RESEARCH & RESOURCES

TDWI Checklist Report | Demystifying Cloud BI: Six Issues to Consider

August 14, 2014

Cloud BI has been positioned as the next evolution in business intelligence because of the advantages the cloud provides in terms of flexibility and elasticity. The cloud provides scalable storage, computing power, and elastic resources. There is still confusion about moving to a cloud model, and cloud BI adoption has been slow, relative to some expectations. However, interest is definitely increasing. For instance, in a recent 2014 TDWI survey, a majority of respondents were either already using the cloud or were considering it for BI and analytics. Companies that were using the cloud for analytics were often using some combination of public, private, and hybrid implementations.

Organizations still cite security and privacy as two major obstacles to cloud adoption, although cloud vendors have worked hard to put controls in place. Research by TDWI indicates that more organizations are looking at matters such as extended governance when moving to the cloud. Furthermore, TDWI research on big data suggests organizations that incorporate the cloud as part of their analytics ecosystem are more mature than those that do not. Clearly, cloud BI and analytics are gaining steam as organizations work past some of their concerns about the cloud and see its benefits.

This Checklist Report focuses on helping organizations demystify several cloud BI issues. It examines the models emerging as companies adopt the cloud. We also examine some of the real and perceived issues regarding cloud adoption, including security, governance, data management, and how the cloud impacts BI deployments, in order to help readers better understand these concerns.


Your e-mail address is used to communicate with you about your registration, related products and services, and offers from select vendors. Refer to our Privacy Policy for additional information.

TDWI Membership

Get immediate access to training discounts, video library, research, and more.

Find the right level of Membership for you.