Archive for the ‘Press Releases’ Category

Claricent Inc. Sponsors DiscoverSTEM 2011, a Regional Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) Showcase

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

For Immediate Release

Claricent Inc. Sponsors DiscoverSTEM 2011, a Regional Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) Showcase

 

Acton, MA based STEM organization hosts DiscoverSTEM 2011 educational event to foster awareness and interest in Science Technology Engineering & Math careers.

 

Acton, MA (October 26, 2011) – Claricent, Inc., a Massachusetts based provider of information management solutions, today announced its sponsorship of the Discover STEM 2011 event to be held at the Acton-Boxborough Regional High School on November 10, 2011.  Featuring over 30 interactive science and technology exhibits, this parent-school-community collaborative event raises student awareness and interest in STEM and reinforces ‘real world’ math and science curriculum connections.

 

“Claricent is proud of our sponsorship of the DiscoverSTEM 2011 event.  Middle and high school students need more exposure to the range of career opportunities and the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math in their daily lives” stated David Fox, President of Claricent, Inc.  “DiscoverSTEM 2011 provides an environment where students can interact with accomplished professionals and explore, discover, and experience learning in a fun and engaging manner.  DiscoverSTEM 2011 offers those opportunities that stay with the students for years.”

 

A key focus of DiscoverSTEM 2011 is the innovation economy and promoting STEM careers in the life sciences, medicine and bio-technology as part of the larger Massachusetts STEM Educational initiative.  The event will include a special tribute to Steve Jobs, Apple technology and creativity to demonstrate how Apple products have impacted participants’ everyday lives.  According to Karen Herther, Co-Chair Emeritus of the STEM group (AB PIP STEM), “This is part of a new educational trend to put the ‘A’ or ART back in STEM to give it additional ‘STEAM’.”

 

The DiscoverSTEM 2011 showcase is hosted by Acton-Boxborough PIP STEM in partnership with the Acton-Boxborough Schools, the Middlesex West Chamber of Commerce School Business Partnership and The Discovery Museums.  Platinum STEM event sponsors include Claricent, Inc., IBM and SolidWorks.  Gold level corporate sponsor IROBOT and communication and media sponsors include: Acanthi Web Design, Market Dynamics and MannMade Digital Video.  For more information about DiscoverSTEM, visit actonpip.org/discoverstem or email AB PIP STEM at actonpip@gmail.com.

 

About Claricent, Inc.:

Claricent, Inc. is an information management consulting organization focusing on strategic implementations of SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence (SAP NetWeaver BI).  The company uses technology – software and services – to help clients realize their business intelligence initiatives.  Headquartered in Acton, Claricent, Inc. provides architecture & design, implementation, and offshore development services for clients throughout North America.  Claricent, Inc. is committed to delivering unsurpassed attention and service to their clients by furthering their clients’ enterprise-wide business intelligence needs.  To learn more about Claricent, Inc. visit claricent.com.

 

About Acton-Boxborough PIP STEM:

AB PIP STEM is a coalition of parents, students, community and business partners offering K-12 math and science enrichment activities and volunteer opportunities.  Annual events include 3rd and 5th grade Market Math Mania at Roche Bros Supermarket, 4th grade Astronomy Star Party and K-12 Family Math Game Night. For a complete list of events and information about STEM resources, visit actonpip.org. 

 

Contact:

David Fox, President

Claricent, Inc.

Phone: 888-325-6496
Email: dfox@claricent.com

 

Karen Herther, Co-Chair Emeritus

AB PIP STEM

Phone: 978-263-6742
Email: actonpip@gmail.com

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Claricent, Inc. Joins With DataVard to Bring SAP Productivity Tools to Mid-Market Enterprises

Friday, August 5th, 2011

BI Consultants Lead the Way Identifying Cost-Effective Solutions to Improve the Performance and Availability of SAP Solutions

ACTON, Mass., Aug. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Claricent, Inc., a Massachusetts-based provider of SAP® business intelligence (BI) solutions, today announced it has signed an exclusive reseller agreement with DataVard, Ltd. to distribute the company’s innovative SAP NetWeaver BW performance tools in North America. The agreement allows Claricent to add CanaryCode, a performance monitoring tool, and OutBoard, a near-line storage solution, to its suite of tools enabling mid-market enterprises to develop robust, practical, and economically feasible BI solutions.

The joint effort combines Claricent’s expertise in building proven, creative SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse and SAP BusinessObjects BI solutions with DataVard’s expertise in developing specialized analytic tools for SAP Data Management solutions.

“Until today, mid-market enterprises had few options for managing escalating volumes of data and meeting rising user demands for increasingly fast response times,” reports Dave Fox, President of Claricent. “With CanaryCode and OutBoard, Claricent is providing enterprises with robust and affordable tools to improve operational efficiency, reduce storage costs, and maximize business performance.”

