Information Builders Customer OFS Brands Named Overall IT Leader Winner in the 2013 Ventana Research Leadership Awards

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Apr 22, 2013) - Information Builders, a leader in business intelligence (BI) and analytics, information integrity, and integration solutions, today announced that its customer, OFS Brands, was recognized as the Overall IT Leader Winner by Ventana Research, a benchmark research and advisory services firm, in the 2013 Ventana Research Leadership Awards. OFS Brands, a leading supplier of contract furniture, used Information Builders' technology to enhance its reporting process and give its employees access to data analysis capabilities via mobile devices.

OFS Brands' products are sold at dealerships throughout the U.S. and, as such, the company is tasked with supporting the computing and information needs of a geographically dispersed sales team, in addition to employees in other functions. Prior to working with Information Builders, OFS Brands' reporting environment was heavily reliant upon the IT department producing reports via e-mail. However, these were not interactive and lacked data visualization or ad hoc query capabilities. In addition, information was not reported on in real time and mobile users had limited ability to access critical information. By implementing Information Builders' WebFOCUS BI platform, OFS Brands addressed these issues and enabled users to make more informed, data-driven decisions without necessitating the involvement of IT.

The enhanced reporting environment consists of a BI dashboard and numerous reports that can be drilled into for further analysis as needed. Users can filter data by brand, region, order types, and other metrics, and visualize the information geographically based on an integrated mapping functionality. Drawing on the mobile capabilities in WebFOCUS, OFS Brands' employees can access this information via their tablet or smartphone, making them much more self-sufficient while on the road. In addition, by having more timely access to data, the company's management team better understands its profitability in real time and can use this information to inform strategic decisions.

"In order to maximize the value of enterprise information, it's critical that all users have access to this data in real time," said Mark Smith, CEO and chief research officer, Ventana Research. "With this award, we're recognizing Information Builders for helping OFS Brands do that, and arming OFS Brands' employees with the ability to conduct data analysis regardless of physical location or level of technical sophistication."

"As a result of our WebFOCUS implementation, OFS Brands no longer reports," said Scott Franzel, vice president of Information Technologies for OFS Brands. "Rather, we ask questions and get answers in real time, which has accelerated our ability to serve our customers and increase our profitability. And because critical corporate information is monitored daily, our entire organization has a higher level of accountability and awareness of the state of the business."

"By giving employees real-time access to information, OFS Brands is not only making users more self-sufficient, it's also improving its bottom line," said Gerald Cohen, president and CEO of Information Builders. "Ventana Research's recognition of the company as an Overall IT Leader winner is a testament to the success of the endeavor, and Information Builders is honored to have played a role in the initiative."

About Ventana Research
Ventana Research is the most authoritative and respected benchmark business technology research and advisory services firm. We provide insight and expert guidance on mainstream and disruptive technologies through a unique set of research-based offerings, including benchmark research and technology evaluation assessments, education workshops, and our research and advisory services, Ventana On-Demand. Our unparalleled understanding of the role of technology in optimizing business processes and performance and our best practices guidance are rooted in our rigorous research-based benchmarking of people, processes, information, and technology across business and IT functions in every industry. This benchmark research, plus our market coverage and in-depth knowledge of hundreds of technology providers, means we can deliver education and expertise to our clients to increase the value they derive from technology investments while reducing time, cost, and risk.

Ventana Research provides the most comprehensive analyst and research coverage in the industry; business and IT professionals worldwide are members of our community and benefit from Ventana Research's insights, as do highly regarded media and association partners around the globe. Our views and analyses are distributed daily through blogs and social media channels, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+.

To learn how Ventana Research advances the maturity of organizations' use of information and technology through benchmark research, education and advisory services, visit ventanaresearch.com.

About Information Builders
Information Builders helps organizations transform data into business value. Our software solutions for business intelligence and analytics, integration, and data integrity empower people to make smarter decisions, strengthen customer relationships, and drive growth. Our dedication to customer success is unmatched in the industry. That's why tens of thousands of leading organizations rely on Information Builders to be their trusted partner. Founded in 1975, Information Builders is headquartered in New York, NY, with offices around the world, and remains one of the largest independent, privately held companies in the industry. Visit us at informationbuilders.com, follow us on Twitter at @infobldrs, like us on Facebook, and visit our LinkedIn page.