THE proliferation of data and mobile gadgets is powering American data-analytics firm Tableau's expansion online, enabling it to reach out to smartphone users, even as it strengthens its offline presence in the Asia-Pacific.

The New York Stock Exchange-listed company is preparing for the launch of its first smartphone application, scheduled to take place over the next few weeks.

Dave Story, vice-president of mobile and strategic growth at Tableau, told The Business Times in an exclusive interview: "The idea that I should be able to get my data and analyse it at anytime is very attractive to us, because we want to reach as many people as possible on our mission to help people see and understand data."