The enterprise software vendor rolls out new versions of Business Objects products featuring tighter integration of technologies for BI, performance management, and governance, risk, and compliance.
BOSTON — Just eight months after being acquired by SAP, Business Objects drew attention to its goal of a combined ERP/BI portfolio by announcing several new additions that deliver on the enterprise performance management (EPM) strategy outlined by the duo back in January.
At the Business Objects Influencer Summit here this week, executives took the stage to explain how coupling SAP’s enterprise applications with business intelligence tools that provide insight into how processes are working will close the gap between corporate strategy and operational execution — a key capability in a fast-paced, global market.
To that end, the company introduced new functionality within its EPM applications, including tighter integration with the Business Objects BI platform and SAP’s NetWeaver technology. The new applications, including SAP Spend Analytics 2.0, SAP Strategy Management 7.0, BusinessObjects Profitability and Cost Management 7.0, BusinessObjects Financial Consolidation, and SAP Business Planning and Consolidation, have been designed to move beyond the finance department to optimize business performance across an entire network, the company said.
More important, according to the company, the SAP and Business Objects integration is unifying ERP, EPM, BI, and governance, risk and compliance (GRC) technologies, four areas that have been distinct disciplines until now.
Prior to the SAP acquisition, Business Objects had BI capabilities and had invested in EPM for strategy management planning and spend analysis, but it did not have GRC applications, which cover risk management, access and process control, global trade services, and environmental health and safety.
