Ventana Research Selects Information Builders as Hot Vendor in the 2009 Value Index for Business Intelligence

Market Wire, June, 2009

Information Builders, an independent leader in business intelligence ( BI ) solutions, today announced that Ventana Research, a leading benchmark research and advisory services firm, named the company as the overall Hot Vendor in its first-ever Value Index on Business Intelligence . Information Builders secured a weighted top-ranking position for products and customer assurance supporting BI. According to Ventana Research, those earning the highest Hot Vendor classification are certified to best represent buyer value based on a thorough evaluation and audit of the company and its products based on research and verified facts.

"The market for Business Intelligence continues to be a top agenda item for CIO's and those in business and IT who want to gain the insight and knowledge to guide their business forward. Information Builders' achievement as a Hot Vendor for BI is an indicator of their business focus and technology that is innovative and proven in enterprise deployments," said Mark Smith, CEO and executive vice president of Ventana Research. "Our thorough analysis across the standard spectrum of technology evaluation criteria from product capability to vendor validation provides a more efficient and effective method to evaluate vendors and our Value Index represents those who were willing to be placed under our detailed examination."

The Ventana Research Value Index for Business Intelligence in 2009 is an impartial guide resulting from more than a decade of analysis of technology suppliers' products. Based on research across all vertical industries and organizations of all sizes, the Value Index evaluates technology that can be used by business and IT for BI in the context of seven categories: adaptability, manageability, reliability, usability, functionality, total cost of ownership (TCO), and return on investment (ROI). Research for this 2009 report was conducted from November 2008 to April 2009; products submitted for evaluation had to be generally available at the beginning of January 2009. The methodology used assesses product functionality, suitability-to-task, and the effectiveness of vendor support for the buying process and customer assurance. With the Value Index, businesses can meet the challenge of evaluating, based on the specific needs of their company, existing and future BI technologies, systems and tools for business and IT. The Value Index represents the value a vendor's offerings and relevant aspects of its products and services, using both a clear and accessible graphic representation in thermometer form and a precise numerical index.

Information Builders recently announced more than 100 functionality enhancements for its WebFOCUS portfolio to bolster essential BI capabilities without the need for customers to buy add-on products. Committed to driving the scope of BI beyond dashboards , OLAP, and report distribution, Information Builders offers search, predictive analytics, electronic publishing, performance management , and mobile BI, to give customers BI applications that are pervasive, inexpensive, and easy to deploy. The company was recently recognized by Ventana Research as the overall Hot Vendor in its first-ever Value Index on Performance Management .

"We are focused on the expanding role of BI at leading enterprises and government organizations worldwide," said Information Builders founder and CEO Gerald Cohen. "Being recognized first by Ventana Research as the hottest vendor for performance management and now for business intelligence are significant accolades speaking to the success of our efforts."

To learn more about the Ventana Research Value Index for Business Intelligence in 2009 please visit http://www.ventanaresearch.com/bivalueindex .

About Ventana Research

Ventana Research is the leading benchmark research and advisory services firm. We provide expert guidance to help organizations manage and optimize performance -- to become not only more efficient, but also more effective. Our unparalleled insights and best practices guidance are based on our rigorous research-based benchmarking indexes of people, processes, information, and technology across business and IT functions worldwide. The combination we offer of benchmark research, rigorous market coverage and in-depth knowledge of hundreds of technology providers means we can deliver business and technology education and expertise to our clients where and when needed. The Ventana Research Indexes -- the Value Index and the Benchmark Index family -- have redefined the research industry by providing accessible, easy-to-use research-based business and technology guidance to businesses. Ventana Research provides the most comprehensive analyst coverage in the industry; more than 2.5 million business and IT professionals through our community of 85,000 professionals and network of media and association partners around the world benefit from Ventana Research's insights. Ventana Research focuses on business and technology trends and best practices that maximize organizations' potential to perform while reducing the time, cost, and risk and still achieve optimal outcomes. To learn how Ventana Research advances the maturity of organizations use of information and technology through benchmark research, market indexes, education, and advisory services, and also where to find us on Facebook or LinkedIn or how to follow us on Twitter or BusinessWeek's BusinessExchange, visit www.ventanaresearch.com .