Strategic analysis of Business Objects versus Cognos Incorporated, providers of business intelligence software

Business Objects is the current market leader in the Business Intelligence software industry, which provides query, analysis and reporting tools to organizations needing to access data stored in disparate sources. In 2003 Business Objects acquired Crystal Decisions the # 3 firm at the time, resulting in the current organization. During the period of acquisition Cognos Inc. released a new product, ReportNet that was extremely well - received, becoming their leading revenue product in a 12 month period. Based on this success, Cognos is in a position to overtake Business Objects as the #I provider in the space within a 2 - 3 year period. This paper proposes a marketing strategy and new product introduction to reduce the capability of Cognos to threaten Business Objects as the #I vendor. This marketing and product strategy is consistent with management preferences and produces a positive NPV.