Column5’s SAP Enterprise Performance Management Conference “Inspires Performance” In Vegas

Feb. 21, 2010 - PRLog -- The Second Annual Column5 EPM Summit, the first user conference dedicated to users of SAP’s suite of Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) software, opened today with two keynote addresses.  The first was by David Den Boer, Managing Principal of Column5 Consulting, who is hosting the conference.  Column5 is a market leader in implementing EPM, specifically SAP BPC performance management software.   Den Boer welcomed customers and explained the theme of the conference, Inspiring Performance.  “Much as a conductor needs all the sections of the orchestra to be in perfect synchronization in order to deliver an outstanding performance, a CEO needs all the processes and functions of a company to be working in concert to produce optimum corporate performance,” noted Den Boer.  “We try to inspire our customers to take control of their performance, and to inspire a culture of performance throughout their organizations.”

“Column5 is uniquely qualified to host this event because of our vendor perspective: our focus is not on making Column5 look good, it’s on making the SAP solution look good and delivering real value.  Too many consulting firms are satisfied if the customer is happy with them, even if the customer is not happy with the technology solution.  We are not satisfied unless the customer is thrilled with the product, the implementation, and the business results of the project.  We aim to deliver an inspired performance every time.”

Also speaking at the morning’s kickoff session was Anthony A. Reynolds, Group Vice President and General Manager of Enterprise Performance Management at SAP.  Mr. Reynolds is responsible for solution management, regional implementation and overall strategy for the Financial Performance Management and Operational Performance Management businesses of SAP.  In his keynote address, Reynolds highlighted the fact that the SAP EPM suite was given a “strong positive” rating by Gartner Group.  Playing on the Las Vegas theme, Reynolds compared the suite to a winning poker hand, saying that each solution alone is valuable, but taken together they are unbeatable.  He also likened managing without the right tools to taking a huge gamble with your business, whereas when you have performance tools such as the SAP EPM suite, you turn a game of chance into a game of skill.

The conference serves users of a variety of SAP’s enterprise performance management tools, which enable medium to large enterprises worldwide to improve performance.  SAP BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation (BPC) software manages planning, budgeting, forecasting, and financial consolidation and reporting.  SAP BusinessObjects Profitability and Cost Management (PCM) helps organizations to measure product, customer, and channel profitability and to develop and test ways to improve them.  The conference also caters to organizations looking to use BusinessObjects Business Intelligence products in conjunction with their SAP EPM solution.

John Galea, Manager of Financial Planning at Otter Tail Corporation commented at the Summit, “Excellent opportunity for me to network, answer questions, and learn how to get more value out of my EPM solution.”

The two-day conference provides three different tracks for customers, depending on their individual roles, including tracks for finance leaders, system administrators and users, and technical resources.  

Highlights of the day’s events included case studies presented by SAP customers Qwest Communications and the US Department of Agriculture.  Denver, Colorado based Qwest Communications, a telecommunication company, provides data, internet, video, and voice services in the United States and internationally.  Qwest described their decision to implement a suite of SAP performance solutions, including SAP BusinessPlanning & Consolidation, SAP Profitability & Cost Management and SAP BusinessObjects BI.

Washington, DC based International Technology Services (ITS), part of the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) of the US Dept. of Agriculture, explained why cost management is vital to the federal government's operations and described the benefits resulting from having implemented SAP's PCM application.

Held at the world famous Mirage Resort and Casino, Column5’s EPM Customer Summit has brought together SAP customers with consulting experts and SAP product management to help organizations learn to get the most from SAP’s performance management solutions.

More information about the conference can be found at http://www.column5.com.

About Column5 Consulting:  Column5 is one of the fastest growing consulting organizations in the U.S., and provides top expertise in business performance management.  Founded in 2005, Column5 consultants have implemented SAP Business Planning and Consolidation (formerly OutlookSoft) for over 300 customers across the country.  More information is available at www.column5.com  or email info@column5.com.

SAP is the world’s leading provider of business software (enterprise resource planning and related applications), offering applications and services that enable companies of all sizes and in more than 25 industries to become best-run businesses. With approximately 76,000 customers (includes customers from the acquisition of Business Objects) in over 120 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE, under the symbol “SAP.” (For more information, visit www.sap.com.)
SAP Business Planning and Consolidation, SAP Profitability and Cost Management, SAP BusinessObjects BI, as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries around the world.

# # #

Column 5 is one of the fastest growing consulting orgs in the U.S., providing top expertise in business performance management (BPM). Column 5 consultants have implemented SAP Business Planning and Consolidation software for over 300 customers.