ISG Software Research Analyst Perspectives (40)

Explorium Improves Machine Learning Models With External Data

Posted by David Menninger on 09 March 2022

Today, organizations understand the importance of good external data that can be integrated with internal data to train machine learning models. Our Machine Learning Dynamic Insights research showed that external data adds a significant value in gaining competitive advantage, improving customer experience and increasing sales. But getting the right external data for a particular requirement is... Read More

Unit4 Expansion Targets Enhancements for People-Centric Organization

Posted by Robert Kugel on 09 March 2022

I recently attended an analyst conference held by Unit4, an enterprise resource planning vendor focused on midsize organizations in people-centric industries. The conference was intended to communicate the company’s strategy, product updates and roadmap. The meeting took place shortly after announcement of the availability of Unit4 Industry Mesh and the acquisition of Compright, which does... Read More

Topics: Human Capital Management, Office of Finance, Business Planning, Talent Management, Financial Performance Management, ERP and Continuous Accounting, Total Compensation Management

Evolving NoSQL Database Functionality Fuels Adoption

Posted by Matt Aslett on 08 March 2022

The various NoSQL databases have become a staple of the data platforms landscape since the term entered the IT industry lexicon in 2009 to describe a new generation of non-relational databases. While NoSQL began as a ragtag collection of loosely affiliated, open-source database projects, several commercial NoSQL database providers are now established as credible alternatives to the various... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Data, AI and Machine Learning

Automate the Close Cycle for Consistently Better Performance

Posted by Robert Kugel on 03 March 2022

Software that automates the full scope of the accounting close, including reconciliations, consolidation and reporting, has grown more capable and affordable over the past five years. By enabling consistent process management that captures best practices, and by automating rote, repetitive activities to boost staff productivity, these applications enable organizations to shorten the close, make... Read More

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

Natural Language Processing Enables Self-service Analytics & BI

Posted by David Menninger on 02 March 2022

Natural language processing (NLP) is a field that combines artificial intelligence (AI), data science and linguistics that enables computers to understand, interpret and manipulate text or spoken words. NLP includes generating narratives based on a set of data values, using text or speech as inputs to access information, and analysing text or speech, for instance, to determine its sentiment.... Read More

Topics: Big Data, Analytics, natural language processing, NLP

Bigeye Provides Visibility into Data Reliability

Posted by Matt Aslett on 01 March 2022

As businesses become more data-driven, they are increasingly dependent on the quality of their data and the reliability of their data pipelines. Making decisions based on data does not guarantee success, especially if the business cannot ensure that the data is accurate and trustworthy. While there is potential value in capturing all data — good or bad — making decisions based on low-quality data... Read More

Topics: Data Governance, Data Integration, Data, Digital Technology, data lakes, data operations, Analytics and Data

Contact Center Cost Control, Part 2: Getting Granular

Posted by Keith Dawson on 01 March 2022

In a previous Analyst Perspective, we discussed some of the big-picture trends that are bringing cost control back as a core driver of contact center operations. In this report we will tackle some of the practical ramifications: how those trends affect decision-making and operations. The pandemic opened the door to a much broader consideration of how organizations engage with employees,... Read More

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

Why Finance and Legal are Important to Revenue and Sales Operations

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 25 February 2022

There is much vendor activity and customer interest in making better use of data, to improve the sales process in the face of increased pressure to achieve organization revenue goals. As detailed in my Analyst Perspective: The Art and Science of Sales from the “Inside Out," enhanced buyer research as well as the inclusion of more people in the buying process, have made selling harder, evidenced... Read More

Topics: Sales, Revenue Performance Management

Why Automating Reconciliations Must be a Priority

Posted by Robert Kugel on 25 February 2022

Reconciling accounts at the end of a period is one of those mundane finance department tasks that are ripe for automation. Reconciliation is the process of comparing account data (at the balance or item level) that exists either in two accounting systems or in an accounting system and somewhere else (such as in a spreadsheet or on paper). The purpose of the reconciling process is to identify... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, automation, Reconciliation

Improving the State of Analytics in Organizations

Posted by David Menninger on 24 February 2022

Despite all the advances organizations have made with respect to analytics, our most recent research shows the majority of the workforce in the majority of organizations are not using analytics and business intelligence (BI). Less than one-quarter (23%) report that one-half or more of their workforce is using analytics and BI. This is a problem. It means organizations are not enabling their... Read More

Topics: Sales, business intelligence, embedded analytics, Analytics, Data, Sales Performance Management, Digital Technology, Digital Commerce, natural language processing, Subscription Management, partner management, Collaborative & Conversational Computing

