ISG Software Research Analyst Perspectives (14)

Snowflake Offers a Platform for AI as well as Data

Posted by Matt Aslett on 19 September 2024

As I explained in our recent Buyers Guide for Data Platforms, the popularization of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has had a significant impact on the requirements for data platforms in the last 18 months. While there is an ongoing need for data platforms to support data warehousing workloads involving analytic reports and dashboards, there is increasing demand for analytic data... Read More

Topics: Analytics, natural language processing, AI and Machine Learning

Embracing the Skills Economy: A Talent Management Revolution

Posted by Matthew Brown on 19 September 2024

The topic of skills is not new to the world of talent management or development, making many appearances in the talent conversation over the years. Recently, it has been a permanent fixture in the discussion, focusing on the total integration of skills across all aspects of the employee experience. The term “skills economy” describes the evolution of how value is assigned in the workplace and... Read More

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

CCaaS, CPaaS or UCaaS for CX? It Doesn’t Matter.

Posted by Keith Dawson on 18 September 2024

It is unfortunate that business-focused digital communications are sold under three different headings: Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS), Unified Communication as a Service (UCaaS) and Communication Platform as a Service (CPaaS). (And that just counts the cloud options—let us acknowledge the huge, continuing, installed base on premises.) These are terrible ways to describe complex, varied and... Read More

Topics: Customer Engagement, Customer Experience, Contact Center, Digital Communications, CCaaS, CPaaS

Harness Events to Process Data at the Speed of Business

Posted by Matt Aslett on 17 September 2024

The final of the men’s 100 meters at the Paris Olympics this summer was a reminder that being successful requires not just being fast but performing at the right time. Being fast is obviously a prerequisite for participating in an Olympic 100-meter final, and all the competitors finished the race in under 10 seconds, with just 0.12 seconds separating the first man from the last. While all the... Read More

Topics: Streaming Data Events, Analytics and Data

The Prophix One Platform Supports a More Effective Finance Department

Posted by Robert Kugel on 17 September 2024

Prophix launched its Prophix One platform earlier this year. CFOs of midsize enterprises should take a look at it because it supports a more effective approach to finance and accounting operations in growing companies. It facilitates the transition of organizations that can no longer make do with work-arounds of existing systems to those with formal, controlled core processes that can be... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, Business Planning, ERP and Continuous Accounting, AI and Machine Learning

Sage Analyst Summit Details its Differentiated Strategic Path

Posted by Robert Kugel on 28 August 2024

Sage recently held an analyst summit to take a deeper dive into its product and technology roadmap, complementing sessions it held at its 2024 user group conference that I commented on earlier this year. ERP systems have been central to the operational and financial management of enterprises since they first appeared in the 1990s. They are so familiar that they have become part of the background... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, ERP and Continuous Accounting

IBM Provides Architectural Choice for Data Platforms

Posted by Matt Aslett on 27 August 2024

Enterprises face a bewildering level of choice in relation to data platforms, as evidenced by the number of software providers and products assessed in our recent Data Platforms Buyers Guide. There are numerous data platform providers and products to choose from, but also a diverse array of functional and architectural options. Is the workload primarily operational or analytic? Will it be... Read More

Topics: Analytics and Data, AI and Machine Learning

Cloud Platforms and Accessibility Hurdles

Posted by Jeff Orr on 22 August 2024

The latest ISG Buyers Guide for Cloud Computing Platforms uncovers the market evolution of regional and global cloud providers. Buyers Guides for Public Cloud Platforms, Private Cloud Platforms and Hybrid Cloud Platforms are part of the recent software provider evaluations. ISG Software Research defines Cloud Platforms as a software service for organizations to access virtualized IT resources via... Read More

Topics: Cloud Computing, Digital Technology, natural language processing, ITOps, Accessibility, Hybrid Cloud Platforms

Technology Transforms ERP for a More Effective Finance Department

Posted by Robert Kugel on 20 August 2024

ERP systems have been the central nervous system of enterprises for more than three decades, handling business-critical process management and recordkeeping. While their basic outlines are unchanged, today’s systems are far more capable in their functional depth, adaptability, usability and manageability. Especially for cloud-based systems, they are far easier to maintain. Decades of refinement... Read More

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

OneStream Splash Highlights Practical AI Advances

Posted by Robert Kugel on 15 August 2024

OneStream offers a platform designed to serve the needs of accounting and financial planning and analysis (FP&A) organizations. The software handles financial close and consolidation, planning and budgeting, analysis and reporting. OneStream recently held its annual user conference, Splash, in Las Vegas. In attending this meeting, my focus was on progress the company has made in the areas of... Read More

