For CIOs

CIOs: Develop A Technology Watch List

The Top 15 Technology Trends To Watch

by Sharyn Leaver, November 13, 2009

As IT executives set out their strategies and plan for 2010 and beyond, they must determine what the top technology trends are for their business and gauge IT's ability to support the next phase of technology innovation and growth. To help, Forrester . . .

For CIOs

CIOs: Business Alignment And BT Enablement Require Business Capability Maps

At Your Level, You Can't Rely On Any Other Single IT Business Model

by Bobby Cameron, October 30, 2009

CIOs are aggressively tackling their planning and management challenges, deploying tools and building models to address a wide variety of functions like asset management, IT services management, application rationalization, business process efficiencies, . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Market Overview: The Business Intelligence Software Market

Advanced Analytics Will Drive Growth To $14 Billion By 2014

by Holger Kisker, Ph.D., October 23, 2009

Business intelligence (BI) software is the tip of the application software pyramid. Pure functionality, no matter how sophisticated, is no longer sufficient to successfully support the changing business requirements of today. BI provides business guidance . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

The Top 15 Technology Trends EA Should Watch

by Alex Cullen, October 6, 2009

IT organizations need to inform their annual and longer-term plans with an understanding of how changes in technology will enable business outcomes. EA groups are the logical leaders for this effort. Forrester has identified 15 technologies with the greatest . . .

For CIOs

Driving Value With Process Improvement

CIOs Recommend Nine Best Practices For Business Processes Management

by Alexander Peters, Ph.D., October 6, 2009

Senior business executives recognize the value of technology in supporting business operations and expect CIOs to help drive process improvement efforts — all while tuning and elevating IT's relationship with the business. CIOs from various industries . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

TechRadar™ For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals: Cloud Computing, Q3 2009

As Much Diversity Of Maturity Across Categories As Confusion Among Them

by James Staten, October 2, 2009

The No. 1 challenge in cloud computing today is determining what it really is. What categories of services exist within the definition and business model, and how ready are these options for enterprise consumption? Forrester defines cloud computing as . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Lean: The New Business Technology Imperative

Lean Thinking Is Central To The Shift From IT To BT

by Connie Moore, Clay Richardson, John R. Rymer, Ted Schadler, Dave West, September 29, 2009

Everyone wants to be lean these days, whether when stepping off a scale in the morning or reviewing the cost of running a successful business. But just how do you define "Lean" — especially in the context of business and technology? Do you think of Lean . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Warning: Don't Assume Your Business Processes Use Master Data

Synchronize Your Business Process And Master Data Strategies

by Rob Karel, Clay Richardson, September 21, 2009

Business process management (BPM) professionals understand the need for data but often only pay it lip service, doing little to take responsibility for ensuring data quality within their processes. Data management professionals, on the other hand, drive . . .

For CIOs

CIOs: Take Control Of Your BPM Destiny

by Alexander Peters, Ph.D., September 21, 2009

Competitive pressures, both locally and globally, have put business process management (BPM) at the top of corporate agendas. Business executives are tasked with finding new ways to drive strategic efficiency and increased levels of business innovation. . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Economic Forces Drive Lean BPM Trends And Adoption  (631 KB PPT)

by Clay Richardson, September 18, 2009

Data chart with key findings from the April 2009 Global Lean BPM Online Survey. Results include data on BPM initiative ownership, budgets, tools, and SaaS.

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

The Tier One Middleware Vendors

A SWOT Analysis Of The Leading Business Process Platform Vendors: IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, And SAP

by Stefan Ried, Ph.D., September 4, 2009

The four largest traditional software vendors — IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP — compete around business process platform software. This broader software segment covers all the components that independent software vendors (ISVs) need to create a packaged . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

The Importance Of Matching BPM Tools To The Process

Single Vendor Solutions Are Not Ready Yet To Meet Customers' Full Needs

by Ken Vollmer, Clay Richardson, Craig Le Clair, September 4, 2009

The world is a complex place, and business process management (BPM) is no exception. Forrester defines BPM as a discipline for continually improving cross-functional business processes. In contrast, BPM suites (BPMS) have a narrower focus as software . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

Market Update: Human And Social Services Enterprise Software

The Large Enterprise Market Is Down To Cúram Software, Oracle, And SAP

by Gene Leganza, August 26, 2009

Forrester last reviewed enterprise software offerings in human and social services in 2006 — what's changed? The shift to installing commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) software rather than engaging in mammoth custom development projects has gained significant . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Untamed Business Processes: When Even The Best Of Intentions Go Awry

by Craig Le Clair, August 21, 2009

A business process — at its highest level — is any activity that helps an enterprise achieve its goals. Packaged and industry-specific applications form the transactional backbone for most critical business processes in enterprises and small and medium-size . . .

