Serviceware offers a portfolio of software solutions for digitalizing and automating service processes (Enterprise Service Management (ESM)). In 2019, Serviceware acquired cubus, a German CPM and analytics specialist to complement its portfolio. Within Serviceware, cubus’ former solutions are now called Serviceware Performance (for performance management) and Serviceware Performance AL (for analytics). Both are available as standalone applications and integrated in Serviceware’s ESM platform. All told, Serviceware serves more than 1,400 customers with 500 employees in 14 European offices.
Serviceware Performance PM (previously known as cubus outperform) is a software tool for planning, analyzing and monitoring business financial performance. It is an integrated CPM solution with functionality for planning, simulation, project portfolio management and strategy implementation. For analytics, Serviceware Performance AL (formerly cubus EV Analytics) is integrated in Performance. Aimed at business power users, Performance PM has a web-based user interface resembling Excel as well as a Microsoft Windows-based desktop app.
Performance PM provides a flexible platform for building individual, complex business logic for CPM and controlling applications. The solution has no specific market or industry focus and is used by companies of various sizes and industries. Performance PM, however, does have prebuilt business content, data models and logic for integrated financial planning, operational planning, budgeting and forecasting, various controlling topics (e.g., HR, costs, IT) and project performance management (e.g., project scoring, portfolio management, capacity management). Customers can completely adapt and extend the models and logic to meet their specific requirements.
Following initial implementation, business power users can develop Performance PM applications in a self-service manner without specific programming skills. Performance AL extends PM’s range of functions with comprehensive functionality for web-based, dynamic OLAP analyses, ad hoc reporting and data visualization. Customers with extended dashboarding and reporting needs can turn to third-party integrations with solutions such as Oracle Analytics and Microsoft Power BI. The Performance AL web client can be integrated as a custom visual in Power BI. Customers can enrich existing Power BI dashboards with data (views) from multidimensional sources and integrated OLAP analyses.
For data storage, Performance PM and AL use multidimensional (Oracle Essbase, IBM TM1 or Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services) and relational databases (Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server). The largest implementations in terms of concurrent users run on Oracle Essbase, but the majority of customers use Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services. IBM TM1 is the newest database option, which is particularly important within the large existing international customer base of Performance AL customers (previously IBM Cognos Executive Viewer).
User & Use Cases
Besides planning, customers mainly use Serviceware Performance for ad hoc query and reporting (88 percent), standard/enterprise reporting (80 percent), basic data analysis (76 percent) and within financial consolidation processes (57 percent). 23 percent of respondents plan to use it for dashboards/scorecards and 21 percent for advanced analysis in the future. Serviceware Performance targets mid-sized and large companies across all industries. 50 percent of our sample of Serviceware Performance customers come from large companies (more than 2,500 employees) with a median of 100 users (including 89 using planning functionality), but the mean of 324 users (200 for planning) indicates there are also significantly larger implementations. 78 percent of Serviceware Performance users are planning users – significantly above the survey average of 66 percent – reflecting the fact that Serviceware Performance is essentially a planning and budgeting tool rather than an analytics tool.
Current vs. planned use (besides planning)
N=35
Percentage of employees using Serviceware Performance
N=36
Planning users (as a percentage of all users)
N=26
Total number of users per company
N=36
Planning users per company
N=36
Company size (number of employees)
N=36
Summary of Serviceware Performance highlights
With 30 top ranks and 39 leading positions across four different peer groups, Serviceware Performance once again achieves an outstanding set of results in this year’s Planning Survey. Convincing ratings in numerous important KPIs help to consolidate its position as an effective planning and CPM vendor in the DACH region that is delivering considerable benefits to its customers. Companies can benefit from using Serviceware Performance in terms of increased transparency of planning, more precise/detailed planning and improved integration of planning with reporting/analysis. Overall, these benefits lead to a better quality of planning results for many customers. 89 percent of Serviceware Performance users say they would definitely or probably recommend their planning product to other organizations – an outstanding result and a great indicator of customer satisfaction with the vendor and its product.
Customer Experience – Top-ranked
Peer Group: Business Software Generalists
Implementer Support – Top-ranked
Peer Group: Integrated Corporate Planning Products
Planning Functionality – Top-ranked
Peer Group: Business Software Generalists
Project Success – Top-ranked
Peer Group: BI & Analytics Products
Self-Service – Top-ranked
Peer Group: Business Software Generalists
Want to see the whole picture?
BARC’s Vendor Performance Summary contains an overview of The Planning Survey results based on feedback from Serviceware Performance users, accompanied by expert analyst commentary.
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