Unlike traditional monitoring tools, which simply diagnose and resolve events, CanaryCode provides the information system managers need to prevent failures – before they impact system performance. CanaryCode monitors all mission-critical SAP systems from a central location, enables customers to customize KPIs, and provides real-time alerts and root-cause analysis. A simple plug-in module, CanaryCode does not require configuration and is implemented by Claricent BI consultants as part of an overall performance enhancement solution.

OutBoard’s near-line storage functionality provides a convenient and cost-efficient means of storing aged data in SAP BW systems. With OutBoard, BW data is readily available for virtually any reporting requirement, without the need for additional databases, software, or cumbersome reloading processes. OutBoard provides a 100% SAP-embedded approach to storage, which keeps the system landscape simple, easy to maintain, and easy to administer.

The OutBoard Kernel implements the SAP NLS interface and all technical functionality required for storing and compressing BW data, making OutBoard fully integrated and usable for standard SAP NetWeaver BW interfaces, reporting, and transactions. OutBoard also offers a unique single-point-of-entry for all OutBoard NLS administrative activities, including analysis and reporting.

“Companies running complex SAP NetWeaver BW landscapes face numerous challenges,” said Gregor Stoeckler, Managing Partner of DataVard. “Claricent’s deep expertise and thought leadership in SAP BI make this partnership a perfect match. It represents not only an extension of our global presence, but also the opportunity to work with an organization that shares our vision and goals. We are very confident that Claricent will further enrich our products and their value to customers in the US.”

CanaryCode and OutBoard are packaged solutions ready for installation by Claricent’s network of BI experts.

About Claricent, Inc.

Headquartered in Acton, MA, Claricent, Inc. is an information management consulting organization focusing on strategic implementations of SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse (SAP NetWeaver BW), SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence (SAP BI), and SAP BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation (SAP BPC). The company’s team of SAP technology experts and information management specialists provide architecture and design, implementation, staff augmentation, and BI remote support services for clients throughout North America. Claricent also partners with leading-edge hardware and software companies to develop innovative solutions to real-world information management issues and take clients’ business intelligence to the next level.

About DataVard, Ltd

DataVard is a specialized provider of SAP Data Management solutions since 1999. Leveraging its combination of specialized tools and expertise, DataVard has helped organizations of all sizes and industries restructure, convert, and enrich data across their existing IT landscape to align IT with business objectives. With subsidiaries in the UK, Germany, and Slovakia, DataVard serves customers across the globe.

Contact:
David Fox
President
Claricent, Inc.
888-325-6496 x511

SOURCE Claricent, Inc.

Posted in Archiving, Business Warehouse, CanaryCode, Monitoring, Outboard, Performance, Press Releases, SAP | No Comments »

Three myths that inhibit SAP Virtualization

Friday, July 29th, 2011

I had the pleasure this week to attend a presentation from Andre Kemp, who is an SAP Migration Specialist at VMware.  Andre raised a few great points about mis-conceptions about SAP virtualization.   He basically stated the following:

  1. Virtualization jeopardizes performance
  2. Virtualization is only useful for server consolidation
  3. The benefit of virtualization doesn’t span across the board.

The orignial link to his presentation can be found below

View the recorded event

Here is the presentation for those who want just that.

 

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Why Nearline Storage matters to your SAP installation

Thursday, May 26th, 2011

How many SAP shops have watched their data growth double, triple, or quadruple, way beyond the projected growth rates?  In the world of I.T. where data centers  are expected to explode beyond their confines, where every service is expected to be 24/7 and where change is the norm, no one is surprised… but what plan to you have in place to attend to it?  SAP data growth is no exception to the explosions in IT.  Having participated in huge installations involving hundreds of servers and almost a petabyte of data, I can attest first-hand how intentional and intelligent architecture can be compromised by the needs of the business.

The issue is that, as your data in SAP grows, your performance will nearly always suffer.  Queries take longer, retrieval is more costly in terms of processing power and overall more of everything is needed to accommodate the data.  Some solutions require the installation of physical hardware such as new storage arrays, new servers, etc.  Nearline storage can help solve this by taking some portion of your data and “archiving” it, but keeping it available at a lower performance threshold.   Nearline Storage is not a new phenomenon and those who are not familiar with it would do well to read this brief article on the concept.

Datavard’s Outboard product is my favorite solution for this because it integrates deeply with SAP making access seamless in terms of interface, but at the slightly lower performance threshold for the non-critical data.

Here is an excerpt from their description sheet:

The lean Near-line Storage solution for SAP® BW. No separate database and no additional software required. Read more about Outboard here .

Since the first release of SAP’s Business Information Warehouse (SAP BW) in 1997 (it was shipped to six customers only in the first release) the reporting and data warehousing solution from SAP has evolved and grown up.  Not only is today’s SAP BW a comprehensive and complete solution for all reporting needs, it is also widely accepted and used with a huge installed base of many thousand businesses.

