ISG Software Research Analyst Perspectives

Why AI Should Be a Focus for the Office of Finance

Posted by Robert Kugel on 28 February 2024

With a year of AI-everywhere-all-the-time chatter now in the rearview mirror, finance and accounting department executives appear to be in a state of apprehension and well-tuned skepticism about the impact this technology will have on their organization. There are solid reasons to believe that the next few years will be transformative, making it important for departments to adopt a fast-follower... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, Business Planning, ERP and Continuous Accounting, Order-to-Cash

Couchbase Addresses Real-Time Analytics

Posted by Matt Aslett on 27 February 2024

I have previously written about the impact of intelligent operational applications on the requirements for data platforms. Intelligent applications are used to run the business but also deliver personalization, recommendations and other features generated by machine learning and artificial intelligence. As such, they require a combination of operational and analytic processing functionality. The... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Artificial intelligence, Analytics and Data, AI and Machine Learning

Planning to Get Ahead of What’s Next in the 21st Century

Posted by Robert Kugel on 22 February 2024

We live in an era of uncertainty, not unpredictability. Managing in uncertain times is always difficult, but tools are available to improve the odds for success by making it easier and faster to plan for contingencies and scenarios. Software makes it possible to manage ahead of any future event, connecting the tactical trees to the strategic forest. The purpose of planning is not just to create a... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, Continuous Planning, Data Management, Business Planning, data operations, AI and Machine Learning

Look Out: Computer Vision in AI is Coming Into Sight

Posted by David Menninger on 21 February 2024

Unstructured data has been a significant factor in data lakes and analytics for some time. Twelve years ago, nearly a third of enterprises were working with large amounts of unstructured data. As I’ve pointed out previously, unstructured data is really a misnomer. The data is structured; it's just not structured into rows and columns that fit neatly into a relational table like much of the other... Read More

Topics: Artificial intelligence, Computer Vision, Analytics and Data, AI and Machine Learning

Technology Makes Purchasing More Effective

Posted by Robert Kugel on 20 February 2024

Digitally transforming finance operations has been a priority since 2020. For purchasing and the procure-to-pay cycle, software can streamline processes, shorten process times, reduce unnecessary costs, provide greater visibility into cash flows, increase control and improve results. Digitizing operations helps attract and retain the best talent because professionals spend less time on... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, Continuous Planning, Business Planning, Supplier Relationship Management, Continuous Supply Chain & ERP

Five Leading Business Outcomes with Enterprise Cloud Computing

Posted by Jeff Orr on 15 February 2024

The migration of on-premises applications to the cloud has become more than just a technological shift; it’s a strategic imperative for enterprises. This transition, driven by the need for competitiveness, agility and responsiveness in a rapidly evolving business environment that operates at the speed of digital, is not a simple task. It requires a careful balance between the technology roadmap... Read More

Topics: Cloud Computing, Digital Technology

InterSystems Smart Data Fabric Supports Intelligent Applications

Posted by Matt Aslett on 14 February 2024

The increasing importance of intelligent operational applications driven by artificial intelligence (AI) is blurring the lines that have traditionally divided the requirements between operational and analytic data platforms. Operational data platforms have traditionally been deployed to support applications targeted at business users and decision-makers to run the business, with analytic data... Read More

Topics: embedded analytics, Analytics, Cloud Computing, analytic data platforms, Analytics and Data

Generative AI Makes Natural Language Analytics a Reality

Posted by David Menninger on 13 February 2024

We’ve been saying for years that natural language processing (NLP) and natural language analytics would greatly expand access to analytics. However, prior to the explosion of generative AI (GenAI), software providers had struggled to bring robust natural language capabilities to market. It required considerable manual effort. Many analytics providers had introduced natural language capabilities,... Read More

Topics: business intelligence, Artificial intelligence, natural language processing, Analytics and Data

Akeron Vulki: A Sales Performance Application with a Difference

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 09 February 2024

Revenue and sales performance used to be the preserve of a few software providers as many enterprises made do with in-house solutions, often built on the ubiquitous spreadsheet. But increasingly managing revenue and sales performance is becoming too complex as business models are changing in response to customer behavior. Akeron, with their Vulki Sales Performance application, is a more recent... Read More

Topics: Revenue Performance Management, Office of Revenue

The 2024 HCM Market Agenda: Using AI to Transform Experiences

Posted by Matthew Brown on 09 February 2024

Ventana Research recently announced its 2024 Market Agenda for Human Capital Management, continuing the guidance we have offered for two decades to help enterprises derive maximum potential from workforce- and people-related technology investments and initiatives. In crafting this Market Agenda, we focused on essential themes that are critical for HR organizations and for the software providers... Read More