For Information & Knowledge Management Professionals

Five Additional Options To Consider For Web Content Management

by Stephen Powers, Tim Walters, Ph.D., August 18, 2009

The Web content management (WCM) market remains fragmented, with a wide range of products that manage anything from simple static Web pages to complex sites designed to maximize customer engagement. Forrester's recent report, "The Forrester Wave™: . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

Case Study: Using SOA And BPM To Support Enterprise Agility

How A Florida College Used An Integrated Approach To Reach Its Goals

by Ken Vollmer, August 14, 2009

Case studies are often the best way to illustrate technology's dramatic impact on enterprises. This case study provides an excellent example of how a joint implementation of a service-oriented architecture (SOA) and business process management (BPM) can . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Forrester TechRadar™ For BP&A Pros: Business Process Management Suites, Q3 2009

The Need For Increased Business Agility Drives BPM Adoption

by Clay Richardson, Ken Vollmer, Craig Le Clair, August 13, 2009

Business process management (BPM) refers to a broad category of software, typically sold as a suite, that automates, improves, and optimizes business processes across the full range of process activity — including human-, document-, and integration-centric . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Refresh Your Information Management Strategy To Deliver Business Results

by Rob Karel, James G. Kobielus, August 11, 2009

Many enterprises lack a framework to ensure business alignment with their information management (IM) strategies. Yet sound strategy is critical for prioritizing IM investments. Business issues driving the urgency for a revitalized strategy include: 1) . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

The Forrester Wave™: Complex Event Processing (CEP) Platforms, Q3 2009

The Fledgling CEP Platform Market Is Vibrant, Competitive, And Dynamic

by Mike Gualtieri, John R. Rymer, August 4, 2009

Forrester evaluated nine complex event processing (CEP) platforms using 114 criteria and found Progress Software and Aleri to be standout Leaders because of their top scores in the event processing features and strategy categories. Solid features and . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

European Airline Aims To Delight Passengers Through RFID Bag Tracking

Event-Driven Solution Lowers Costs While Promoting Happy Travelers

by Mike Gilpin, July 15, 2009

Processing lost bags costs airlines a lot of money: more than $1,200 per thousand passengers, not to mention the inconvenience to passengers. Thus, airlines are highly motivated to apply new technology to solving this problem. Through an innovative combination . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Vendor Snapshot: HandySoft OfficeEngine Whips Unstructured Processes Into Shape

by Clay Richardson, July 15, 2009

The cat's out of the bag: Business processes are not always as structured and straightforward as you've been led to believe. Although the majority of business processes are structured and capable of being managed in a typical business process management . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Software AG Acquires IDS Scheer To Finalize Its Five-Year Restructuring Plan

Software AG Will Pass The €1 Billion Revenue Mark Once It Closes The Deal

by Stefan Ried, Ph.D., July 15, 2009

Software AG continues to stay the course on its five-year turnaround plan. After stabilizing its legacy application business — mostly by replacing its former integration offering with the webMethods technology stack it acquired in 2007 and successfully . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Use Lean Discovery To Accelerate The Return On Your BPM Investment

by Clay Richardson, July 14, 2009

In these lean economic times, business process professionals watch their budgets get slashed, while at the same time, the hunger for business process management (BPM) and process improvement continues to accelerate across the enterprise. To meet these . . .

For CIOs

SOA: Dead Or Alive?

by Sharyn Leaver, July 10, 2009

Some recent buzz in the industry would have you believe that SOA is dead, but that just isn't the case — in fact, its use and influence are still growing. Stories of less-than-successful results may dent its reputation, particularly in today's climate . . .

For Information & Knowledge Management Professionals

How SaaS-Able Are Content, Collaboration, And Data Software Categories?

Only Some Categories Possess The Innate Characteristics Suited To SaaS Delivery

by Craig Le Clair, Ted Schadler, July 8, 2009

Many enterprises are considering information and knowledge management (I&KM) software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions as alternatives to on-premise software installations and perpetual-license models. In response, I&KM vendors — old and new — have . . .