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San Ramon, Calif. – June 20, 2012 - Ventana Research has released its 2012 Value Index for Financial Performance Management, the latest in a new category of quantified, research-based Indexes on technology vendors and products. Using this latest Value Index, finance and IT organizations will be able to evaluate Financial Performance Management software and service vendors’ offerings, allowing buyers to make choices based on a deeper understanding of how these offerings can address their requirements in assessing existing and future applications for finance.

The Value Indexes are the product of more than two decades of experience and knowledge of the market and of in-depth analyses of technology suppliers' products. The Value Index for Financial Performance Management involves a comprehensive examination of vendors and their products in the context of their ability to support the full span of processes and methodologies used in the Office of Finance. Ventana Research asserts that making informed investments in such software will improve an organization’s performance as a whole.

The Index is constructed through a detailed evaluation of each offering’s suitability-to-task across five categories related to the products, as well as the effectiveness of vendor support for the buying process and customer assurance. It gauges the value offered by a vendor and its products and presents the results in a clear and accessible graphic representation of a thermometer and in a precise numerical index of its maturity. Technology vendors earning the highest "Hot" and "Warm" Vendor classifications are those that Ventana Research certifies as best able to deliver buyer value based on a thorough evaluation and audit - that is, based on research and verifiable facts. The Value Index is not just a selection of "cool" products, and rather than merely representing a vendor on a four-quadrant chart, the Index provides specific thermometer readings, both overall and component metrics, for a technology buyer to consider. Organizations can use the Value Index by first determining their priorities and then consulting the Index to determine which vendors best meet those needs.

In the 2012 Value Index for Financial Performance Management, the company delivering the highest value on an overall weighted-evaluation basis is SAP, followed by IBM, Infor, Longview, Tagetik and Host Analytics who also earned the Hot Vendor rating. They are followed by SAS and Oracle, which both earned the next level at the rating of Warm.

“Financial Performance Management (FPM) covers a broad range of core finance department processes such as planning, budgeting, the financial close and management reporting,” noted Robert Kugel, Senior Vice President and Research Director. “Finance executives need to execute these core processes flawlessly but increasingly they need to do more, such as automate external financial reporting, guide profitability management efforts and provide more value-added analysis. The Value Index shows Finance executives how to assess FPM software vendors and which of the vendors lead the pack in supporting the work of the finance department.”

This new research-based undertaking is fully independent. It is neither sponsored nor influenced by technology vendors and is conducted solely in pursuit of Ventana Research's mission to provide value to business and IT through benchmark assessments, workshops and advisory services. Ventana Research's goal is to guide organizations to optimal efficiency in their use of technology investments for business and IT. To learn more about the Value Index for Financial Performance Management, please visit: http//www.ventanaresearch.com/fpmvalueindex/.

About Ventana Research

Ventana Research is the most authoritative and respected benchmark business technology research and advisory services firm. We provide insight and expert guidance on mainstream and disruptive technologies through a unique set of research-based offerings including benchmark research and technology evaluation assessments, education workshops and our research and advisory services, Ventana OnDemand. Our unparalleled understanding of the role of technology in optimizing business processes and performance and our best practices guidance are rooted in our rigorous research-based benchmarking of people, processes, information and technology across business and IT functions in every industry. This benchmark research plus our market coverage and in-depth knowledge of hundreds of technology providers means we can deliver education and expertise to our clients to increase the value they derive from technology investments while reducing time, cost and risk.

Ventana Research provides the most comprehensive analyst and research coverage in the industry; business and IT professionals worldwide are members of our community and benefit from Ventana Research's insights, as do highly regarded media and association partners around the globe. Our views and analyses are distributed daily through blogs and social media channels including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+.

To learn how Ventana Research advances the maturity of organizations' use of information and technology through benchmark research, education and advisory services, visit www.ventanaresearch.com.

Media: Copies of the Value Index report and interviews are available upon request.

Media Contact: 

Kirsten Lowery

(925) 242-2412 

marketing@ventanaresearch.com