Considerations for Delivering Mobile BI - Microsoft Business Intelligence Tools for Excel Analysts - page 339

Browser-based deployments on mobile devices
There is a wide range of options for viewing SharePoint and Reporting Services content using mobile
devices. For example, SharePoint 2013 can be rendered using a setting called contemporary view,
which optimizes the rendered view for mobile devices and expands the range of supported devices
and browsers to include not only the iPhone, iPad, and Windows Phone devices, but also Android
devices running Android 4.0 or later. Contemporary view achieves this level of flexibility by rendering
Web pages using HTML5.
In addition, Power View, running in SharePoint or Office 365, supports the same level of flexibility by
rendering in HTML5.
Running apps on mobile devices
For many mobile devices, native apps can be downloaded and run on the device. These apps are typi-
cally developed specifically for the operating system and user controls that are available on the mobile
device. Several apps that offer Microsoft BI functionality have been developed for Windows 8 or greater
and are available in the Windows Store for downloading on a compatible device. For example, there is a
Power BI app that runs on Windows 8.1 if you have an Office 365 Power BI subscription account. The list
of apps that provide enhanced Microsoft BI functionality on mobile devices is expected to grow.
Office 365
Launched in 2011, Microsoft Office 365 provides organizations with subscription-based pricing for
Microsoft Office, SharePoint, Exchange, and other productivity applications. In addition, Office 365
serves as a cloud-based platform for hosting SharePoint and other business applications. By extension,
an organization can license a given number of seats and provide these users with the BI functionality
that comes with SharePoint.
In 2013, Microsoft expanded its Office 365 licensing models to include Power BI. This package
includes Power Pivot, Power View, Power Map, and SharePoint. There are several key benefits to using
Office 365 for mobile deployments. These include subscription-based pricing for SharePoint and
reduced setup and maintenance.
To take advantage of the BI capabilities offered by Office 365, users require a compatible device or
Web browser. Currently, supported devices include the iPad (running iOS 6 or greater) or any device
running Windows 8 or greater. Desktop Web browser access is supported for Safari or Internet
Explorer 10 or greater.