Hyperion Does Some Autumn Cleaning

Hyperion, a provider of business performance management (BPM) software, yesterday announced the newest version of Hyperion System 9, Release 9.3. The new version, which comes a year after the launch of Hyperion System 9, introduces Hyperion's BPM Architect and Hyperion System 9 Capital Expense Planning. Additionally, the new solution will now integrate on a high level with Microsoft Office, Google OneBox for Enterprise, SQL Server 2005, IBM Websphere portal, and SAP Netweaver, according to the company. For many companies in the process of installing BPM solutions there is "chaos in the systems," says Rich Clayton, vice president of marketing. In this product version, he says, "we're trying to tie all of the different parts [of the system] together and to integrate them." Clayton cites the three main customer pain points as integration, process support, and the ability to access information. Hyperion looks to address all of these concerns in Release 9.3, he says. The new BPM Architect allows customers a complete view of their business process modeling environment from where they can map the flow of data and design, deploy, and oversee planning processes. The integration between financial planning and reporting processes offered by the BPM Architect will ensure that these functions are working together to reach identical goals, according to the company. To address the call for data integrity, Hyperion is upgrading its data management services module, which runs off of Informatica. Henry Morris, the group vice president and general manager for IDC's Integration, Development and Application Strategies solutions research group, says that for BPM, "all data issues are the most labor intensive areas and crucial in terms of success. Paying attention to that is important." By addressing data quality in the context of BI and by moving toward deeper integration, Hyperion makes itself more attractive to enterprises, according to Morris. Another focus of Hyperion System 9 Release 9.3 is integration. Clayton says one of the big questions for Hyperion's customers is, how do you make critical performance data more accessible in Microsoft Office? To answer this question, Hyperion enhanced its integration with Microsoft Office by linking views between Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. New to the solution is integration with Google OneBox for Enterprise, allowing customers access to reports, metrics, and planning management information. Additionally, Hyperion announced open and certified integration with SQL Server 2005, IBM Websphere portal, and SAP Netweaver. Morris says the increase in integration between other vendors' systems will make Hyperion more marketable. "You don't run your business on Hyperion [alone]. This only makes sense if you're well connected. Paying attention to integration--which needs to happen at the data level fundamentally, but also at the process level--is a valuable thing." Related articles: Hyperion's Integrated BPM Tool The 2006 Market Leaders, Part 2 Performance Management Spending Will Increase