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MicroStrategy
Company typePublic
NasdaqMSTR
IndustryBusiness intelligence and mobile software
Founded1989
HeadquartersTysons Corner, Virginia, USA
Key people
Michael J. Saylor (Co-founder, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer)

Sanju K. Bansal (Co-founder, Vice Chairman of the Board and Executive Vice President)
Jonathan Klein (President and Chief Legal Officer)
Paul Zolfaghari (President)
Douglas Thede (Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer)
Bob Watts (Chief Operating Officer and Senior Executive Vice President)

Peng Xiao (Chief Technology Officer and Senior Executive Vice President)
ProductsMicroStrategy Business Intelligence Platform, MicroStrategy Mobile, MicroStrategy Cloud, Express, Wisdom, Alert, Usher
Revenue$594.61 million USD (2012)[1]
Number of employees
3,200+ worldwide[2]
Websitewww.microstrategy.com

MicroStrategy, Inc. is a provider of business intelligence (BI), mobile software, and cloud-based services. The company is based in the Washington, D.C. area and serves companies and organizations worldwide. Founded in 1989 by Michael J. Saylor and Sanju K. Bansal, MicroStrategy develops software that enables organizations to analyze internal and external data in order to make more effective business decisions and to quickly develop mobile apps. Its proprietary software can be deployed in companies' data centers, or as cloud services. Notable clients include Facebook,[3] Starbucks,[4] and Lowe's Companies.[5]

Overview[edit]

MicroStrategy develops and sells business intelligence, mobile software, and cloud-based services for companies and organizations worldwide. The company’s scalable[6] core business intelligence software platform performs analytics on a variety of data, such as sales figures,[7] payroll data,[8] and inventory[9][10] in order to inform users' business decisions.[11]

MicroStrategy’s mobile software offerings include a platform for viewing business intelligence data[12] as well as apps for mobile identity[13] and mobile marketing and commerce platforms.[14] The company also offers a Facebook-focused market research platform.[15]

MicroStrategy remains one of the few independent, publicly traded BI software providers[16] in the business intelligence (BI) market. Its primary business analytics competitors include SAP Business Objects, IBM Cognos, and Oracle's BI Platform.[17][18]

MicroStrategy is headquartered in the Washington, D.C. metro area and has worldwide operations across 26 countries, in cities including New York, San Francisco, Paris, Warsaw, Madrid, London, Milan, Dubai, Tokyo, Sydney, and São Paulo.[2][19] The current CEO and chairman of the board of MicroStrategy is Michael J. Saylor, the company's co-founder. Sanju K. Bansal, the other co-founder, is executive vice president and vice chairman of the board.[20][21]

History[edit]

Michael J. Saylor started MicroStrategy in 1989 with a consulting contract from DuPont, which provided Saylor with $250,000 in start-up capital and office space in Wilmington, Delaware. Saylor was soon joined by company co-founder Sanju K. Bansal, whom he had met while the two were students at MIT.[22] The company produced software for data mining and business intelligence using nonlinear mathematics,[20] an idea inspired by a course that Saylor and Bansal took at MIT.[23] During this time period, MicroStrategy experienced rapid growth. In 1992, the company gained its first major client when it signed a $10 million contract with McDonald's, and increased revenues by 100% every year between 1990 and 1996.[22] In 1994, Saylor and Bansal moved the company's offices and its 50 employees from Delaware to Tysons Corner, Virginia.[24] MicroStrategy had its initial public offering in June 1998.[25] On its first day of trading, the stock price doubled.[26]

In March 2000, after a review of its accounting practices, MicroStrategy announced that it would restate its financial results for the preceding two years,[27] which resulted in an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.[28] In December 2000, Saylor, Bansal, and the company's former CFO settled with the SEC without admitting wrongdoing by each paying $350,000 in fines. The officers also paid a combined total of $10 million in disgorgement. MicroStrategy itself was charged with a number of violations and settled with the SEC by hiring an independent director to ensure regulatory compliance.[29][30]

By the fourth quarter of 2003, the company added over 200 new corporate customers based on the strength of its business intelligence platform[31] and grew sales steadily, posting increased revenue for every quarter through the end of 2007.[32] New clients during this period included the United States Postal Service, DHL Express, and Priceline.com.[33][34] In 2007 and 2008, the company was named one of the 200 Best Small Companies in America by Forbes.[35]

In 2010, MicroStrategy began developing and deploying business intelligence software for mobile platforms, such as the iPhone and iPad.[36] The company launched its mobile business intelligence platform for iPhone and iPad in July 2010, and in 2011 provided its workforce with 2,300 iPads.[37] Also in 2011, the company expanded its offerings to include a cloud-based service called MicroStrategy Cloud.[38]

