Convergence Helps Companies Be 45% More Productive

Market Wire, October, 2008

The latest ERP benchmark report "Do More with Less: Merging Enterprise Applications with Desktop Tools" (September 2008) found that top performing companies are integrating enterprise and desktop applications, and as a result, are seeing significant improvements in corporate productivity and profitability. Aberdeen, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS), reports that Best-in-Class companies are 118% more likely to have the ability to launch enterprise applications from desktop tools, and 45% more likely to be able to launch desktop tools from an enterprise application. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=5153 .

"Eighty-eight percent (88%) of Best-in-Class companies grew revenues, and 26% did so without adding any headcount. In contrast, 4% of Industry Average and 9% of Laggard companies grew headcount, but with no corresponding growth in revenue," says Cindy Jutras, VP and Group Director, Aberdeen. So how are Best-in-Class companies achieving this kind of business success? Jutras says, "Best-in-Class companies are empowering their employees by allowing them to work securely in familiar environments like spreadsheets, while implementing technologies that enable their close integration with enterprise applications."

The research offers details on how to improve business performance through application integration strategies. Some of the recommended actions for improving performance include the following:

--  Drive user adoption of enterprise applications deeper and broader
    throughout the organization to make enterprise data immediately available
    to decision makers
--  Web-enable applications
--  Treat integration between enterprise applications and desktop tools as
    a two-way street
    

A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the following underwriters: Lawson and SAP. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=5153 .

To access all of Aberdeen's complimentary research please visit http://research.aberdeen.com .

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company

Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen™ for insights that drive decisions.

As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement - Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit Aberdeen http://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to http://www.harte-hanks.com .

© 2008 AberdeenGroup, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
451 D Street, Suite 710
Boston, Massachusetts  02210-1928
Telephone: (617) 854-5200
Fax: (617) 723-7897
 www.aberdeen.com 

Media Contact: Cindy Jutras Aberdeen Harte-Hanks (617) 854-5247 cindy.jutras@aberdeen.com