The move to update the BI security capabilities was prompted in part by plans to significantly boost the number of Mueller users who can access the Cognos software, Lack said. Today, he said, 75 users can access the BI tools. By the end of the year, the system will be rolled out to 200 more users.

In addition, Active Directory eliminates the need for users to have multiple passwords, he said, noting that some users tape their passwords to their laptops because they can't remember them all.

Downloading danger

The problem of downloaded spreadsheets on laptops is "a big threat that hasn't received a lot of attention from BI vendors," said Wayne Eckerson, director of research at The Data Warehousing Institute in Seattle.

Ironically, Eckerson added, BI vendors have spent millions of dollars converting PC-based tools to the Web, only to be forced by customer demand to return at least partially to the desktop to provide strong Office and Excel integration.