The most recent IT Spending Intentions Survey by Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) reveals that 54% of the surveyed organizations will increase their spendings on storage hardware in 2010 (38% in 2009). Therefore, the challenge today is to keep cost at a reasonable level while not compromising quality and speed of reporting in large volumes of data.

To facilitate the necessary Information Lifecycle Management (ILM), DataVard offers a holistic ILM approach based on SAP®’s Business Information Warehouse. This prevents proliferate growth of large scale reporting databases. This is where OutBoard™ comes into play: Customers are able to move historical data to a near-line storage where it is still available for reporting, yet, in a cost optimized system on the basis of offline archives.

Benefits of OutBoard™ for SAP BW

DataVard’s “OutBoard™ for SAP® BW” provides near-line NLS storage functionality with reporting capabilities without the need of any additional database or software, thus keeping the system landscape simpler and easier to maintain. This is achieved by using effective data compression technology directly within the SAP® BW system’s database and ABAP™ stack – no installation and operation of additional software technology is required. Installing DataVard’s OutBoard™ for SAP® BW solution requires only the import of a standard SAP® transport request with our ABAP™-based implementation of the near line storage solution and database tables. Instead of an external second database which coexists with the main SAP® BW database the OutBoard™ solution stores all data directly within the BW database – albeit in separate database tables and with effective data compression. OutBoard™ uses compression technology which is not only very fast, but which can easily compete with external near line systems in terms of compression ratio. Typical compression ratios for Business Warehouse data are approximately 10:1. OutBoard™ can provide a compression ratio of up to 20:1. Thus, significant improvements of database sizes can be achieved while keeping the data ready and available for reporting. In order to decide for which InfoProviders it makes sense to relocate data into the OutBoard™ NLS solution, OutBoard™ offers flexible data analysis capabilities in the OutBoard™ Cockpit to help administrators of SAP® BW systems decide which and how much data to move to the NLS storage. These analysis capabilities include the determination of space which is used by each InfoProvider in the system, and a drill down with powerful capabilities to decide which data in these InfoProviders should best be moved into the NLS system. Contact us for a live demo of Outboard today.

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Posted in Archiving, Outboard, Performance, Press Releases | No Comments »

Better Data – Why it Matters

Monday, May 16th, 2011
Gartner recently announced new sales data within the Business Intelligence and EPM market to
indicate significant growth in 2010 for the overall market and all products.
The overall sales came in at $10.5 billion with SAP’s BI product still ranking
in the number one spot. Gartner notes that not only is the economy improving
and therefore spend is increasing, but there are also some priority shifts
happening in the market. Dan Sommer, Principal Research Analyst at Gartner
indicated that “BI spending has far surpassed IT budget growth overall for
several years, and it is clear that BI continues to be a technology at the
center of information-driven initiatives in organizations. Vendors aggressively
market their capabilities in this area, so revenue growth is as much a function
of vendor push as a demand pull.”

Three Reasons

More and more companies are deciding it is in their best interest to
devise an efficient and nimble way to track data and make more accurate
projection for the overall health of their business. So, with this in mind,
what can the right Business Intelligence, Analytics, and Performance Management
software truly do for a company? Why is it worth the shift in dollar spend?
  1. Better data means an increased ROI. In today’s constantly changing economy and global
    competitiveness, no one can afford for data generation to take days or weeks.
    Companies need to process information rapidly and with as little staff cost as
    possible. By automating the process of data generation and providing managers
    with transparent information, companies automatically cut costs but also
    identify other areas of their business where they should focus dollar spend,
    improve processes, or adjust resources to provide a better service or more
    effectively sell a product. Improved decision making capabilities and ways to
    improve processes to build customer loyalty can make the difference between a
    company succeeding or failing in today’s fragile marketplace.
  2. Better Data means better cost control.
    We’ve all seen the case studies where companies saved millions by using their warehouse space better,
    or outsourced staff and seen an impact on the bottom line. But what about the
    company that installed a new BI system and suddenly realized that the rebate
    incentive plan their marketing company had been issuing for the past five years
    was actually costing them money? What about the company that began using GIS
    based analytics and instantly saved money on repair and maintenance of their
    transportation equipment? Accurate timely data provides that big picture and
    drill down capability so that the management team can better understand what
    the right choices are to better run the business.
  3. Better Data Means a
    Competitive Edge.
    Let’s face it. The economic downturn of 2008-2009 left us all feeling a bit
    uneasy about the economy as a whole. We saw large institutions need financial
    assistance from the government, and many of those we knew lost jobs. Investors
    are still a bit skittish today, and we all have a collective feeling of wanting
    to rebuild. While no one can predict the future with 100% certainty, companies
    can strive to ensure that they are making smart decisions with their capital
    investments to produce good results. In a global market, staffing costs,
    material investments and management of our businesses can make the difference.
    Profitability is essential to survivability. The right tools to forecast
    expenditures and revenue stream, ensure the right amount of staff are hired and
    trained, and equipment and warehouses are being used to maximum capacity has a
    direct impact on profit, investment potential, and a companies’ ability to
    thrive.
Conclusion

 

With the increase of BI, Analytics and Performance
Management software on the rise, it is evident that it is viewed as a pinnacle
competitive advantage for companies in the industry worldwide. What steps are
you taking to ensure that your company will maintain its edge and have the
information it needs to thrive?

