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TechFuture of Work

This Is Analytics Software Firm Tableau’s Strategy for Winning Bigger Deals

By
Heather Clancy
Heather Clancy
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By
Heather Clancy
Heather Clancy
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August 8, 2016, 3:26 PM ET

Much of data analytics firm Tableau Software’s early success was linked to its simplicity pitch.

Specifically, it was among the first business intelligence software companies to come up with technology that lets business analysts visualize trends based on corporate data without having to rely on someone in the IT organization to pull the information for them.

As Tableau eyes larger customers, however, it is making more explicit overtures to those in charge of worrying about controlling data access. Some of those accommodations, such as additional tools for managing smartphones and tablets, and for monitoring corporate software licenses, are part of the company’s Tableau 10 release, which ships commercially starting this week.

Francois Ajenstat, vice president of product management for Tableau, says the additions are intended for organizations seeking to expand their use of the company’s software beyond isolated departmental applications.

“The only way that this can work is if you have an environment you can trust,” says Ajenstat.

Tableau’s latest quarterly results, released last week, illustrate the shift that the software company is already experiencing as the market for data analysis and visualization software matures.

The company finalized 332 deals worth more than $100,000 in its second quarter, a 42% increase from 12 months ago. It added 3,900 customers, overall, bringing the total to 46,000 globally. (Tableau reported a loss of $47.5 million for the quarter. Its revenue grew 32% to $198.5 million.)

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Some of Tableau’s Fortune 500 customers include Exxon Mobil (XOM) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB). For example, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) uses Tableau’s software as part of an internal dashboard that corporate real estate managers can use to run reports that analyze everything from building energy consumption to determining the most cost-effective locations for an expansion or renovation, based on data specifics to different tenants.

“We need to enable our people to do things quickly and to do things that are unique for our clients, but we also need to make sure that we can protect the data,” explains Edward Wagoner, global chief information officer for corporate solutions, with JLL. “It keeps people more efficient, while offering flexibility.”

Aside from revising its software, Tableau is reorganizing and training its sales team to sharpen their focus on large corporate accounts, according to remarks made during the company’s financial update call last week. The company is still seeking a replacement for Kelly Wright, its executive vice president of sales, who plans to retire before the end of 2016, according to Tableau CEO and co-founder Christian Chabot.

For more, read: Why This Business Intelligence CEO Spends Oodles on Research

Tableau made headlines in February when its stock dropped almost 50% to around $41 per share. (It’s currently trading slightly above $53.) It faces two distinct groups of competitors: “pure play” data analytics companies like Qlik Technologies, Sisense, and Domo; and software giants like IBM (IBM), MicroStrategy, and SAP.

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