ISG Software Research Analyst Perspectives

Investment in LMS is an Investment in Organizational Success

Posted by ISG Research on 30 September 2022

The learning management system technology market has evolved dramatically over the past two decades. Learning management systems, now commonly referred to as learning experience platforms, are an integral resource for any organization concerned about productivity, organizational agility and operational excellence. These technologies enable organizations to demonstrate an investment in people, as... Read More

Topics: Human Capital Management, Learning Management

Astronomer’s Cloud-Based Data Orchestration Brings Efficiency

Posted by Matt Aslett on 29 September 2022

I have recently written about the organizational and cultural aspects of being data-driven, and the potential advantages data-driven organizations stand to gain by responding faster to worker and customer demands for more innovative, data-rich applications and personalized experiences. I have also explained that data-driven processes require more agile, continuous data processing, with an... Read More

Topics: Cloud Computing, Data Management, Data, data operations, Analytics and Data

Workday Rising Shows Advances for the Office of Finance

Posted by Robert Kugel on 28 September 2022

Workday held its first in-person Rising user group meeting since 2019 in Orlando. Three topics are worth commenting on: Workday’s Extend offering, its industry accelerators and its progress with the Workday Adaptive Planning offering. Extend: One important addition to Workday’s offering is Extend, a set of software development tools that helps organizations develop, deploy and manage new apps... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, Business Planning, Financial Performance Management, ERP and Continuous Accounting

Cloud Computing Realities Part 2: Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Architectures

Posted by David Menninger on 27 September 2022

In my first perspective on cloud computing realities, I covered some of the cost considerations associated with cloud computing and how the cloud costing model may be different enough from on-premises models that some organizations are taken by surprise. In this perspective. I’d like to focus on realities of hybrid and multi-cloud deployments. Let’s start with why hybrid and multi-cloud... Read More

Topics: Cloud Computing, Digital Technology

Enhancing Data Catalog with AI

Posted by David Menninger on 22 September 2022

Organizations are collecting data from multiple data sources and a variety of systems to enrich their analytics and business intelligence (BI). But collecting data is only half of the equation. As the data grows, it becomes challenging to find the right data at the right time. Many organizations can’t take full advantage of their data lakes because they don’t know what data actually exists. Also,... Read More

Topics: Business Intelligence, Data Governance, Data Management, data operations, AI and Machine Learning

Kinaxis Extends Platform into Supply Chain Execution with MPO Acquisition

Posted by Robert Kugel on 21 September 2022

Kinaxis recently announced it has acquired a Netherlands-based company, MPO, a cloud-based software offering that orchestrates multiparty supply chain execution. The combination is designed to enable Kinaxis to extend its concurrent planning platform to handle core elements of supply chain execution. Kinaxis acquired all the shares of MPO for approximately US$45 million, with some of the final... Read More

Topics: Business Intelligence, Business Planning, Operations & Supply Chain, Enterprise Resource Planning, continuous supply chain, AI and Machine Learning

The Data Catalog is Indispensable for Good Data Governance

Posted by Matt Aslett on 21 September 2022

The data catalog has become an integral component of organizational data strategies over the past decade, serving as a conduit for good data governance and facilitating self-service analytics initiatives. The data catalog has become so important, in fact, that it is easy to forget that just 10 years ago it did not exist in terms of a standalone product category. Metadata-based data management... Read More

Topics: business intelligence, Data Governance, Data Management, Data, data operations, Analytics and Data

Initiatives using AI Improve Marketing and Sales Effectiveness

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 20 September 2022

I have written about vendor efforts to use artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced analytics in their applications targeted at sales and revenue teams to improve focus and prioritize activities, both for pipeline management as well as individual opportunities. Since then, vendors have continued to innovate, and there have been more releases showcasing efforts to aid sales and revenue. And with... Read More

Topics: AI and Machine Learning

Agent Performance Management Changes With the Times

Posted by Keith Dawson on 20 September 2022

Today’s contact centers need to revisit core assumptions around measuring agent performance. Changes in business conditions influencing agent engagement raise new questions about whether traditional performance models are sufficient to address the more complex customer needs that have taken center stage in recent years. In many respects, the nature of the agent’s job has changed. Instead of being... Read More

Topics: Customer Experience, Voice of the Customer, Contact Center, agent management