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Posted in Business Objects, Press Releases, SAP | No Comments »

Part I – Best Practices for Digital Dashboards – an Operating Executive’s View

Monday, May 16th, 2011

Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards can be valuable business tools providing a quick overview of key business metrics.  If not implemented judiciously, they can also prove to be a time-consuming exercise providing inaccurate and/or misleading business intelligence.

The difference is how the dashboard is conceived, set-up, and managed.  By defining clear objectives, involving key stakeholders, and identifying uniform data sources, your dashboard will provide actionable data to fuel business decisions.  This is the first in a two-part series that presents best practices for building effective digital dashboards.

In Part I, we address the following fundamental rules and guiding principles for dashboard development, including

  • Defining your process
  • Setting a goal
  • Identifying dashboard constituents and securing their buy-in
  • Validating and confirming key business metrics
  • Challenging Convention
  • Selecting your dashboard implementation & governance stakeholders

 

Part II of this whitepaper focuses on best practices for implementation.

 

The Right Frame of Mind Yields Desired Results

Good BI dashboards require an open mind, thoughtfulness, teamwork, discipline, knowledge of your business and the right tools.  The reward, a well-managed successful business, is worth the effort.

Keep in mind, you will look at your dashboard every day; and make decisions that profoundly affect your business based on what you see.  You, your team, your peers, your boss and ultimately the entire business will spend countless hours analyzing it, as well as identifying and supplying the data to drive it.  Plus, inevitably, decisions affecting the very viability of your enterprise depend on your dashboard’s accuracy and effectiveness delivering critical insight into the health of your business.  The bottom line: if your dashboard is off – either in purpose, execution, or accuracy – your company is driving blind.  You just don’t know it.  If your data is bad, your presentation unclear, or you are tracking the wrong metrics, you are in trouble.

Getting It Right – Rules & Guiding Principles

Define Your Process

At the outset, you need to define your process for creating and implementing your new dashboard; then you need to communicate the process and the importance of the dashboard to all concerned.  Without a clear process, coupled with clear communication, your task becomes much more difficult, and you jeopardize the success of your dashboard project.   Following are the process steps to drive a successful dashboard project and recommendations on ‘best practices” to make your dashboard project a success, giving your business a valuable new business intelligence tool:

 

  • Set a dashboard goal
  • Define dashboard constituents and get buy-in
  • Identify critical business metrics
  • Select a dashboard team
  • Identify data sources and how you’ll access them
  • Design your dashboard to present information in the most meaningful and accessible fashion
  • Survey the universe of tools available for creating your dashboard and allowing users to generate their own views
  • Develop a project schedule and budget for your dashboard project
  • Review your project and process with all concerned
  • Implement

 

Set a Goal

First, you need to set a goal for your dashboard.  It may be the single most important thing you do.  It doesn’t matter if you are showing available cash, the number of new sales leads, or the number of support calls received on a new product.  Everyone needs to be in agreement on the purpose of the dashboard, its relevance to the business, and its level of accuracy.  For example, if the goal of your senior management team is not only to document and present enterprise financial results but to look into and plan for the future, then your goal may be to design a reliable tool, driven from secure enterprise financial data, that provides intuitive, interactive ‘what if’ capabilities.  Whatever your purpose, be specific, and make certain all your constituents know what the goal is, what the dashboard measures, how accurately, and over what period of time.

This example shows a sales and revenue dashboard incorporating powerful ‘what if’ capabilities.  The data comes from the financial system, sourced from ‘Income Statements’.  The dashboard displays revenue and expense information and generates income figures.  Interactive features like sliders and dials allow dashboard users to adjust a number of financial variables affecting growth rate, revenue and different classes of expenses.  Users can quickly adjust different metrics, such as ‘Cost of Goods Sold’ and immediately see what affect an increase or decrease will have on the business.  This facilitates a management team’s ability to look at business scenarios, and speeds the intelligence of business decision making.

 

Define Dashboard Constituents & Get Buy-In

Identify your constituents; make sure they understand their role as constituents and participants in the creation, maintenance and use of the dashboard.  Define the individuals who will create, contribute, use, and serve as executive overseers of the dashboard.  Let them know how you perceive their role in context of the dashboard and tell them what their rights and responsibilities are in this role.  Create a common understanding of constituent roles:

 

  • Owner – owns the dashboard, which means defining its goal, as well as managing the process of creating the dashboard, introducing it to the organization, and maintaining it throughout its lifecycle.