Contact Center Cost Control, Part 1: Rethinking Modern Operations

Posted by Keith Dawson on 22 February 2022

Contact centers have always been very cost-centric and attuned to the kinds of constraints that they have to operate in, but many organizations were diverted from that kind of focus when the pandemic first hit. In 2020, there was a sudden need for new tools and equipment just to keep centers running, and the costs involved in enabling agents to work from home — equipping them and their... Read More

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

Data Observability is Key to Ensuring Healthy Data Pipelines

Posted by Matt Aslett on 22 February 2022

I recently described the emergence of hydroanalytic data platforms, outlining how the processes involved in generating energy from a lake or reservoir were analogous to those required to generate intelligence from a data lake. I explained how structured data processing and analytics acceleration capabilities are the equivalent of turbines, generators and transformers in a hydroelectric power... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Data Governance, Data, Digital Technology, data lakes, data operations, Streaming Data Events, AI and Machine Learning

Progress for AI in Office of Finance Applications

Posted by Robert Kugel on 18 February 2022

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) using machine learning (ML) will be the single most important trend in business software this decade because it can multiply the investment value of such applications and provide vendors an important source of differentiation to achieve a competitive advantage in what are today very mature software categories. I assert that by 2025, almost all Office of... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, embedded analytics, Data Management, Business Planning, Financial Performance Management, ERP and Continuous Accounting, AI and Machine Learning

Good Data Governance Improves Business Processes

Posted by David Menninger on 17 February 2022

Many organizations invest in data governance out of concern over misuse of data or potential data breaches. These are important considerations and valid aspects of data governance programs. However, good data governance also has positive impacts on organizations. For example, I have previously written about the valuable connection between the use of data catalogs and satisfaction with an... Read More

Topics: embedded analytics, Analytics, Data Governance, Data, Digital Technology

Top Trends in VoC Analytics

Posted by Keith Dawson on 16 February 2022

A formal Voice of the Customer (VoC) program is a necessity for any organization that wants to grow its customer base and differentiate from its competitors. Unfortunately, many organizations have not updated their notion of “formal” in quite a few years. VoC has a contact center component and an enterprise component. They are related, hopefully connected, but not the same. Contact centers are... Read More

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

Incorta Unifies Data Processing to Accelerate Analytics & BI

Posted by Matt Aslett on 16 February 2022

As I stated when joining Ventana Research, the socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic and its aftereffects have highlighted more than ever the differences between organizations that can turn data into insights and are agile enough to act upon it and those that are incapable of seeing or responding to the need for change. Data-driven organizations stand to gain competitive advantage, responding... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Business Intelligence, Data Integration, Data, data lakes, data operations, Streaming Data Events, AI and Machine Learning

Xactly Advances Support for Revenue Performance Management

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 15 February 2022

Revenue performance management and the role of revenue operations is moving to the forefront of sales organizations, aligning departments around a single view of the business with shared revenue targets and goals. This facilitates the needs of the sales department as well as customer experience, marketing and renewals. The concept of RevOps does not yet have a widely shared common definition... Read More

Topics: Sales, Customer Experience, Marketing, Sales Performance Management, partner management, Revenue Performance Management

The Value Index for Business Planning Classifies and Rates Vendors

Posted by Robert Kugel on 14 February 2022

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: Business Planning 2022 is the distillation of a year of market and product research. Drawing on our Benchmark Research, we apply a structured methodology built on evaluation categories that reflect real-world criteria... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, Business Planning

Hybrid Data Processing Use Cases

Posted by Matt Aslett on 11 February 2022

I recently described how the data platforms landscape will remain divided between analytic and operational workloads for the foreseeable future. Analytic data platforms are designed to store, manage, process and analyze data, enabling organizations to maximize data to operate with greater efficiency, while operational data platforms are designed to store, manage and process data to support... Read More

Topics: embedded analytics, Analytics, Business Intelligence, Data, Digital Technology, Streaming Data Events, Analytics and Data, AI and Machine Learning

Business Planning Software Unifies Siloed Planning

Posted by Robert Kugel on 11 February 2022

Having just completed the 2022 Ventana Research Value Index for Business Planning, I want to share some of my observations about the business planning software market and how it has advanced as an important part of our market coverage for almost two decades. Dedicated applications for planning and budgeting have been around since the 1980s and are, therefore, quite mature, with robust features... Read More

Topics: Planning, Office of Finance, Budgeting, Business Planning