“Planning is an integral component of any Corporate Performance Management solution,” says Paul Barber, President and CEO of PROPHIX. “Companies that require a Planning solution that leverages their investment in Microsoft’s SQL Server technology infrastructure have turned to PROPHIX, which is built upon this technology stack – allowing planning data to be a consumable of any Business Intelligence offering. Today, PROPHIX re-affirms its commitment to deliver superior planning solutions that further complements our relationship with Microsoft and its new BI strategy.”

Cheryl Power, Director of Channel Partners for PROPHIX, adds, “PROPHIX Planning functionality is very similar to the PerformancePoint offering, but has a much smaller footprint. Partners in the Microsoft Business Intelligence and Dynamics communities who have invested in a PerformancePoint practice have the opportunity to offer very similar software and services while leveraging their SharePoint, Business Intelligence, and ERP knowledge.”

“PROPHIX for SQL Server is designed to engage the entire organization with a complete and integrated approach that both saves time and improves accuracy while enhancing data intelligence. The sophisticated Delta Analysis tools allow users to compare and contrast data for any time period at the click of a button,” notes Bally Boodram, Vice President of Marketing for PROPHIX Software. “By automating cumbersome, time-consuming manual tasks, such as importing and exporting data or distributing reports, PROPHIX for SQL Server helps companies organize, automate and analyze results to drive business performance.”

Leveraging Microsoft .NET technologies, PROPHIX for SQL Server supports hundreds of users and allows them to connect remotely over the Internet. PROPHIX for SQL Server also offers interoperability with other applications, such as Microsoft Reporting Services or other business intelligence applications.

“We’re very proud of the new features built into PROPHIX for SQL Server, adds Massimo Galati, Director of Product Management for PROPHIX Software. “The spreadsheet interface eliminates the learning curve by using Excel-like functionality without the problems typically associated with Excel. Tools such as Delta Analysis and InfoFlex have been developed that empower users to monitor, analyze and take action on their data more effectively and efficiently. PROPHIX for SQL Server is the culmination of over twenty years experience servicing finance and business decision makers throughout the world.”

PROPHIX for SQL Server, specifically designed for medium to large organizations and powered by Microsoft’s SQL Server, complements PROPHIX Software’s suite of financial performance management solutions, including PROPHIX Enterprise for small to medium-sized organizations and PROPHIX Express for smaller organizations. Further information on PROPHIX for SQL Server can be found at http://www.prophix.com/solutions/products/prophix_sql/.

“Our customers and partners have told us they want an affordable application that will make budgeting and forecasting less cumbersome, faster to implement and easier to use and that will offer greater adaptability to changing business conditions, all of which are addressed in Microsoft Forecaster 7.0,” said Andy Kamlet, director of marketing and sales of Denver, Colo.-based FRx Software. “We seem to have struck a chord with customers as they have reviewed this release, with survey results from our customer preview program showing that 95 percent of them are ‘satisfied’ to ‘very satisfied’ with what they’ve seen.”

Usability, Adaptability, Visibility — Three Pillars in Microsoft Forecaster 7.0

Microsoft Forecaster 7.0 includes many capabilities that support the release’s overarching themes of usability, adaptability and visibility. Usability is of prime importance to customers because many business decision-makers who contribute to the budgeting process — especially those in manufacturing, supply-chain and service organizations — typically budget once a year, limiting their ability to become familiar with their applications. Usability is enhanced in Microsoft Forecaster 7.0 with the introduction of a new user interface and streamlined navigation, among other features, reducing the time it takes to learn the application.

Also key to midmarket segment companies is adaptability in the face of changing business dynamics, both internal and external to the organization. Microsoft Forecaster 7.0 offers customers the ability to take advantage of up to 10 segments or dimensions for more precise budgeting, and the new Total Types functionality reduces the number of calculations or trees to be maintained by the user. These capabilities shorten implementation time and streamline regular maintenance.

Microsoft Forecaster 7.0 still allows users of Microsoft FRx® to integrate their general ledger and budget data from Microsoft Forecaster into reports generated by Microsoft FRx. However, the release extends visibility by including new functionality related to what fields can be viewed, especially in the human resources area of the application, as well as a variety of new formatting options. These include numeric, font and conditional formatting, which allow those responsible for creating templates and reports to meet the needs of their users, thus increasing user satisfaction.

Customers Anticipate Business Benefits With Microsoft Forecaster 7.0

Customers such as the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing ( CTAM ) say they believe Microsoft Forecaster 7.0 will help make their organizations more effective in the long run because of time savings and other efficiencies the new release makes possible.

“We’d like to be able to budget and do reforecasts more often, and we think Microsoft Forecaster 7.0 will make that possible,” said MariAnne Woehrle, director of Information and Technology for CTAM, a nonprofit association for the cable industry based in Alexandria, Va. “This version makes it easier to keep everything in one place. So if something unforeseen happens, such as an invoice being a lot higher or lower than expected, we can immediately identify the issue, recognize the impact, then re-forecast it into our quarter and reflect it in our financial statements, and have a better picture. We’re hoping it will save time on budgeting, too. In the past, we used Excel® spreadsheets and then tried to consolidate them and then find the backup. With Microsoft Forecaster, users can put in their line items — whether they’re trips or hotels or whatever they’re doing — and the program accumulates all of the data for them into the cost centers. Then the data all roll up into a sheet, so we can see automatically where we are to produce the budget.”