 

  • Implementer – works with the owner to develop and deliver the dashboard.  This could be someone in the IT department, an executive, or a contributor in a department.

 

  • Contributor – an individual or group who owns the data or information required to drive the dashboard.  For example, a sales vice president or a sales administrator may provide information on closed sales, projected sales, deal size, and revenue.

 

  • User – this could be an individual who uses a dashboard to understand their performance or that of their group; a manager who uses it to evaluate the health of a process, improve programs, or change organizational behavior.  This could also be a manager who uses dashboard information to measure individual or group performance for evaluation and compensation purposes.

 

 

Know Your Business – Identify Critical Business Metrics

Know your business, know your information needs, know the information needs of your constituents, know the requirements for timeliness, and understand what types of decisions will be based on your dashboard.  This is a critical phase in the definition of your dashboard.

 

It’s important to identify business metrics in conjunction with dashboard constituents, both to get the support you need to create and maintain the dashboard, and to gain support for its relevance as a strategic business tool.

 

Challenge convention.

Really analyze what you want to track and measure in your dashboard.  Don’t accept what and how the business has measured things historically.  Dig in and understand what is really important.  For example, is the number of raw sales leads coming into the company a valuable metric, or is it a misleading data point that distracts from a more critical metrics and understanding? The following dashboard depicts the number of leads generated on a monthly basis for a company, breaking out leads sourced from a ‘New Business Development’ team and marketing programs. The chart communicates raw lead numbers, but does not provide insight into the relative value of the leads, cost of acquisition, or likelihood of closure.

 

 

The critical view for accurately predicting the sales forecast may include multiple metrics encompassing the development state of qualified prospects, the average time to conversion of prospects at particular development stages, and the revenue opportunity associated with pipeline deals possessing a particular set of characteristics.  A window to regional or geographic performance may also provide valuable insight for managing a business, allowing management to account for regional political or economic circumstances in forecasting.  The short answer is you must understand what you need to know and test your reasons carefully before you start measuring.

 

This example of a ‘Sales Pipeline’ dashboard provides a lot of bang for the dashboard buck.  At a glance, it provides granular visibility – opportunity-by-opportunity – into the pipeline while simultaneously delivering high-level regional sales information and key financial projections.  A user can discern the cost of customer acquisitions, conversion time, the number of qualified deals and their value in the pipeline.  Plus, the pipeline maps into a window that calculates projected financial metrics, providing an immediate, at-a-glance, understanding of how the pipeline is projected to impact financial performance.  Business critical data can reside throughout the organization.  The dashboard is driven from data sourced from a variety of sources including a CRM system and disparate spreadsheets on individual employees’ laptops.  It is important to pay close attention to data sources as you define your dashboard.

 

Select Your Dashboard Team

You’ll need to define a dashboard team that is inclusive of your constituents, or stakeholders.  The dashboard team will be the thought-leaders, the evangelists for a new business tool.  Their opinion of the dashboard, its efficacy and value will infect the entire organization for good or for ill.  You will want to include your IT organization as well as operating organizations like sales, marketing, and finance that will contribute data to the dashboard, or use its results to make decisions managing the business.  Plus, be especially mindful to secure representation from individuals and organizations whose performance will be measured using the dashboard.  If they are represented in the process, they are much more likely to view it is a useful and fairly conceived tool, rather than something arbitrary and outside of their control.  And, therefore they are more likely to support its value throughout the organization.

At the very least, make certain you have a team member representing all constituent groups:  owner, implementer, contributor(s), users(s).  And, then build your team’s identity by communicating your goals, holding regular team meetings, and defining and tracking project milestones and related metrics.

So now you know what your goal is, you understand who your constituents are, you’ve got your team, and you know what you need to measure and why.  It’s time for some elbow grease, getting down to specifics of how you are going to feed and maintain your dashboard.

(To be continued…in Part II Best Practices for Digital Dashboards – an Operating Executive’s View)

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Posted in Business Objects, Press Releases, SAP, WebUI, Xcelsius Dashboards | No Comments »

Claricent, Inc. Approved as Business Objects Crystal Business Partner

Friday, July 11th, 2008

Press Release

For Immediate Release

Claricent, Inc. Approved as Business Objects Crystal Business Partner

Partner Program Recognizes the Expertise of Claricent, Inc. In Delivering Real-World Business Intelligence Solutions

ACTON, Mass., July 11 /PRNewswire/ — Claricent, Inc., a Massachusetts-based provider of information management solutions, today announced its acceptance into the Business Objects Crystal Partner Program. Business Objects, an SAP company and the world’s leading supplier of business intelligence (BI) solutions, partners with leading technology companies to facilitate solutions that support and extend the Business Objects platform. This announcement marks a major milestone in the mission of Claricent, Inc. to provide mid-market companies with complete Business Objects data visualization and analytics solutions, which significantly improve business performance.

