Contact Information: Media Contact: Kevin Wolf Host Analytics 650-327-1641
Host Analytics Announces Host Analytics Decision Platform to Meet the Validated Priority of Finance Leaders to Drive Fact-Based Decision Making
60% of Finance Leaders Identify "Improve Decision Making" as the Top Priority of Finance Departments -- Far More Than Value "Provide Visibility Into Organizational Performance"
| Source: Host Analytics
REDWOOD CITY, CA--(Marketwire - February 9, 2010) - Host Analytics today announced the Host
Analytics Decision Platform: an exclusive suite of tools allowing financial
and operational leaders to "see the full implications of decisions -- both
the risks and rewards"™. In related news, Host Analytics announced the
results of a nationwide quantitative survey revealing the highest
priorities of Finance leaders.
The foundation of the Host Analytics Decision Platform™ is an
industry-leading budgeting, planning, and consolidation suite. Users easily
integrate data from virtually any institutional source to monitor and
evaluate organizational health and progress. While this alone satisfies
important needs and is the traditional definition of Corporate Performance
Management (CPM), improved decision making requires additional integrated
functionality. Host Analytics integrates five novel components to extend
traditional CPM visibility to operational action. Easy-to-use Smart
Templates, Modeling, and Strategy Management tools let leaders visualize
the impact of decisions to align goals and coordinate execution. To provide
unprecedented rigor and certainty, Benchmarks and External Content allow
decision makers to easily incorporate the universe of web-based information
-- from current rates to economic indicators to publicly available
peer-organization benchmarks and more -- to evaluate likely outcomes. The
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model employed by Host Analytics is critical
to practical incorporation of Benchmarks and External Content into
time-critical operational decisions.
Supporting understanding of the value of a complete Decision Platform are
recent results of a nationwide survey of Finance leaders sponsored by Host
Analytics. The goal of the study was to understand Finance professionals'
highest priorities. Qualitative research completed in preparation for the
quantitative study comprised numerous hour-long, one-on-one interviews with
Finance leaders. These interviews framed the leading priorities for
quantitative validation. This initial research exposed four ultimate
priorities: elevate the role of finance from tracking history to driving
future activity, improve fact-based decision making, provide visibility
into organizational performance (i.e. traditional CPM), and work whenever
possible with vendors who understand the Finance function.
Quantitative validation came via a nationwide, web-based survey
incorporating data from 664 respondents. While 32% of respondents were CFOs
and 62% from companies with revenue greater than $100 million, the group
was designed to be broadly representative. Using multiple approaches,
respondents selected their highest priorities for Finance departments. A
convincing 60% selected "improve decision making" as the top priority with
an overwhelming 85% selecting it as first or second priority. Placing
second was "elevate the role of finance" with 25% selecting it as the top
priority and 65% selecting it as either first or second priority.
Surprisingly, only 13% selected the "provide visibility into organizational
performance" typical of traditional CPM as their top priority and only 38%
selected it as either first or second priority, making this only the third
highest priority for Finance departments.
"We've always believed financial data is critical to great decisions," said
Jon Kondo, Chief Executive Officer of Host Analytics. "From our founding,
we designed tools to support operational decision making with financial
information. Now, with the introduction of the Host Analytics Decision
Platform™, we take the next step in supporting Finance leaders as they
secure their seat at the decision-making table."
About Host Analytics
Host Analytics helps executives see the full implications of decisions --
both risk and reward. Our leading on-demand corporate performance
management solution helps financial executives improve budgeting, forecasting, financial consolidations, dashboarding, scorecarding, reporting and analysis. Most
importantly, it helps drive fact-based decisions based on sound financial
justification. Host Analytics delivers its product suite using Software as a Service (SaaS) on-demand delivery to increase security
while reducing cost and deployment time. Founded in 2000, Host Analytics
serves enterprise, large, and midsize companies across industries,
including industry-leading companies JP Morgan Chase, Procter & Gamble,
Otis Spunkmeyer, Pitney Bowes, and Red Roof Inn. Host Analytics was
included in JMP Securities' prestigious "Hot 100: The Best Privately Held
Software Companies" and was the recipient of the Best of SaaS Showplace
Award from market research firm THINKstrategies. For additional
information, visit http://www.hostanalytics.com/ or call (314) 588-2121.