ISG Software Research Analyst Perspectives (26)

Data is the Strategic Raw Material of Finance Departments

Posted by Robert Kugel on 07 June 2023

The Office of Finance can be compared to a numbers factory where the main raw material, data, is transformed into financial statements, management accounting, analyses, forecasts, budgets, regulatory filings, tax returns and all kinds of reports. Data is the strategic raw material of the finance and accounting department. It is the key ingredient in every sale and purchase as well as every... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, embedded analytics, Analytics, Business Intelligence, Data Management, Business Planning, ERP and Continuous Accounting, data operations, analytic data platforms, AI and Machine Learning

Digital Modernization Helps CIOs Align to Business Growth

Posted by Jeff Orr on 06 June 2023

I am happy to announce that I have taken on a new role at Ventana Research to lead the firm’s overall research and advisory for the CIO and technology leader practice. The area focuses on digital modernization and the transformation necessary for IT teams to be successful across an organization. The market coverage spans Cloud Computing, Digital Security, Generative AI and the technologies... Read More

Topics: Digital Technology

Large Language Models and Generative AI: Beware Misplaced Trust

Posted by Matt Aslett on 06 June 2023

The data and analytics sector rightly places great importance on data quality: Almost two-thirds (64%) of participants in Ventana Research’s Analytics and Data Benchmark Research cite reviewing data for quality and consistency issues as the most time-consuming task in analyzing data. Data and analytics vendors would not recommend that customers use tools known to have data quality problems. It is... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Data Governance, Data Management, Data, Digital Technology, natural language processing, Analytics and Data, AI and Machine Learning

Why Pricing Should Matter for Everyone

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 06 June 2023

I wrote last year about how interest in pricing management is now expanding from the traditional use cases in industries such as manufacturing and chemicals. In part, this has been helped by technology changes that are allowing vendors to offer the advantages of pricing optimization and management without the “science project” approach, which has previously convinced many that the returns did not... Read More

Topics: Office of Revenue

Zendesk Boosts AI for Enhanced Customer Engagement

Posted by Keith Dawson on 31 May 2023

Zendesk held its customer conference – Relate – along with a session for industry analysts in May. Zendesk develops software primarily for customer service and support and automating aspects of the sales process through customer relationship management. The conference presented an opportunity for Zendesk to showcase several new technology developments that it hopes will solidify its position in... Read More

Topics: Customer Experience, Contact Center

Accounts Receivable Automation is More Valuable Than You Think

Posted by Robert Kugel on 30 May 2023

Ventana Research expanded its core Office of Finance focus areas this year to reflect new and important opportunities to use technology to gain effectiveness through greater efficiency. The focus area we caption as “Purchasing, Sourcing and Payments” also includes receivables. Doing a better job of record-keeping and organizing paperwork, especially in a minutiae-laden process like order-to-cash,... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance

Improving Supply Chain Management in the Post-Pandemic World

Posted by Robert Kugel on 24 May 2023

In early 2019, I first wrote about the escalating strategic challenges facing organizations resulting from the decade-long dismantling of the liberal global trade environment and the shift to more restrictive regimes. Supply chain management was upended in 2020 as a series of extraordinary events, especially the pandemic-induced supply chain shocks, compounded the tactical challenges facing... Read More

Topics: Continuous Planning, Business Planning, Operations & Supply Chain, Enterprise Resource Planning, Continuous Supply Chain & ERP

MicroStrategy World Showcases the Power of ONE Platform

Posted by David Menninger on 23 May 2023

MicroStrategy is a long-standing business intelligence and analytics vendor that operates worldwide. Founded in 1989, this publicly traded company with hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue recently held its first in-person conference since prior to the pandemic. Similar to previous in-person events, the event was well attended by about 2,000 attendees and exhibitors. The theme,... Read More

Topics: embedded analytics, Analytics, Business Intelligence, Digital Technology, natural language processing, Analytics and Data

Improve Trust in Data with Master Data Management

Posted by Matt Aslett on 18 May 2023

Master data management may not attract the same level of excitement as fashionable topics such as DataOps or Data Platforms, but it remains one of the most significant aspects of an organization’s strategic approach to data management. Having trust in data is critical to the ability of an organization to make data-driven business decisions. Along with data quality, MDM enables organizations to... Read More

Topics: Data Governance, Data Management, Data, data operations

Large Language Models Take AI World By Storm

Posted by David Menninger on 17 May 2023

Artificial intelligence (AI) has evolved from a highly specialized niche technology to a worldwide phenomenon. Nearly 9 in 10 organizations use or plan to adopt AI technology. Several factors have contributed to this evolution. First, the amount of data they can collect and store has increased dramatically while the cost of analyzing these large amounts of data has decreased dramatically.... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Digital Technology, natural language processing, Analytics and Data, AI and Machine Learning