Claricent, Inc. SAP experts have over 10 years of experience developing and implementing proven approaches and solutions to real-world information management challenges. Today, Claricent, Inc. offers one of the largest collaborative independent consulting support networks focused on mid-market companies, enabling customers to utilize SAP NetWeaver BI as a true Enterprise Data Warehouse solution. By partnering with Business Objects, Claricent, Inc. deepens its expertise through access to Business Objects’ new technology and extensive field support services, providing holistic, analytic, data visualization, and data warehousing solutions.

“Claricent, Inc. is extremely excited to participate in the Business Objects Crystal Partner Program,” stated David Fox, President of Claricent, Inc. “Our partnership with Business Objects is a valuable asset, helping us stay on top of the latest technology and extend our BI solutions to Business Objects’ Crystal and Xcelsius platforms, providing our customers with a broader, increasingly robust range of solutions.”

“Claricent, Inc. has a successful history of implementing SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence solutions and is honored to be included in the exclusive Crystal Business Partner program, which promotes the co-selling of Business Objects BI platforms and delivers unparalleled value to our customers,” continued Fox. “We can leverage Business Objects’ field sales organization for critical sales support, and gain easy access to Business Objects software, extending our ability to develop, test, and demonstrate new products and services.”

“Our acceptance into the Business Objects Partner Program is an important step that puts Claricent, Inc. in a strong position to continue to add real value to SAP NetWeaver BI users. Our ability to resell and develop solutions for Business Objects Crystal and Xcelsius platforms will expand our customers options and enable us to expand the breadth of custom solutions we provide.”

About Claricent, Inc.:

Claricent, Inc. is an information management consulting organization focusing on strategic implementations of SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence (SAP NetWeaver BI). The company uses technology – including hardware, software and services – to help clients realize their Information Management initiatives. Headquartered in Acton, MA, Claricent, Inc. provides Architecture & Design, Implementation, and BI Remote Support services for clients throughout North America. Claricent, Inc. is committed to delivering unsurpassed attention and service to their clients by furthering their clients Information Management strategy and the realization of SAP NetWeaver BI as an Enterprise Data Warehouse solution. To learn more about Claricent, Inc., visit http://www.claricent.com.

Contact:
David Fox, President
Claricent, Inc.
Phone: 888-325-6496
Email: dfox@claricent.com

SOURCE Claricent, Inc.

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Kimball Takes a Technology Leap, Upgrades to NetWeaver BI 2004s via Remote Support by Claricent

Tuesday, September 4th, 2007

Press Release

Kimball Takes a Technology Leap, Upgrades to NetWeaver BI 2004s via Remote Support by Claricent

For Immediate Release

Kimball International, a well-known manufacturer of office furniture and electronics, takes a bold leap into the future with their August upgrade to SAP NetWeaver BI 2004s – which was conducted as a partnership between Kimball’s experienced BI staff and Claricent via remote support from a technology company across the country.

September 04, 2007 –

Kimball International, world renowned manufacturer of electronic assemblies and furniture for offices and the hospitality industry, underwent a successful technology upgrade from an SAP BW 3.5 system to SAP NetWeaver BI 2004 with a go-live of August 20, 2007. The upgrade was conducted almost entirely from a remote workstation by Massachusetts-based information technology firm and SAP BI specialist Claricent (http://Claricent.com). All work was completed within a 4-month timeframe.

According to Kurt Carpenter, Director of Application Development for the Kimball Furniture Group, “Claricent provided just the right level of consulting support needed by our Kimball implementation team. This virtual group formed a cohesive team that achieved all project goals on time, on target, and on budget. Dave Fox and his staff supported Kimball with Project Planning, Basis, Development, and Cutover Support primarily using the Claricent remote support process. The upgrade from start to finish went according to plan without issues after our Go Live weekend. Kimball is now well positioned to take advantage of the new functionality with NetWeaver BI 7.0.”

The bold decision to conduct the infrastructure upgrade via remote support reflects the forward-thinking attitude that Kimball International has embraced since its inception in the early 1950s – an innovative and pioneering spirit that has secured them a permanent seat at forefront of their industry. Thanks to their open-minded approach to breakthrough technology and willingness to learn, Kimball was able to reap the benefits of custom, individual support in a fraction of the time it would have taken had the work been done on-site.

As such, the remote service provided by Claricent enabled Kimball to more efficiently utilize consulting resources on an as needed basis – resulting in time and money saved, systems implemented in record time, and an overall higher level of satisfaction and more powerful end result.