Topics: Human Capital Management, Learning Management, Talent Management, Workforce Management, Payroll Management, Total Compensation Management, employee experience

Sentiment Analysis Unlocks Deeper, Better CX

Posted by Keith Dawson on 08 February 2024

We are going through an analytics revolution in and around contact centers. There is more data to analyze and better tools to conduct the analysis. One important advancement is assessing customer sentiment and using it to predict (and influence) behavior. Enterprises are using customer experience programs to identify and act upon hidden "moments of leverage" where customers may be inclined or... Read More

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

Why I joined ISG and Ventana Research’s HCM Technology Practice

Posted by Matthew Brown on 08 February 2024

I am excited to announce that I have joined Ventana Research and ISG to lead coverage of the Human Capital Management technology practice, including Continuous Payroll, Employee Experience, Learning Management, Talent Management, Total Compensation Management and Workforce Management. For anyone that has worked with me over the years, it’s no secret that my passion has always been the technology... Read More

Topics: Human Capital Management

Explore Wide-Column Stores for Database Flexibility

Posted by Matt Aslett on 07 February 2024

I have previously written about the functional evolution and emerging use cases for NoSQL databases, a category of non-relational databases that first emerged 15 or so years ago and are now well established as potential alternatives to relational databases. NoSQL is a term used to describe a variety of databases that fall into four primary functional categories: key-value stores, wide-column... Read More

Topics: Data, data operations

Digital Business Market Agenda for 2024: Intelligence-Driven Engagement

Posted by Mark Smith on 06 February 2024

With Ventana Research’s 2024 Digital Business Market Agenda, we continue the guidance we have offered for two decades to help enterprises derive maximum value from digital business technology investments. Through our market research and expertise, we identify trends and best practices and share insights on how to achieve technological effectiveness, particularly in key processes and systems to... Read More

Topics: Performance Management, Experience Management, Digital Communications, Digital Applications, Sustainability and ESG, Digital Intelligence

Sales Engagement or CRM – Which Way to the Sales Freeway?

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 06 February 2024

Sales and revenue operations teams have for the most part traditionally relied on CRMs for information relating to leads and opportunities. For inside sales (sometimes referred to as high-velocity sales) as well as field sales, relevant product, pricing and customer have been loaded or entered into the CRM to be accessed via reports, dashboards or spreadsheets. For inside sales teams, dialers... Read More

Topics: CRM, Office of Revenue

The 2024 Market Agenda for Marketing: Digital Experiences with AI

Posted by Keith Dawson on 05 February 2024

Ventana Research recently announced its 2024 Market Agenda in the expertise area of Marketing, continuing the guidance we have offered for nearly two decades to help enterprises derive optimal value from business technology and improve outcomes. Through 2027, the category of marketing applications will transform to become more intelligent through the infusion of artificial intelligence (AI) and... Read More

Topics: Marketing, Marketing Performance Management, Digital Marketing, intelligent marketing, product experience management, Digital Experience Platform

2024 Market Agenda for Artificial Intelligence: Improving Productivity and Experiences

Posted by David Menninger on 02 February 2024

Ventana Research recently announced its 2024 Market Agenda for Artificial Intelligence, continuing the guidance we have offered for two decades to help enterprises derive optimal value from technology and improve business outcomes. The application of artificial intelligence and machine learning within enterprises is transforming analytics. Opportunities to take advantage of these technologies... Read More

Topics: Artificial intelligence, natural language processing, Model Building and Large Language Models, Computer Vision

2024 Digital Technology Market Agenda: Modernization for IT and CIO

Posted by Jeff Orr on 01 February 2024

Ventana Research recently announced its 2024 Market Agenda for Digital Technology. This agenda is designed to provide expertise to enterprises across various industries, helping them prioritize technology investments that enhance workforce effectiveness, customer engagement and enterprise agility. Digital Technology is especially important for CIO and Chief Digital Officers looking to rationalize... Read More

Topics: Business Continuity, Cloud Computing, IT Service Management, Digital Technology

Content Guru Builds Out Its Brain with AI

Posted by Keith Dawson on 01 February 2024

The speed of innovation and transformation has picked up considerably in the 2020s, thanks to the confluence of artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing and the pandemic. Modern consumers have wildly different expectations than their predecessors when it comes to service delivery, whether that means a preference for digital channels and self-service or a willingness to do their own... Read More

Topics: Customer Experience, Contact Center, agent management