MicroStrategy, BackWeb Help Push Data Where It's Needed MostMicroStrategy, BackWeb Help Push Data Where It's Needed Most

Businesses are coming to understand that just giving employees and mobile workers access to data isn't enough. To make sure employees get the information they need, that data needs to be pushed out to their PCs, notebooks, or handheld devices. On Monday, MicroStrategy Inc. and BackWeb Technologies Inc. revealed plans to do just that.

MicroStrategy unveiled its Narrowcast Server 7.1, the latest version of its software for broadcasting information via E-mail, PDAs, pagers, and standard and wireless telephones. The software lets people specify the kind of information they want sent to them. For example, an inventory manager can receive automatic alerts via a PDA when inventory stocks fall below a certain level, or a sales representative can receive quarterly reports on her best customer through a mobile phone.

"It's all about self-service access to information," says Mark Smith, a Full Circle Strategies analyst. "I'm a big believer in this overall approach." The new release of the software includes subscription portal technology, support for the Short Message Service wireless protocol, and a software developers' kit for building applications that run on top of Narrowcast Server. The software is available now with pricing starting at $95 per user and $20,000 per CPU.

BackWeb said Monday that it's partnering with systems integrator PricewaterhouseCoopers to integrate BackWeb's push technology into its portal software. While portals make information available to users, they're traditionally passive and require that people actively retrieve information--something that doesn't always happen. The use of push technology will ensure that critical content is delivered to the people who must get it. BackWeb is working on similar integration deals with other portal software suppliers.