In 2012, MicroStrategy expanded beyond its BI and mobile products with the release of Wisdom, a market research tool which allows for a demographic analysis of social media platforms such as Facebook.[39] For example, The Washington Post used Wisdom to examine the books, music, and sports teams "liked" by Facebook users who also "liked" various GOP presidential candidates,[40] while Boston.com used Wisdom to compare the "likes" of fans of the New England Patriots and the New York Giants.[41]

Products[edit]

MicroStrategy's scalable[6] core analytics platform for business intelligence (BI) allows users to search through and analyze large amounts of data from a variety of sources, including data warehouses, Excel files, and Hadoop distributions. The platform can provide near real-time analytics using its in-memory cubes of cached data.[11] The most recent major release of the software is 9.3, which was released in September 2012.[42] MicroStrategy also provides Visual Insight, a data visualization tool.[17]

MicroStrategy Mobile, launched in 2010, allows customers to build and deploy mobile apps for the iPhone, iPad, Android, and BlackBerry that deliver business intelligence data without needing to reformat the data for different platforms.[12][14] MicroStrategy Cloud is a cloud-based platform as a service that allows businesses to provide business intelligence without investing in infrastructure.[43][44] MicroStrategy’s Express is a software as a service (SaaS) data discovery analytics product. It allows users to build, schedule, and deliver customized analytic reports to recipients in their organization without extensive support from IT professionals.[44]

In addition to its business intelligence products, MicroStrategy offers three standalone software applications. Usher is a mobile identity application, which provides an always-on electronic alternative to traditional employee IDs, keys, and proximity cards.[13][45] Alert is a mobile commerce application that offers retailers and other merchants the ability to create branded mobile apps for marketing, commerce, and loyalty.[46][14] Wisdom is a BI application that can access the data in public application networks like Facebook and Google and provide market intelligence to companies.[15][47][48]

Awards and recognition[edit]