The Path to Generative AI to Boost Contact Center Agent Performance

Posted by Keith Dawson on 16 May 2023

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become ubiquitous in discussions of contact center technology. Vendors are rushing to incorporate it into platforms and applications. And end users have understandably mixed feelings about where it makes sense to use and what its impacts will be. No one should be surprised that AI has arrived, especially for customer support: Software companies have been working... Read More

Topics: Customer Experience, Contact Center, agent management, AI and Machine Learning

HiBob Setting a New Standard for HCM Platforms

Posted by Mark Smith on 16 May 2023

The past five years have witnessed unprecedented innovation and investment in HCM technology. As quickly as the world of work has changed, so too have new technologies emerged to support those changes to optimize human engagement and business outcomes. Point solutions and platform providers alike have made headlines with advances in talent intelligence, personalization within the flow of work,... Read More

Topics: Human Capital Management, employee experience

Snowflake Expands Beyond Analytics in the Cloud

Posted by Matt Aslett on 11 May 2023

The data platforms market has traditionally been divided between products specifically designed to support operational or analytic workloads, with other market segments having emerged in recent years for data platforms targeted specifically at data science and machine learning (ML), as well as real-time analytics. More recently, we have seen vendor strategies evolving to provide a more... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Business Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Data, Digital Technology, analytic data platforms, Analytics and Data, AI and Machine Learning

Technology Enables Working Capital Optimization

Posted by Robert Kugel on 10 May 2023

We’ve experienced an unusual, decades-long monetary policy in the developed world that emphasized interest rate repression as well as supply chain practices designed for lowest cost. This has produced a generation of chief financial officers likely unprepared to address the impact of fundamental changes now shaping a new, technology-driven approach to working capital optimization. Today’s CFOs... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, Enterprise Resource Planning, continuous supply chain

Skills-Based Workforce Possible with Commitment to Digital Passport

Posted by ISG Research on 10 May 2023

Organizations are constantly striving for agility and efficiency to stay competitive. From a human-capital standpoint, a logical way to achieve this is by moving away from a job title and education-based workforce and transitioning to one that is skills-based. This approach emphasizes the skills and capabilities of individuals rather than their prior job titles or education, enabling... Read More

Topics: Human Capital Management, Talent Management

Oracle’s Formula for CX Builds on Fusion Service

Posted by Keith Dawson on 02 May 2023

Organizations are increasingly seeing the strategic benefits of enhanced customer engagement. But many are struggling to understand how to put a broader customer experience strategy into practice amid siloed processes and departments. Particularly in contact centers, new technology has to be melded onto existing platforms in ways that enhance experiences without disrupting operations. This... Read More

Topics: Customer Experience, Contact Center

OneStream Advances Generative AI to Improve Productivity

Posted by Robert Kugel on 01 May 2023

OneStream offers a platform designed to serve the needs of accounting and financial planning and analysis organizations. The software handles financial close and consolidation, planning and budgeting, analysis and reporting. The most notable part of the company’s presentations at its annual user group meeting – Splash – was the strategy and roadmap for its two artificial intelligence initiatives,... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, AI and Machine Learning

The Subscription Management Value Index Classifies and Rates Vendors

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 01 May 2023

I am happy to share insights gleaned from our latest Value Index research, an assessment of how well vendors’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements. The Ventana Research Value Index: Subscription Management is the distillation of a year of market and product research by Ventana Research. Drawing on our Benchmark Research, we apply a structured methodology built on evaluation categories that reflect... Read More

Topics: Subscription Management, Office of Revenue

Subscription Management Market Dynamics for Buyers on Contracting and Analytics

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 28 April 2023

Having just completed the 2023 Ventana Research Value Index for Subscription Management, I want to share some of my observations about an important component of subscription management: Contract management. Whether the contract life cycle is managed within the system or, more likely, is digitally represented within, any changes to orders, subscription plans or contract terms should be seamlessly... Read More

Topics: Subscription Management, Office of Revenue

Subscription Management Market Observations for Buyers

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 27 April 2023

Having just completed the 2023 Ventana Research Value Index for Subscription Management, I want to share some of my observations about how the market is evolving. The era of subscriptions has transformed the way businesses operate and consumers engage with services across every industry. Organizations are increasingly adopting a digital approach to selling goods and services, wherein customers... Read More

Topics: Subscription Management, Office of Revenue