Intelligent Enterprise

BI platform BusinessObjects XI, including Crystal Reports Server XI, now supports the Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server platforms, software maker Business Objects announced Tuesday.

The support for Linux will let Business Objects customers build an open and less expensive architecture for their business intelligence deployments, the vendor said. Business Objects tools are already supported by Microsoft Windows and Unix platforms.

"Our strategy has always been to build an open platform that supports the technologies deployed by our customers," Business Objects vice president of product marketing Lance Walter said in a prepared statement.

There's rising interest in open-source tools among business intelligence practitioners, particularly on the reporting and analytics side. A number of stand-alone open-source reporting tools have recently entered the business intelligence market, or are slated for release in the coming months.

Business Objects' more traditional BI competitors also make their products available on Linux. Cognos debuted its ReportNet tool on Linux last year, and Hyperion's Performance Suite product runs on Linux as well. BI software maker MicroStrategy announced support for 64-bit Linux in its chief software platform last month.