"We've answered customer concerns about Open Source by producing top quality BI products under a professional Open Source model," said Richard Daley, CEO of newly formed Orlando, Florida-based startup Pentaho, as he today launched a comprehensive platform of BI capabilities into Open Source: The Pentaho BI Project.

We've listened to customers and they're tired of the way software is licensed and sold," Daley continued. "Open Source provides freedom for developers, ISVs and end-user organizations to put software to work for them without having to design systems based on cost constraints," he said.

The Pentaho BI Project, Daley explained, aims to provide "enterprise-class reporting, analysis, information delivery, data mining and workflow capabilities geared at helping mid- to large size organizations operate more efficiently and effectively."

The software can be used for a wide range of business applications such as financial reporting, sales analysis, product analysis, procurement management, and human resources reporting, he said. "Flexible deployment options enable use as embeddable components, individual out-of-the-box products, and as a complete, integrated BI platform," he added.

Calling today's news "an exciting development," leading industry analyst Mark Smith, CEO & Senior Vice President of Research and Advisory Services at Ventana Research, predicted a warm welcome for the initiative. "The Pentaho BI Project is not only impressive in the depth of capabilities it covers, it also breaks new ground in linking business process management with performance management - effectively closing the loop between key business metrics and the business processes that drive them."

"Pentaho boasts an experienced core team with a track record of success," notes Seth Grimes, a frequent writer on the subject of BI, and founder of Alta Plana, a consultancy centered on data management and decision support. "The Pentaho team has created successful BI products for leading commercial vendors including Cognos, Hyperion, Oracle, IBM, and SAS, where they have held senior executive positions. Their move to Open Source looks set to achieve positive, disruptive change in the BI space by making a comprehensive BI platform free for the taking."

The Pentaho BI Project, said Daley, exists to benefit and serve:

• Java developers - who can use project components to rapidly assemble custom BI solutions.
• Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) - who can enhance the value and capability of their solutions by embedding BI functionality.
• End-Users - who can rapidly deploy packaged BI solutions which are either competitive or superior to traditional commercial offerings, at a dramatically lower cost.

An initial set of software components from The Pentaho BI Project will be available for download as an Alpha release within 60 days with General availability (GA) later this year, Richard Daley concluded. The software is free of charge.