Overview

Intuitively, most people realise that the ability to plan, budget, and forecast accurately is vital for business success. When businesses have clear visibility and meaningful insight into corporate performance, they can operate more profitably and competitively. But, it's often difficult for companies to execute well in this area. One reason is the pervasive use of spreadsheets. Over half of all companies -- small businesses, mid-sized companies, and large corporations alike -- rely on disjointed methods for managing corporate performance.

Why do companies take such a cumbersome and outdated approach to managing mission critical business processes? The simple fact is that while planning, reporting, and analysis can be automated with traditional business intelligence (BI) and corporate performance management (CPM) applications, these systems are typically too costly and complex for many firms to implement and manage.

Over the last several years a new model of software delivery has emerged, known as software as a service (SaaS). In this model, the provider hosts the software application in a data center and provides access via a web browser. SaaS vendors can deliver the benefits of traditional on-premise enterprise software applications without all of the cost and complexity.

This study examines and compares the TCO of the leading SaaS-based CPM solution, with that of traditional on-premise CPM applications, and concludes with recommendations for companies that are looking to move beyond spreadsheet-based planning to a "purpose-built" planning solution.