Dave Fox, President of Claricent at www.Claricent.com, says: “Claricent credits our ability to produce an end deliverable to clients such as Kimball International in a relatively short amount of time to our unique VirtualConsultant Remote Support Service. This system empowers SAP BI clients with the latest proven technologies; a specific, assigned support professional and project manager; and a unique portal that enables both parties to connect remotely via a desktop icon. In this manner, we are able to offer realtime, individualized service by promptly reacting to and expertly addressing ongoing questions that transpire during the course of a project.”

Kimball International looks forward to the effects that the upgrade will have on their production capabilities and the end deliverable to their clients.

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PRESS CONTACT: David Fox, President

Claricent
22 Preserve Way
Sturbridge, MA 01566

Phone: 888-325-6496
Email: dfox@claricent.com

About Claricent, Inc.:

Claricent is an information management consulting organization focusing on strategic implementations of SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence (SAP NetWeaver BI). The company uses technology – including hardware, software and services – to help clients realize their Information Management initiatives. Headquartered in Sturbridge, MA, Claricent provides Architecture & Design, Implementation, and Remote Support services for clients throughout North America. Claricent is committed to delivering unsurpassed attention and service to their clients by furthering their clients Information Management strategy and the realization of SAP NetWeaver BI as an Enterprise Data Warehouse solution.

To learn more about Claricent, visit www.Claricent.com

About Kimball International:

Recognized with a reputation for excellence, Kimball International is committed to a high performance culture that values personal and organizational commitment to quality, reliability, value, speed, and ethical behavior. Kimball employees know they are part of a corporate culture that builds success for customers while enabling employees to share in the company’s success through personal, professional and financial growth.

Kimball International, Inc. (NASDAQ: KBALB) provides a variety of products from its two business segments: the Furniture segment and the Electronic Contract Assemblies segment. The Furniture segment provides furniture for the office and hospitality industries, sold under the Company’s family of brand names. The Electronic Contract Assemblies segment provides engineering and manufacturing services which utilize common production and support capabilities to a variety of industries globally.

To learn more about Kimball International, Inc., visit our website at: www.kimball.com

SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries all over the world. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies.

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Kimball Takes a Technology Leap, Upgrades to NetWeaver BI 2004s via Remote Support by Claricent

Tuesday, September 4th, 2007

Press Release

Kimball Takes a Technology Leap, Upgrades to NetWeaver BI 2004s via Remote Support by Claricent

For Immediate Release

Kimball International, a well-known manufacturer of office furniture and electronics, takes a bold leap into the future with their August upgrade to SAP NetWeaver BI 2004s – which was conducted as a partnership between Kimball’s experienced BI staff and Claricent via remote support from a technology company across the country.

September 04, 2007 –

Kimball International, world renowned manufacturer of electronic assemblies and furniture for offices and the hospitality industry, underwent a successful technology upgrade from an SAP BW 3.5 system to SAP NetWeaver BI 2004 with a go-live of August 20, 2007. The upgrade was conducted almost entirely from a remote workstation by Massachusetts-based information technology firm and SAP BI specialist Claricent (http://Claricent.com). All work was completed within a 4-month timeframe.

According to Kurt Carpenter, Director of Application Development for the Kimball Furniture Group, “Claricent provided just the right level of consulting support needed by our Kimball implementation team. This virtual group formed a cohesive team that achieved all project goals on time, on target, and on budget. Dave Fox and his staff supported Kimball with Project Planning, Basis, Development, and Cutover Support primarily using the Claricent remote support process. The upgrade from start to finish went according to plan without issues after our Go Live weekend. Kimball is now well positioned to take advantage of the new functionality with NetWeaver BI 7.0.”

The bold decision to conduct the infrastructure upgrade via remote support reflects the forward-thinking attitude that Kimball International has embraced since its inception in the early 1950s – an innovative and pioneering spirit that has secured them a permanent seat at forefront of their industry. Thanks to their open-minded approach to breakthrough technology and willingness to learn, Kimball was able to reap the benefits of custom, individual support in a fraction of the time it would have taken had the work been done on-site.

As such, the remote service provided by Claricent enabled Kimball to more efficiently utilize consulting resources on an as needed basis – resulting in time and money saved, systems implemented in record time, and an overall higher level of satisfaction and more powerful end result.

Dave Fox, President of Claricent at www.Claricent.com, says: “Claricent credits our ability to produce an end deliverable to clients such as Kimball International in a relatively short amount of time to our unique VirtualConsultant Remote Support Service. This system empowers SAP BI clients with the latest proven technologies; a specific, assigned support professional and project manager; and a unique portal that enables both parties to connect remotely via a desktop icon. In this manner, we are able to offer realtime, individualized service by promptly reacting to and expertly addressing ongoing questions that transpire during the course of a project.”

Kimball International looks forward to the effects that the upgrade will have on their production capabilities and the end deliverable to their clients.