In 2011, Apple recognized MicroStrategy's iOS app as one of the best business apps of the year.[49] In 2012, the Business Application Research Center (BARC) ranked MicroStrategy first overall in Mobile BI in the BI Survey 12.[50] Also in 2012, Information Management named MicroStrategy one of the “Forty Vendors We’re Watching” for its ability to understand new business trends.[51]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "MicroStrategy Announces Fourth Quarter 2012 Financial Results". MicroStrategy. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  2. ^ a b "About Us". MicroStrategy.com. Retrieved 14 February, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  3. ^ David Carr (26 January, 2012). "Even At Facebook, Business Intelligence Is Not Viral". InformationWeek. Retrieved 25 January, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  4. ^ Doug Henschen (6 July, 2011). "Starbucks BI Test: Can Managers Beat Heatwave?". InformationWeek. Retrieved 8 February, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  5. ^ "MicroStrategy Delivers High Performance for Virtualized Environment Operations". Business Intelligence Journal. 15 March, 2011. Retrieved 8 March, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  6. ^ a b Rick Whiting (3 July, 2000). "MicroStrategy Boosts Speed, Accuracy". InformationWeek. Retrieved 14 May, 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  7. ^ Doug Henschen (10 July 2012). "MicroStrategy Amps Up Data Visualization, Big Data Analytics". InformationWeek. Retrieved 25 January, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  8. ^ Heather Havenstein (23 July, 2008). "TSA leans on BI to save $100 million". Computerworld. Retrieved 26 January, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  9. ^ Rick Whiting (31 January, 2005). "Business Objects And MicroStrategy Debut Business-Intelligence Upgrades". InformationWeek. Retrieved 25 January, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  10. ^ Kurt Peters (2 May, 2002). "Retailers Praising MicroStrategy's New Business Intelligence Platform, 7i". Internet Retailer. Retrieved 14 May, 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  11. ^ a b Doug Henschen (14 January, 2009). "MicroStrategy Upgrade Promises Performance and Flexibility Breakthroughs". InformationWeek. Retrieved 25 January, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  12. ^ a b Elena Malykhina (9 October, 2007). "MicroStrategy Offers Business Intelligence Software For BlackBerrys". InformationWeek. Retrieved 25 January, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  13. ^ a b "MicroStrategy to Host 16th Annual "World" Conference, January 28-31, 2013, in Las Vegas" (Press release). PR Newswire. 17 January 2013. {{cite press release}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  14. ^ a b c "Specialty retailer Tilly's launches new mobile commerce application for consumers". Progressive Media. 14 January 14, 2013. Retrieved 8 February, 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  15. ^ a b Barb Darrow (25 January, 2012). "MicroStrategy bets big on Facebook data". GigaOM. Retrieved 8 March, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  16. ^ Juan Carlos Perez (21 January, 2008). "Customers Trust MicroStrategy's Independence". PCWorld. Retrieved 26 January, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  17. ^ a b Chris Kanaracus (19 April, 2011). "Microstrategy Takes Aim at Self-service BI". Retrieved 8 February, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  18. ^ Cindi Howson (14 February, 2013). "MicroStrategy Doubles Down On Mobile, Data Visualization". InformationWeek. Retrieved 8 March, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  19. ^ "Contact Us". MicroStrategy.com. Retrieved 8 February, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  20. ^ a b Harry Jaffe (1 March, 2000). "The Seven Billion Dollar Man". The Washingtonian. Retrieved 25 January, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  21. ^ "Leadership". MicroStrategy.com. Retrieved 1 February, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  22. ^ a b Jeff Glasser (15 July, 1996). "From the Ground Up and Up". The Washington Post. Retrieved 26 January, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  23. ^ Chuck Salter (31 March, 2000). "People and Technology - MicroStrategy Inc". Fast Company. Retrieved 25 January, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  24. ^ Mark Leibovich (6 January, 2002). "MicroStrategy's CEO Sped to the Brink". The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 January, 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  25. ^ "Initial Public Offerings Key Data". NASDAQ. 11 June, 1998. Retrieved 27 January, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  26. ^ David A. Kaplan (12 July, 2012). "Michael Saylor: MicroStrategy's boy king grows up". Fortune. Retrieved 8 February, 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  27. ^ David S. Hilzenrath (22 March, 2000). "For MicroStrategy, A Matter of Timing". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 January, 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  28. ^ David S. Hilzenrath (14 April, 2000). "SEC Investigating MicroStrategy". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 January, 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  29. ^ Debra Lau (18 December, 2000). "Forbes Faces: Michael Saylor". Forbes.com. Retrieved 25 January, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  30. ^ David S. Hilzenrath (15 December, 2000). "Saylor, Associates Settle Fraud Charges". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 January, 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  31. ^ Catherine Yang (8 February, 2004). "MicroStrategy's Second Wind". Businessweek.com. Bloomberg. Retrieved 25 January, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  32. ^ Kim Hart (1 February, 2007). "Software Company's Strategy Pays Off". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 January, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  33. ^ Anitha Reddy (8 July, 2003). "MicroStrategy Wins Contract With Postal Service". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 February, 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  34. ^ Kim Hart (29 March, 2007). "McLean's MicroStrategy Nets Three More Clients". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 February, 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  35. ^ "The 200 Best Small Companies". Forbes. 8 October, 2008. Retrieved 27 January, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  36. ^ Alex Kayle (7 July, 2010). "iPad spells end for traditional BI". ITWeb. Retrieved 25 January, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  37. ^ John Cox (5 August, 2011). "iPads power productivity gains at MicroStrategy". NetworkWorld. Retrieved 8 February, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  38. ^ Cindi Howson (31 January, 2012). "MicroStrategy Cloud, Social And Mobile Bets Pay Off". InformationWeek. Retrieved 14 May, 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  39. ^ Cindi Howson (23 July, 2012). "MicroStrategy Bets On Visualization, BI for Facebook". InformationWeek. Retrieved 25 January, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  40. ^ "Facebook data reveal what GOP presidential candidates' supporters 'like'". The Washington Post. 6 January, 2012. Retrieved 26 January, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  41. ^ Gary Dzen (30 January, 2012). "Just who are Patriots fans, Giants fans?". Boston.com. Retrieved 26 January, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  42. ^ Andrew Brust (14 September, 2012). "MicroStrategy 9.3 takes on self-service, Big Data, cloud and iPhone 5". ZDNet. Retrieved 8 March, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  43. ^ Chris Kanaracus (28 September, 2011). "Microstrategy Targets Excel Users With Cloud Personal BI". PCWorld. Retrieved 25 January, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  44. ^ a b Kristen Doyle (13 July, 2012). "MicroStrategy unveils Cloud Express". ITWeb. Retrieved 26 January, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  45. ^ "Usher Product Sheet" (PDF). Usher.com. Retrieved 8 February, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  46. ^ Bill Siwicki (14 January, 2013). "Specialty retailer Tilly's launches a mobile commerce app". Internet Retailer. Retrieved 8 February, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  47. ^ David F. Carr (25 January, 2012). "Facebook: The Database of Wealth And Power". InformationWeek. Retrieved 26 January, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  48. ^ "Wisdom Product Sheet" (PDF). Wisdom.com. Retrieved 8 February, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  49. ^ Shamila Janakiraman (23 December, 2011). "MicroStrategy Mobile Placed among the Best Apps in the Business iPhone App Category". TMCnet.com. Retrieved 26 January, 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  50. ^ "MicroStrategy receives highest ranking in numerous KPIs in The BI Survey 12, industry's largest independent survey". ITWeb. 22 November, 2012. Retrieved 14 May, 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  51. ^ "Forty Vendors We're Watching: 2012". Information Management. 18 September, 2012. Retrieved 14 May, 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)

External links[edit]


Category:Business intelligence Category:Software companies based in Virginia Category:Online analytical processing Category:Companies based in Virginia