Hey Rob,
First, the easiest thing to validate whether IPS is installed or you are hooked into full on SAP BusinessObjects (for Windows as you described) is to look at Control Panel under Programs and Features. If IPS was installed, you will see an entry for Information Platform Services and the SP level. You can also note the Data Services and if applicable, Information Steward patch level here too.
While IPS is the thin version of BOBJ, it is missing a lot of the bulk of the reporting platform. Think of it like a runtime. With that, IPS is the best possible implementation of the BOBJ CMS for your scenario. I'll refer you to a blog I wrote some time ago on this thread with me sort-of-strong opinion on how this should be architected.
If you still have specific questions on accessing IPS and how it hooks into Data Services, consider creating the appropriate threads for those questions.
Hope that helps.
EV