Augmented Intelligence Reduces Dependency on AI/ML Skill Sets

Posted by David Menninger on 15 September 2022

Business intelligence has evolved. It now includes a spectrum of analytics, one of the most promising of which has been described as augmented intelligence. Some organizations have used the term to describe the practical reality that artificial intelligence with machine learning is not replacing human intelligence, but augmenting it. The term also represents the application of AI/ML to make... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Business Intelligence, natural language processing, Collaborative & Conversational Computing, Analytics and Data, AI and Machine Learning

External Data Supports a More Predictive Finance Department

Posted by Robert Kugel on 15 September 2022

Organizations do not live in a vacuum and things happening outside their walls have a direct impact on how they perform. So, it is essential for them to incorporate external data in their forecasting, planning and budgeting, especially for predictive analytics and machine learning (ML) to support artificial intelligence (AI). I use the term external data to include any information about the world... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, Business Planning, Financial Performance Management, AI and Machine Learning

Select the Right Technology to Master Global Payroll Complexities

Posted by ISG Research on 14 September 2022

Payroll Management is one of the six major focus areas in the Human Capital Management research and advisory practice at Ventana Research. “Continuous payroll” is a hot topic in this area, with much discussion about the always-on nature of this enhanced payroll function and its related demands for supporting technologies. Advancements in payroll technologies and practices have paved the way for... Read More

Topics: Human Capital Management, Payroll Management

Why Outbound Is a Smart Channel for Customer Communication

Posted by Keith Dawson on 13 September 2022

Outbound communication is used in a number of different contexts. For potential customers, traditional telemarketing still exists, though it is limited these days due to its minimal effectiveness. Instead, many customer-experience planners have substituted digital outbound over voice for lead generation and nurturing campaigns. Customers find text messages in the channel of their choice to be... Read More

Topics: Customer Experience, Voice of the Customer, Contact Center, agent management

Confluent Addresses Data Governance for Data in Motion

Posted by Matt Aslett on 09 September 2022

I recently wrote about the need for organizations to take a holistic approach to the management and governance of data in motion alongside data at rest. As adoption of streaming data and event processing increases, it is no longer sufficient for streaming data projects to exist in isolation. Data needs to be managed and governed regardless of whether it is processed in batch or as a stream of... Read More

Topics: Big Data, Cloud Computing, Data Governance, Streaming Analytics, Streaming Data Events

Straight-Through Processing Reduces Friction and Builds Trust

Posted by Robert Kugel on 09 September 2022

General Omar Bradley is credited with saying, “Amateurs study strategy, professionals study logistics.” This is a battlefield commander’s perspective on the often-overlooked importance of mastering the nitty-gritty in achieving military objectives. I think the same is true when it comes to data in business computing because, in my experience, it is often an overlooked or secondary consideration.... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, Digital Commerce, ERP and Continuous Accounting

B2B Digital Commerce: The Good, Bad and Needed

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 08 September 2022

You would be forgiven for thinking that no one buys anything in person any more given the pages of digital ink spilled over the rise of digital commerce led by the rise and rise of Amazon. However, one quick errand run on a Saturday morning would easily give lie to this, as parking lots are full, not just at grocery stores but for everyday retail as well as big box stores. Likewise, in... Read More

Topics: Digital Commerce, Subscription Management, Office of Revenue

The Power of People Analytics: Moving Beyond the Dashboard

Posted by ISG Research on 08 September 2022

People analytics enable organizations to gain data-driven insights that optimize the impact and value of the workforce. For decades, human capital management (HCM) leaders have been sold tools marketed as analytics that were no more than dashboards filled with nice visualizations of historic data with no context as to what each individual data point meant to their strategic objectives and... Read More

Topics: Human Capital Management, Workforce Management, analytic data platforms

Zoho One Reaching Needs of Larger Organizations

Posted by Keith Dawson on 07 September 2022

Zoho presented analysts with a deep look at its strategy and roadmap at its July analyst conference, describing how it intends to meld its many business applications together through integration at the level of the platform. The company, which is privately owned and funded, has generally sought to build its own tools rather than buy or partner. This approach has allowed the firm to create a suite... Read More

Topics: Customer Experience, Voice of the Customer, Data, AI and Machine Learning

Cloud Computing Realities – Part 1

Posted by David Menninger on 01 September 2022

The migration to cloud is obvious. Organizations are adopting cloud computing for all variety of applications and use cases. Managed cloud services, commonly referred to as software as a service (SaaS), offer many benefits to organizations including significantly reduced labor costs for system administration and maintenance, as many of these costs are shifted to the software vendor. SaaS also... Read More

Topics: Cloud Computing, Digital Technology