A Great Opportunity for Partners and Resellers

Microsoft Forecaster 7.0 offers many benefits to those that sell and implement it, in part because of increasing demand for budgeting and planning solutions. A 2006 report by market research firm IDC, titled “Worldwide Business Performance Management Applications 2006–2010 Forecast and 2005 Vendor Shares” ( IDC, Doc #203414, Sep 2006 ), predicts that budgeting and planning applications will be a prime driver of growth in the worldwide financial and business performance management analytic applications space in 2007. Specifically, they will account for 31 percent, about $600 million ( U.S. ), of the projected $1,984 million ( U.S. ) total market revenue, according to the report. Meanwhile, in the 2007 “Beyond the Hype” webcast review of business performance management vendors and trends, BPM Partners noted that 55 percent of respondents it surveyed are looking for budgeting and planning solutions as the first step of a performance management initiative.

The fact that Microsoft Forecaster 7.0 includes 10 budgeting segments as a core capability is also a benefit to reselling partners because it opens up additional vertical industries beyond those that have already adopted Microsoft Forecaster, such as government agencies, utilities, and educational institutions that tend to need more than the traditional three segments, or dimensions, found in the previous release.

“Our clients are all utilities and local governments, most of which need more than three segments, so the expansion to 10 is a very big plus,” said Duncan Shaw, co-president of Cogsdale Corp., a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and a Microsoft Business Solutions ISV/ Solutions competency partner based in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Other key benefits, according to Shaw, are the integration with the core accounting system, and the intuitive user interface, a huge benefit when presenting the product in sales situations.

Pricing and Availability

Microsoft Forecaster 7.0 will release to manufacturing March 28, 2007, and will be generally available in early April. Pricing starts at $8,500 ( U.S. ) for the server plus one user, plus $500 ( U.S. ) per additional user*. Customers currently on the Microsoft Forecaster support and maintenance plan can receive the upgrade at no additional charge as part of their support and maintenance agreement.

Microsoft Forecaster 7.0 Tour

The Microsoft Forecaster 7.0 Tour will take place April 16–20, covering 20 cities across North America including New York, Boston, Atlanta, San Diego, Detroit and Toronto. On the tour, customers and partners will gain insight into this solution while having the opportunity to fully understand the features and benefits, learn useful tips, and network with other users. Those who want to register or obtain more details should visit http://www.frxsoftware.com/tour.

Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT – News) today announced that W.C. Bradley Co. has selected Microsoft Dynamics(TM) GP to handle its corporate enterprise resource planning (ERP) functions, including aggregation of data from multiple divisions of the company. Founded in 1895, and based in Columbus, Ga., W.C. Bradley will also leverage the solution to power independent operations for several of its key brands — including Char-Broil, Zebco, Lamplight and WC Bradley Real Estate — for functions ranging from anticipating demand to manufacturing and distribution, a change the company expects will save it millions of dollars over the next five years compared with results from its current Oracle solution.

“Oracle simply couldn’t handle our business needs or take us where we needed to go,” said Jim Poole, vice president and chief information officer of W.C. Bradley. “Just because a company’s business model is complex doesn’t mean that its ERP solution has to be. We expect Microsoft Dynamics GP to provide a whole new layer of capabilities while also being easier to use and far less expensive to operate. The choice seemed pretty clear.”

One key challenge for the company was forecasting fluctuating demand from numerous big-box vendors for its various product lines, which include, among many product categories, gas grills and outdoor cooking products, and fishing equipment. Improved visibility through Microsoft Dynamics GP is anticipated to reduce on-hand inventory 20 percent to 30 percent, freeing up significant resources. Better supply chain management and communication with offshore production facilities in China are among other expected changes. The company will also convert its core financials within each division as well as at the corporate level to Microsoft Dynamics GP, including integration with Microsoft® FRx® to create Web-based budgeting tools.

“W.C. Bradley is a historic American company that has succeeded by building a diverse brand portfolio and managing it expertly and cohesively,” said Jon Pratt, senior director of product marketing for Microsoft Dynamics GP at Microsoft. “This is exactly what Microsoft Dynamics GP has been developed to do: apply a standardized, simplified approach to managing complex business challenges and help companies capitalize on the broadest spectrum of business opportunities. We are thrilled about W.C. Bradley’s choice of the Microsoft platform to help it continue its longevity and significant achievements in the business community.”

Microsoft Dynamics GP is a comprehensive and highly scalable business- management solution that offers a cost-effective way to manage and integrate finances, e-commerce, supply chain, manufacturing, project accounting, field service, customer relationships and human resources. Based on the familiar People-Ready Microsoft Office system interface, Microsoft Dynamics GP makes it easy for executives, managers and staff to access information that is meaningful to their specific role and responsibilities, gain deep contextual insight into what key drivers matter to their business, and improve efficiency throughout their organization. The solution is also easy to configure and maintain, further adding to overall return on investment.

I.B.I.S. Inc., a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner that specializes in implementing complex, large-scale installations in the enterprise market and was voted Microsoft Business Solutions Partner of the Year in 2001 and 2003, will implement the new solution. To maximize success with its Microsoft Dynamics GP solution, W.C. Bradley adopted the Microsoft Deluxe Support Services Plus plan offered through I.B.I.S. Microsoft Deluxe Support Services is a high-value plan that provides customers with a personalized support relationship to help them maximize their technology investment. It offers service from an assigned Microsoft Technical Services Account Manager who will work directly with I.B.I.S., providing added technical expertise to assist with existing projects and future planning.

“Enterprise customers require a full-service solution,” said Scott Vinson, vice president of sales for I.B.I.S. “This includes access to the expertise they need both before and after implementation. Microsoft has worked closely with its partners to develop a program that further helps us keep our customers satisfied throughout their IT life cycle, which means better business for them and a fantastic track record of success for I.B.I.S.”

The BPM family will feature new dashboard tools and analytic applications for budgeting, planning and other financial tasks, analysts said.

Microsoft will also announce plans for shipping the visualization tools gained with its acquisition of ProClarity in April, analysts said.

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