InetSoft: A Cost Efficient Alternative to MicroStrategy
If you are considering MicroStrategy for your BI needs, consider a more cost-effective solution: InetSoft's StyleBI. StyleBI is a web-based BI application that makes business intelligence an easy process for both IT and end-users.
Starting at $600 per user, InetSoft delivers a robust solution that can work within the budget of any organization. Alternatively, MicroStrategy's entry point is a whopping $5000 per user.
InetSoft's BI solution offers advanced dashboarding and analysis, as well as traditional paginated reporting. Maximizing self-service, InetSoft's software allows regular users with no IT knowledge to create their own data mashups. MicroStrategy's software requires a heavy intervention from IT staff just to redefine data models.
Accessible from almost any device, InetSoft stands out as a web-based software application that can be accessed by an unlimited number of users, without increasing the price paid. MicroStrategy requires users to pay individual licenses just for mobile access. No business should overpay for services that can be acquired at an affordable price in a lightweight, all-inclusive, robust solution.
Why Choose InetSoft over MicroStrategy
- InetSoft's data cache parallelization architecture delivers massive query performance boosts by relieving source data systems of the potential overload that occurs from excessive user queries. The architecture allows data in InetSoft's virtual data model to be cached and queried in parallel across servers. MicroStrategy offers no such feature.
- InetSoft's drag-and-drop viewsheet gives users the freedom to build any visual components into their dashboards that they'd like, with full customization capabilities. MicroStrategy implements strict rules on every dashboard element and severely restricts where each component can be placed.
- Design with InetSoft takes place in a zero-client web-based environment. MicroStrategy requires a desktop application to be installed on the machine of every user who wishes to design a dashboard or report.
- InetSoft deployments typically take between 1-2 weeks to launch and require minimal business intelligence expertise. MicroStrategy deployments often take 5-6 months and require all users to be trained in using the software, due to its less intuitive interface.
How Can an Enterprise Save Money With InetSoft Compared to MicroStrategy?
1. Lower Licensing Costs
- InetSoft offers entry-level packages such as Style Scope starting at around $2,000 per year for five users.
- StyleBI licenses start at approximately $600 per user.
- In contrast, MicroStrategy license costs often begin at $5,000 per user—making InetSoft significantly more affordable on a per-user basis.
2. Flexible Licensing and Deployment
- InetSoft supports subscription, named-user, concurrent-user, and CPU/core-based licensing models, adapting to different usage needs and optimizing cost.
- Its lightweight, microservices-based architecture can run on commodity servers or cloud infrastructure with elastic compute, reducing infrastructure and hosting costs.
- MicroStrategy typically requires a larger hardware and software footprint and more extensive infrastructure investment, raising both deployment and operational expenses.
3. Faster Time-to-Value
- InetSoft deployments can launch in 1–2 weeks, with tools aimed at business users that reduce reliance on IT.
- MicroStrategy implementations can span 5–6 months, require trained specialists, and often involve high consulting fees—enterprises may spend $12 on consulting for every $1 spent on MicroStrategy licensing.
4. Reduced Ongoing Maintenance and IT Overhead
- InetSoft’s simpler architecture and browser-based interface mean fewer administrative burdens and lower maintenance costs.
- MicroStrategy demands professional services, ongoing training, and specialized IT staff, adding to long-term total cost of ownership.
5. Self-Service Capabilities Lower Support Costs
- InetSoft’s drag-and-drop, mash-up based design empowers business users to build dashboards and analyses independently.
- MicroStrategy often requires business users to engage IT for changes, driving up support and development costs.
6. Infrastructure Efficiency
- InetSoft's data cache parallelization reduces load on source systems and uses compute more efficiently, especially in cloud environments where billing is based on usage.
- This contrasts with MicroStrategy’s heavier architecture, which may consume more resources and increase cloud or server costs.
7. Embedding, OEM, and Customization
- InetSoft offers embeddable analytics with APIs, white-labeling, and lightweight integration, which are less costly to implement.
- MicroStrategy’s embedding options are typically more complex and resource-intensive, increasing development costs.