Cloud-based BI stack launched

Four software vendors have teamed up to offer an integrated stack for companies that want to run their business intelligence in the cloud.

The Business Intelligence Solution in the Cloud stack, introduced on Wednesday, brings together products from cloud-management platform vendor RightScale, business intelligence software maker Jaspersoft, open-source integration software vendor Talend and analytic database management vendor Vertica.

With the stack, businesses use RightScale's Amazon EC2-based cloud to upload and treat their data in Talend and Vertica instances, then analyse it using Jaspersoft tools. It can be configured automatically.

The offering could be used to prototype new proof-of-concept BI applications without purchasing or implementing new datacentre infrastructure, or to create ad hoc analytical tools on demand in response to market changes, the partners said.

Companies can use a pay-as-you-go payment scheme, meaning the set-up can be used for ad hoc projects and then dropped once it is no longer needed.

The vendors are demonstrating the offering at CloudWorld Expo this week in San Francisco, and are offering a 30-day free trial via RightScale's website.

BI spending has continued to grow in recent months despite the recession, research firm Gartner said in June. Worldwide revenue for technology related to BI, analytics applications and performance management grew by 22 percent last year, increasing from around $7.2bn (£4.3bn) in 2007 to more than $8.8bn, according to the analyst firm.

This growth is partly due to consolidation in the industry, as big vendors have focused on promoting the BI technology they have acquired to their existing customers, Gartner said.