Topics: Performance Management, Office of Finance, Business Planning, ERP and Continuous Accounting, AI and Machine Learning, Digital Applications

Confluent Enables Enterprises to Operate in Real Time

Posted by Matt Aslett on 14 August 2024

I have written on multiple occasions about the increasing proportion of enterprises embracing the processing of streaming data and events alongside traditional batch-based data processing. I assert that, by 2026, more than three-quarters of enterprises’ standard information architectures will include streaming data and event processing, allowing enterprises to be more responsive and provide... Read More

Topics: Streaming Data Events, Analytics and Data, AI and Machine Learning

Gain Finance Department Productivity with Straight-Through Processing

Posted by Robert Kugel on 13 August 2024

Improving data management is at the forefront of my Office of Finance research practice because, when not managed well, it can have a profoundly negative impact on departmental efficiency, individual performance, organizational agility and sustainability. Conversely, straight-through processing (STP), a business process design and data management methodology, reduces process friction throughout... Read More

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

Compensation Renaissance: The Role of Technology in Revamping Rewards

Posted by Matthew Brown on 13 August 2024

Compensation practices are currently experiencing a substantial transformation, driven by evolving workforce expectations and rapid technological innovation. This shift is fundamentally reshaping how organizations approach rewards and recognition for workers. Technologies like data analytics enable more precise and personalized compensation management strategies while also fostering greater... Read More

Topics: Human Capital Management, Total Compensation Management, employee experience

Competitive Innovation is Improving the Economics of GenAI

Posted by Robert Kugel on 09 August 2024

At this stage of the development of Generative AI, there’s much we can see clearly (at least we think we can), but there’s even more likely to surprise us. As that great 20th-century philosopher and hall-of-fame catcher, Yogi Berra, famously said, “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” The breadth and speed of innovation today in all aspects of GenAI rivals that of the... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, ERP and Continuous Accounting, Model Building and Large Language Models, Order-to-Cash

Market Observations on AI Governance

Posted by David Menninger on 01 August 2024

Having just completed our AI Platforms Buyers Guide assessment of 25 different software providers, I was surprised to see how few provided robust AI governance capabilities. As I’ve written previously, data governance has changed dramatically over the last decade, with nearly twice as many enterprises (71% v. 38%) implementing data governance policies during that time. With all this attention on... Read More

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

What’s New in Technology for Office of Revenue?

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 31 July 2024

Spring and fall are conference seasons, and this spring I was fortunate to be invited to several software provider events that are part of my coverage of the Office of Revenue. And while artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI (GenAI) were front and center, there were other announcements where the focus was more on the potential changes that these technologies would enable within... Read More

Topics: Office of Revenue

The Evolving Strategic Needs for Successful AI and ML

Posted by Matt Aslett on 30 July 2024

The artificial intelligence and machine learning landscape was profoundly altered by the emergence of generative AI into the mainstream consciousness during 2023. The widespread availability of GenAI models and cloud services has lowered the barriers to individuals and enterprises engaging with AI for various use cases, including generating content, querying data, writing code, preparing data for... Read More

Topics: Analytics and Data, AI and Machine Learning

The Buyers Guides for Financial Consolidation and Close Classifies and Rates Software Providers

Posted by Robert Kugel on 30 July 2024

I am happy to share insights gleaned from our latest Buyers Guide, an assessment of how well software providers’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements. The Financial Consolidation and Close: ISG and Ventana Research Buyers Guide is the distillation of a year of market and product research by ISG and Ventana Research. The financial records of an enterprise must be periodically reviewed and... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance

The Buyers Guides for Learning Management Systems Classifies and Rates Software Providers

Posted by Matthew Brown on 25 July 2024

I am happy to share insights gleaned from our latest Buyers Guide, an assessment of how well software providers’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements. The Learning Management Systems: Ventana Research Buyers Guide is the distillation of a year of market and product research by Ventana Research. Over the last several years, the learning technology industry has experienced a remarkable evolution,... Read More

Topics: Human Capital Management, Learning Management

The Buyers Guides for Cloud Computing Platforms Classifies and Rates Software Providers

Posted by Jeff Orr on 25 July 2024

I am happy to share insights gleaned from our latest Buyers Guide, an assessment of how well software providers’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements. The Cloud Computing Platforms Ventana Research Buyers Guide is the distillation of a year of market and product research by ISG and Ventana Research. Cloud computing has emerged as a fundamental technology driving the digital transformation of... Read More

Topics: Cloud Computing, Digital Technology