ISG Software Research Analyst Perspectives (35)

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

Fluence Technologies Automates for Fast Close-to-Report

Posted by Robert Kugel on 31 August 2022

The lockdowns of 2020 forced accounting departments to adapt to managing their close-to-report cycle without face-to-face contact, prompting many to adopt digital technologies to facilitate the process. It gave further impetus to the digital transformation of the department, which aims to eliminate unnecessary manual tasks such as consolidations and reconciliations using software automation. And,... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, ERP and Continuous Accounting

Rockset Offers Cloud-Based Real-Time Analytics

Posted by Matt Aslett on 30 August 2022

I have written recently about increased demand for data-intensive applications infused with the results of analytic processes, such as personalization and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven recommendations. Almost one-quarter of respondents (22%) to Ventana Research’s Analytics and Data Benchmark Research are currently analyzing data in real time, with an additional 10% analyzing data every... Read More

Topics: Cloud Computing, Data, Streaming Analytics, Streaming Data Events, analytic data platforms, Analytics and Data

Palantir Operationalizes Analytics and Data for Actions and Decisions

Posted by David Menninger on 26 August 2022

Organizations are managing and analyzing large datasets every day, identifying patterns and generating insights to inform decisions. This can provide numerous benefits for an organization, such as improved operational efficiency, cost optimization, fraud detection, competitive advantage and enhanced business processes. By bringing the right, actionable data to the right user, organizations can... Read More

Topics: embedded analytics, Business Intelligence, Internet of Things, Streaming Analytics, AI and Machine Learning

To Attract the Best Talent, Make Accounting Cool

Posted by Robert Kugel on 24 August 2022

Especially in the United States, baby boomer retirements and fewer graduates with accounting degrees is posing a growing challenge to finance department executives in attracting and retaining the best accounting talent. The solution, which may not seem obvious, is to make accounting cool, again. Wait, what? Was accounting ever cool? Well, maybe it depends on what you think is cool. Double-entry... Read More

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

iCIMS Helps Organizations Recruit and Engage Talent

Posted by ISG Research on 18 August 2022

It has been nearly two and a half years since the world was thrust into one of the most dramatic eras of workforce transformation in the modern era. Organizations have been forced to reevaluate everything about the workforce, from the physical spaces in which work is done, to compensation, to non-traditional benefits and work/life enhancement offerings. Even so, many continue to struggle to... Read More

Topics: Human Capital Management, Talent Management

Embed Analytics for Greater Reach and More Responsiveness

Posted by David Menninger on 18 August 2022

When I looked at the state of analytics recently, it was clear that analytics are not as widely deployed within organizations as they should be. Only 23% of participants in our Analytics and Data Benchmark Research reported that more than one-half of their organization’s workforce are using analytics. There are many elements to becoming a data-driven organization, as my colleague Matt Aslett... Read More

Topics: embedded analytics, Analytics, Analytics and Data

Sourcing and Purchasing Need Digital Transformation

Posted by Robert Kugel on 17 August 2022

“Digital finance transformation” became an even more important topic over the past two years as finance and accounting departments have had to cope with an unrelenting set of new challenges that have had a profound impact on business operations, financial markets and regulatory environments. Digital technologies enable organizations to cope with change and improve performance by increasing... Read More

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

Streaming Data Success Relies on Managing Data in Motion and At Rest

Posted by Matt Aslett on 16 August 2022

I recently noted that as demand for real-time interactive applications becomes more pervasive, the use of streaming data is becoming more mainstream. Streaming data and event processing has been part of the data landscape for many decades, but for much of that time, data streaming was a niche activity. Although adopted in industry segments with high-performance, real-time data processing and... Read More

Topics: Big Data, Data, Streaming Analytics, Streaming Data Events, Analytics and Data

Qlik Advances Self-Service Analytics and Business Intelligence

Posted by David Menninger on 11 August 2022

The analytics and business intelligence market landscape continues to grow as more organizations seek robust tools and capabilities to visualize and better understand data. BI systems are used to perform data analysis, identify market trends and opportunities and streamline business processes. They can collect and combine data from internal and external systems to present a holistic view. BI... Read More

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

A Talent Acquisition Platform Leads to Competitive Advantage

Posted by ISG Research on 11 August 2022

The applicant tracking system, for all its shortcomings, revolutionized the way people found and applied for jobs when it first hit the market in the mid-1990s. Electronic applications quickly became the norm, resume or application review became more accessible for hiring teams and compliance was much more trackable and achievable, thanks to streamlined application processes. Today, tracking and... Read More

Topics: Human Capital Management, Talent Management

Anaplan at a Crossroads

Posted by Robert Kugel on 10 August 2022

Anaplan offers a cloud-based business planning platform that incorporates a modeling and calculation engine. The tool makes it relatively easy to add or expand the scope of plans that can be connected and monitored on a single platform. This Integrated Business Planning (IBP) approach enables organizations to use the software for financial planning or budgeting, sales, supply chain, workforce,... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, Continuous Planning, Business Intelligence, Business Planning, Financial Performance Management, continuous supply chain, AI and Machine Learning

Ascend.io Automates Data Engineering

Posted by Matt Aslett on 09 August 2022

I have recently written about the importance of healthy data pipelines to ensure data is integrated and processed in the sequence required to generate business intelligence, and the need for data pipelines to be agile in the context of real-time data processing requirements. Data engineers, who are responsible for monitoring, managing and maintaining data pipelines, are under increasing pressure... Read More

Topics: Big Data, Cloud Computing, Data Management, Data, data operations