Applix Inc., a $52.2 million business intelligence and performance management software provider based in Westborough, Mass., has released Applix 9.1 Unicode in simplified Chinese, thus allowing global companies to perform business analytics across operations and finance. Applix 9.1 enables businesses to perform reporting from the Web, configure planning applications and create custom dashboards and scorecards; now, 9.1 Unicode will provide visibility into business performance beyond finance and operations departments to include business units overseas and subsidiaries, creating a seamless experience for users despite the language barriers. Applix occupies a niche in the marketplace in providing BI and BPM software to small and midsize companies, notes Michael Rasmussen, an analyst with Forrester Research. One of Applix' key strengths, explains Rasmussen, is that its software offerings are all on a single platform, unlike some of the larger and better known BI and BPM providers, which have assembled their suites through acquisitions. “Unicode 9.1 is designed to appeal to those small and midsize companies with operations in China,” says Rasmussen.