Staffware Gives Peek At New Suite; Out With Research Showing High BPM ROI

05/11/2004

Staffware, a provider of business process management (BPM) software, unveiled plans for the next version of the Staffware Process Suite, which the vendor says will include enhanced Microsoft .NET support, additional database and systems management integration, a new look process definer and for the first time, a Linux version.

Staffware offered these details:

Staffware Process Suite Version 2 set a new benchmark for enterprise-wide BPM delivering unparalleled performance and scalability along with support for complex, dynamic business processes and advanced systems integration. SPS Version 3 (SPS V3) builds upon the success of Version 2 further extending the scope for BPM across the enterprise.

In anticipation of the increased adoption of Microsoft .NET technologies, Staffware Server Objects for .NET provides an interface to Staffware’s iProcess engine enabling organizations to build BPM functionality directly into their .NET frameworks.

The introduction of the Linux version as part of SPS V3 recognises the emergence of Linux as a strategic business platform used for mission-critical applications by an increasing number of organizations and strong customer demand. In addition, SPS V3 will extend Staffware’s database support to include a new version for IBM’s Universal Database (DB2), significantly expanding the reach of the Staffware Process Suite.

The new version of the Staffware Process Suite improves integration with leading systems management tools, allowing the server to be managed by these tools and fit more easily into a managed enterprise infrastructure.

SPS V3 will also see a new look Staffware Process Definer. The enhanced definer will feature a look and feel to follow Microsoft’s latest user interface style guidelines plus performance and scalability improvements, additional integration tools and numerous cosmetic changes to enrich usability and productivity.

“Staffware Process Suite Version3 will deliver greater capabilities and improved usability to our customers,” Staffware chief technology officer, Jon Pyke, said. “.NET integration along with the Linux port of SPS and new support for DB2 provides our customers and prospects with a much broader platform for BPM deployment.

“Staffware invests more of its sales revenue in research and development than most other software companies worldwide, allowing our customers to reap the rewards with powerful products delivering strong ROI,” he said.

Staffware Process Suite Version3 is expected to be available in the third quarter of 2004.

Separately, Staffware said, “The overwhelming majority of organizations using Business Process Management (BPM) software surveyed in a new independent report have said they are enjoying productivity, service quality and cost reduction benefits exceeding their expectations.”

Staffware provided these details on the report::

The new research, conducted by independent consultancy Intercai Mondiale, polled organizations using BPM solutions from Staffware, including Barclays, BT Wholesale, Nedbank, PPS Insurance Ltd, Thames Valley Police, Vital Insurance, and Carolinas Healthcare.

Every company surveyed reported improved productivity as a result of their BPM deployment, with 95 per cent reporting improved service quality and 82 per cent recording reduced operating costs.

Estimated benefits to the organization from BPM deployments were exceeded in 69 per cent of cases. Eighty per cent of respondent organizations said operating cost reductions were better than expected, 89 per cent said productivity improvements exceeded expectations, 82 per cent cited better-than-expected IT ownership cost reductions, and 88 per cent said their company’s service quality had been improved more than anticipated.

On the back of the return on investment already achieved, every organization polled said they were planning to expand their BPM deployments in the next 12 months. BPM was currently used by 26 per cent of business units within the organizations and for 15 per cent of key business processes; however, within the next 12 months, the research found these figures will grow to 40 per cent of business units and 30 per cent of key processes respectively.

As a result, the average number of active users per company – currently 560 – will explode to 1,399 users per company within 12 months, a growth rate of 150 per cent. The finance and telecommunications industries will grow even faster, at more than 300 per cent.

“The research shows that the move to process-centric management approaches is well and truly underway. Organizations are increasingly linking performance measures to business strategy and are more conscious of documenting, managing and improving processes,” Intercai Mondiale research director, Jeremy Povey, said.

Respondents agreed that the two main reasons for implementing BPM were to enable operational process improvement (68 per cent) and to deliver strategic competitive advantage (59 per cent).

The main business objectives which the respondents said their company was looking to achieve with BPM were being able to adapt quickly to changing market needs, to increase visibility of processes across the organization, increase process control and improve co-ordination across locations and departments. Regulatory compliance was seen only as a secondary driver.

“It is clear from the customer research that BPM is viewed as a strategic purchase which is a business-led decision, not IT-led. It shows that BPM will be increasingly applied to support strategic business objectives and to support end-to-end processes rather than individual departmental processes. It is clear that the process-centric enterprise is now becoming a reality very fast,” Staffware chairman and CEO, John O’Connell, said.

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