Pacific Edge Hosts CIO Roundtable On Managing IT Uncertainty with Portfolio Management; META Group's Howard Rubin Discusses the Importance of Portfolio Management

Business Wire, Dec 11, 2001

Business Editors

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 11, 2001

Mercy Health Partners CIO reveals his IT Project Portfolio

Management strategy

Pacific Edge Software Inc. (www.pacificedge.com), a provider of Project Portfolio Management (PPM) solutions for Global 1000 organizations today hosted the CIO roundtable, "Managing Uncertainty through Portfolio Management," to discuss strategic PPM and how it can help companies maximize the value of their IT investments. The Executive Programs division of CXO Media Inc., publisher of CIO magazine, produced the event.

Chief information officers (CIOs) from a wide variety of industries attended the networking event followed by presentations from business leaders Dr. Howard Rubin, executive vice president and META Group research fellow for META Group Service Management Strategies, who presented the keynote on why IT services and portfolio management are critical; James J. Albin, regional vice president and CIO for Mercy Health Partners, who gave an end-user perspective on how a healthcare organization can show IT value with PPM; and Rob Dickerson, the president and CEO of Pacific Edge, who covered how the uncertainties of the current economic climate force IT executives to make tough decisions on spending and resource allocation. The program concluded with an interactive discussion on benchmarking portfolio management.

"Our IS department needed a solution that could handle the large volume of projects and focus on resource utilization. We found that not very many Project Portfolio Management solutions were available for IT. We use Pacific Edge Software's Project Office to effectively prioritize and track project portfolios, manage resources, and validate the IS department as a valuable asset to the organization," said Albin of Mercy Health Partners. "The healthcare industry is focused on cost consolidation which increases demand for IT. We needed a Project Portfolio Management solution that could focus us on maximizing value within our project portfolio."

"In today's uncertain business environment, organizations are under constant pressure to increase efficiency while reducing costs and assuring that all initiatives align with strategic goals. The current economic situation demands sophisticated, flexible management of IT investments," said Dickerson of Pacific Edge. "Our solution helps customers manage their entire portfolio of IT initiatives to ensure that projects and spending are aligned with corporate strategy."

About CXO Media Inc.

CXO Media, publisher of CIO magazine (launched in 1987) and Darwin magazine, serves CIOs, CEOs, CFOs, COOs and other corporate officers who use technology to thrive and prosper in this new era of business. In addition to publishing CIO and Darwin, CXO Media produces www.cio.com, The CIO Insider and www.darwinmagazine.com, as well as CIO and Darwin Executive Programs, a series of conferences that provide educational and networking opportunities for corporate and government leaders. CXO Media is a subsidiary of International Data Group (www.idg.com).

About Pacific Edge

Pacific Edge Software is a provider of Project Portfolio Management solutions for Global 1000 companies. Through technology innovation, flexible solutions and commitment to customers, Pacific Edge provides high value, flexible solutions for the planning and measurement of project portfolios. The Edge(TM) solution helps organizations maximize business value and minimize costs. The Edge includes the Project Office Suite of software products, professional services and the Project Portfolio Management Process. Customers include industry leaders such as Airborne Express, Alcon, Costco, Dell and Johnson & Johnson. Pacific Edge was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Bellevue, Wash. Additional information is available at www.pacificedge.com.

The Pacific Edge Software name and logo and all related product and service names, design marks, logos and slogans are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Pacific Edge Software, Inc. All other product names and trademarks contained herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.