limits and updating-logic complexity. Even though some might offer a traditional install-your-own option, you will lose the benefit of SaaS that offloads the infrastructure management to the BI vendor. InetSoft's BI allows you to choose the platform and the location that is best suited for you.

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Bring SaaS BI to Your Data, Not the Other Way Around

Bringing the software to the data, not the data to the software, is a proven winning formula in BI. Data tends to quickly increase in volume, variety, and velocity. If your BI application is deployed geographically far from your primary data source, moving the data to the software will become a bigger and bigger challenge as you grow. Even when data movement is not yet an insurmountable issue, users are limited by how frequently data can be refreshed and will pay a performance penalty if directly querying data sources. InetSoft allows you co-locate a fully serviced SaaS BI instance with your primary data source to minimize data movement and deliver the highest performance.

Ensure Success Even If you Have No Dedicated BI Developer InetSoft Includes One-on-One Expert Help

InetSoft's SaaS BI doesn't stop at providing a managed BI environment. In order for a BI project to be successful, it requires experience and expertise to best apply BI to each situation. Normally this means staffing experienced and dedicated BI developers in-house. InetSoft provides free expert fast-start mentoring that delivers the expertise even when no in-house dedicated BI expert is available. Our expert help doesn't stop at initial deployment. A set of on-demand one-on-one sessions are also included on an ongoing basis that will keep your BI environment operating optimally.

Grow Without a License Price Cliff Cost-effective Unlimited User Pricing

For SaaS BI licensing, per user subscriptions are normally the starting point. When usage grows or administration of users becomes too difficult, there are capacity pricing models that are based on the number of cores. But many times with other BI solutions, there is a steep cost cliff between per user and per capacity pricing. InetSoft's small-footprint BI allows affordable capacity pricing that you can smoothly transition into.

Embedding and Self-Hosting

In many embedding and certain cloud computing settings, InetSoft's BI solution is preferably hosted and controlled by you. Even though InetSoft is not directly managing the software for you, InetSoft's cloud flexible design still delivers great benefits.

Small-Footprint Architecture Utilize Cost Efficient Instances

InetSoft BI can be deployed to a cloud instance as small as two virtual cores. In contrast, traditional business intelligence software typically requires machines or instances with at least 8 cores. The small footprint allows flexible deployment options. For instance, your embedding application needs the option of client site deployment. Packaging InetSoft's small-footprint BI as part of your solution will allow utilization of the most cost-efficient instances.

Scale Up or Scale Out Align with Embedding Architecture

An embedded BI solution must align to the embedding applications scaling model. While scaling up uses more powerful instances, scaling out utilizes more instances. There are business and technical reasons to favor one type. For instance, regulations like HIPAA may require you to isolate each client's instance; that will favor scaling out. InetSoft's BI allows you to scale efficiently regardless of which model you choose.

Expert Aided Single Sign-on, Rebranding and Theming with Multi-Tenant Support

In order to deliver a seamless user experience, embedding a BI solution commonly requires architecture and user interface alignment. Some of this can be accomplished with standardized mechanisms. But many details must be refined with the BI partner's close cooperation. Larger vendors are too rigid or less responsive. InetSoft's long history of OEM partnering means you benefit from embedding integration experts who work hand in hand with your engineering team.

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More Resources On Choosing BI Tools

  • View Interactive Examples And Demo

    Guides decision makers through the discovery phase by encouraging hands-on evaluation using demos and interactive examples to validate fit. Highlights practical questions to ask stakeholders about deployment, data sources, and expected user workflows before shortlisting vendors. Emphasizes proof-of-concepts as a faster way to discover gaps than reading brochures alone. Recommends collecting concrete use cases and trial metrics to compare candidate solutions effectively.

  • Weigh On-Demand Versus On-Premise Options

    Explains the tradeoffs between on-demand (SaaS) models and traditional on-premise deployments when evaluating BI platforms. Discusses governance, data residency, and maintenance responsibilities that often drive the decision one way or the other. Advises teams to map compliance and integration constraints early so the hosting model doesn’t become a blocker later. Suggests scenarios where hybrid approaches deliver the best balance of control and agility.

  • Compare Tool Categories And Capabilities

    Breaks down BI options into categories (spreadsheets, dashboards, embedded analytics) to help buyers align needs with vendor strengths. Recommends evaluating ease of use, data mashup capability, and how each tool handles scaling and security. Highlights that simpler tools can be faster to adopt while richer platforms may require more governance but deliver deeper insights. Encourages scoring vendors on objective criteria and running timed tasks during trials.

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    #1 Ranking: Read how InetSoft was rated #1 for user adoption in G2's user survey-based index.
  • Assess Hosting Flexibility And Scale

    Focuses on how hosting flexibility—cloud, hybrid or on-premise—affects long-term TCO and operational control for analytics deployments. Describes scaling strategies (scale up vs scale out) and how they interact with regulatory requirements like isolated instances for compliance. Advises product teams to confirm the vendor’s embedding and multi-tenant patterns if analytics will be offered inside customer applications. Encourages architects to test realistic load scenarios to validate performance claims.

  • Create A Vendor Shortlist With Clear Criteria

    Recommends building a short, scored shortlist of vendors based on prioritized criteria such as connector breadth, developer APIs, and TCO. Suggests including business stakeholders, IT, and security in the evaluation to avoid surprises after purchase. Highlights the usefulness of reference checks and industry comparisons to validate vendor promises. Advises documenting required integrations and sample datasets to bring into vendor trials for apples-to-apples testing.

  • Consider Commercial Alternatives To Open Source

    Discusses reasons organizations sometimes prefer a supported commercial BI product over an open source reporting tool, such as warranty, vendor support and survivability. Outlines the hidden costs often associated with maintaining and extending open source projects at scale. Suggests evaluating the level of commercial support, SLA guarantees, and upgrade paths available from vendors. Encourages buyers to compare total cost and risk rather than only license price.

  • Startups: Look For Low Up-Front And Flexible Pricing

    Targets startups and small teams with guidance to prioritize low initial cost, flexible licensing and rapid time-to-value when selecting BI tools. Recommends vendors that allow growth-based pricing or OEM arrangements so analytics can scale with the business. Advises testing embedding and rebranding features early if analytics will be customer-facing. Highlights the importance of quick onboarding and strong developer tooling for resource-constrained teams.

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  • Look For Differentiating Capabilities In Mashup

    Compares vendor strengths and suggests focusing on capabilities that matter most, like enterprise data mashup, real-time querying, and heterogeneous connector support. Explains that differences in architecture (ETL/warehouse vs. virtual mashup) significantly change how data is prepared and delivered to end users. Recommends probing each vendor’s approach to blending live and persisted data during trials. Encourages evaluation of reusability and governance controls for shared business logic.

  • Test Direct Big Data Access And Performance

    Advises teams working with large datasets to test tools that can query Big Data platforms directly rather than relying on bulk extracts. Suggests validating query push-down, in-memory caching, and interactive response times using representative datasets. Recommends measuring network, serialization and connector overhead as part of performance tests. Warns that architecture matters: bringing the engine to the data can avoid expensive ETL and make interactive analysis feasible.

  • Validate Data Source And Querying Workflows

    Encourages buyers to confirm how each candidate handles data source selection, query design and result shaping in the hands of typical users. Describes the value of testing the tool’s data query interface, formula builders, and ability to select or swap sources without heavy developer work. Advises doing user tasks—create a mashup, build a KPI, and schedule a report—during trials to measure productivity. Recommends documenting required transforms and ensuring the vendor supports them cleanly.

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