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PRESS CONTACT: David Fox, President

Claricent
22 Preserve Way
Sturbridge, MA 01566

Phone: 888-325-6496
Email: dfox@claricent.com

About Claricent, Inc.:

Claricent is an information management consulting organization focusing on strategic implementations of SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence (SAP NetWeaver BI). The company uses technology – including hardware, software and services – to help clients realize their Information Management initiatives. Headquartered in Sturbridge, MA, Claricent provides Architecture & Design, Implementation, and Remote Support services for clients throughout North America. Claricent is committed to delivering unsurpassed attention and service to their clients by furthering their clients Information Management strategy and the realization of SAP NetWeaver BI as an Enterprise Data Warehouse solution.

To learn more about Claricent, visit www.Claricent.com

About Kimball International:

Recognized with a reputation for excellence, Kimball International is committed to a high performance culture that values personal and organizational commitment to quality, reliability, value, speed, and ethical behavior. Kimball employees know they are part of a corporate culture that builds success for customers while enabling employees to share in the company’s success through personal, professional and financial growth.

Kimball International, Inc. (NASDAQ: KBALB) provides a variety of products from its two business segments: the Furniture segment and the Electronic Contract Assemblies segment. The Furniture segment provides furniture for the office and hospitality industries, sold under the Company’s family of brand names. The Electronic Contract Assemblies segment provides engineering and manufacturing services which utilize common production and support capabilities to a variety of industries globally.

To learn more about Kimball International, Inc., visit our website at: www.kimball.com

SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries all over the world. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies.

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Covergis Changes Name to Claricent, Launches New Business Intelligence Initiatives in Support of Client Goals

Tuesday, August 28th, 2007

Press Release

Covergis Changes Name to Claricent, Launches New Business Intelligence Initiatives in Support of Client Goals

Covergis, a Massachusetts-based information technology consulting firm, has announced their decision to rebrand under the new name of Claricent. The decision reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to developing information management initiatives and solutions that bring greater clarity to growing businesses while substantially increasing market presence and revenue.

For Immediate Release
Sturbridge, MA August 28, 2007–

The information management and analytics consulting firm Covergis announced today that it will be expanding its enterprise to include several pre-packaged service programs and officially changing its name to Claricent.

The name change was implemented with the help of North Carolina-based branding expert Phil Davis of Tungsten Brilliant Brand Marketing at www.puretungsten.com. According to founder and company president David Fox, the name Claricent implies bringing clarity, insight and understanding to their clients’ information management initiatives which is exactly what the former Covergis wants to convey as their primary deliverable.

Along with the decision to re-brand comes the launch of their new website at http://Claricent.com. The new business model offers clients the opportunity to explore a host of new consulting services including analytics, architecture & design, implementation, and VirtualConsultant Remote Support. In addition, Claricent is presenting a complete packaged solution for the life insurance industry that’s specifically built for SAP NetWeaver BI – the first in a series of industry-specific programs they plan to announce over the course of the next several months.

Claricent will continue its focus on potential and existing SAP customers who have not realized the full capacity of their data, information, or analytic initiatives – and now, after experiencing a growth spurt, they are preparing to take their client offerings to the next level of deliverables.

Claricent primarily serves mid-market and Fortune 1000 clients who are more sensitive to price pressures yet still require expert knowledge and advice in the area of SAP technology solutions. Now, with the official name change, Claricent is targeting businesses who seek robust and flexible business intelligence solutions that will allow them to grow and expand over time.

Claricent brings clarity to and provides expert consulting for Data, Information, and Analytic initiatives. Their tagline, See More, Know More, and Do More™, reflects the company’s passion for putting information to work as a revenue-generating tool while reducing overhead costs, improving productivity and increasing the value of implementation.

Claricent President David Fox states that the Claricent brand more accurately reflects “our never-ending thirst for knowledge, tireless perseverance and holistic vision. Thanks to a pragmatic approach and unique application of technology we are able to provide robust, creative solutions faster, and with a higher level of satisfaction to our clients.”

Fox continues, “Most other consulting firms focus just on implementation services. Claricent compliments implementation services with up-front Architecture and Design services as well as post-implementation remote development and support via our VirtualConsultant service offering.”

To find out how your company can benefit from the consulting solutions at Claricent, email your requirements to solutions@claricent.com

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PRESS CONTACT: David Fox, President
Claricent
22 Preserve Way
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Phone: 888-325-6496
Email: dfox@claricent.com

About Claricent, Inc.:

Claricent is an information management consulting organization with a focus on strategic implementations of SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence (SAP NetWeaver BI). The company uses technology – including hardware, software and services – to help clients realize their Information Management initiatives. Headquartered in Sturbridge, MA, Claricent provides Architecture & Design, Implementation, and Support services for clients throughout North America. For more information, visit http://www.claricent.com.

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