IDS Scheer Announces New Process Platform and Audit ApplicationIDS Scheer Announces New Process Platform and Audit Application

New business platform and tools bring simplification and sophistication to enterprises.

information Staff, Contributor

January 20, 2006

4 Min Read
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VentanaMonitor™

Summary
IDS Scheer has announced ARIS Platform 7, the latest version of its business process management software, and a new version of its compliance management application, ARIS Audit Manager 3.0. These new releases enhance the management of both process performance and regulatory compliance. As companies strive to automate and improve their operational business processes and deploy effective internal inspection systems, Ventana Research advises them to consider business process management software that supports both these efforts.

Assessment
ARIS Platform is a suite of business process management applications from IDS Scheer, a 20-year-old German company. It is designed to address all phases of the business process life cycle, including design, implementation, execution and continuous improvement. The latest release, ARIS Platform 7, includes a new user interface, Web-enabled modeling and Web publishing for three of the ARIS Platform applications.

Like most other business process management software suites, ARIS Platform provides tools to automate and/or improve activities and tasks for particular business purposes. The goals are not only efficiency and productivity but beyond them control, responsiveness and improvement. Control assures that company resources are aligned to execute strategies. Responsiveness and improvement support the competitive differentiation that enables a company to excel.

Business process management software helps business managers to assert control by basing the direction and flow of transactions on predefined set of rules and workflows – for example, determining the route for acknowledging a purchase order or the policy applied to approval of merchandise returns. Responsiveness enables individuals to react quickly to business events and maximize interactions, as when expediting a critical customer order, which involves both the customer service and warehouse teams. And for improvement, business process management provides the ability to measure and monitor processes systematically. Doing so will lead to better performance and can create opportunities for innovation as well.

In addition to automating and enhancing their management of transaction processes, companies are finding innovative ways to apply business process management technology to improve execution of their operational and supply chain processes. These processes include order management, logistics, production, billing, product returns and dispute resolution.

IDS Scheer also announced a new version of its compliance management application, ARIS Audit Manager 3.0, which runs on the ARIS Platform. Compliance management software helps organizations document their business processes and comply with legal requirements and guidelines such as Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, IKS, Basel II, Solvency II and the Money Laundering Act. ARIS Audit Manager is a Web-based workflow system that sets baselines for, tests and certifies internal control systems. New features of version 3.0 include automatic workflow configuration, escalation and sign-off management, and enhanced data transfer capabilities from source systems.

Ventana Research believes companies should look at business process management software such as ARIS Platform as a way to manage the performance of their business processes and sustain efficient compliance. Using these tools for business process improvement initiatives can make it possible over the long haul to realize business value from more efficient and effective processes.

Market Impact
Business process management software offerings are evolving rapidly as user requirements mature. With ARIS Platform 7, IDS Scheer is a leading contender in the market. One of the original SAP Global Services Partners, IDS Scheer has more than 4,000 customers. In our judgment, business process management software companies that focus on specific applications of the technology, such supply chain and compliance, are likely to have sustainable businesses over the long run, as customer companies begin to come to grips with the process automation shortfalls of their enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.

Recommendation
Understandably, most companies did not buy and implement business process management software when they bought their ERP systems. However, some innovative ones did and have seen benefits from it. Ventana Research urges all companies to investigate this software, not only to manage the entire life cycle of operational processes but also to help provide controls for their compliance initiative. We advise companies to evaluate business process management software not just on how it helps them adhere to regulatory and audit requirements, but on how well it can manage and execute processes, and so contribute to overall performance improvement.

Related Research Note:
From Monolithic to Business Process Applications 
SAP is redefining the enterprise applications industry

About Ventana Research
Ventana Research is the leading Performance Management research and advisory services firm.  By providing expert insight and detailed guidance, Ventana Research helps clients operate their companies more efficiently and effectively. These business improvements are delivered through a top-down approach that connects people, process, information and technology. What makes Ventana Research different from other analyst firms is a focus on Performance Management for finance, operations and IT. This focus, plus research as a foundation and reach into a community of over two million corporate executives through extensive media partnerships, allows Ventana Research to deliver a high-value, low-risk method for achieving optimal business performance. To learn how Ventana Research Performance Management workshops, assessments and advisory services can impact your bottom line, visit www.ventanaresearch.com.

© Ventana Research

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