We live in the age of connectivity. Everyone and everything is constantly connected; yet, in most organizations, business unit planning operates in silos. This fragmented approach is often the result of spreadsheet-driven planning processes, which impede collaboration.

As we enter a new era of digital transformation, forward-thinking businesses have strategies that are focused on process automation, agility, transparency and data-driven decisions. Technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), predictive analytics and cloud are changing the way finance and line of business professionals work and increasing the value they bring to their organization. Leading organizations are improving the value of planning and budgeting by using technology to connect lines of business with financial planning to drive more accurate plans and forecasts and improve business performance.

IBM Planning Analytics powered by TM1 transforms financial and operational planning by streamlining planning across the organization and automating slow spreadsheet-based planning processes, to accelerate planning cycles. It breaks down siloes and unifies data, creating one version of truth, and allows finance and line of business professionals to collaborate on plans, budgets and forecasts. By synchronizing planning, organizations can integrate financial with operational planning to align top-down business strategy with operational execution. IBM Planning Analytics also provide organizations with the ability to plan with greater agility, by easily adjusting plans and forecasts in real-time to adapt to changing business strategies, or internal and external conditions.

IBM Planning Analytics is a great solution for any organization; however, if you want your organization to combine the power of an enterprise planning solution with a fully integrated data and AI platform, then IBM Planning Analytics on Cloud Pak for Data is for you. IBM Cloud Pak for Data modernizes how businesses collect, organize and analyze data and infuse AI throughout their organizations. Cloud native by design, the platform unifies market-leading services spanning the entire analytics lifecycle. From data management, DataOps, governance, business analytics and automated AI, IBM Cloud Pak for Data helps eliminate the need for costly, and often competing, point solutions while providing the information architecture your organization needs to implement AI successfully. Building on the streamlined hybrid-cloud foundation of Red Hat OpenShift, IBM Cloud Pak for Data takes advantage of the underlying infrastructure optimization and management.

IBM Planning Analytics on Cloud Pak for Data allows you to invest in a planning solution that is easily deployed and maintained, so your organization can get started right away and focus your time on planning, collaborating with other stakeholders and analyzing data to propel your business forward. According to Forrester’s The Total Economic Impact Of IBM Planning Analytics, organizations who used IBM Planning Analytics accelerated their annual budgeting cycle by 63 percent, improved data processing by 80 percent and required 70 percent fewer labour hours to complete forecasting cycles. IBM Planning Analytics on Cloud for Pak can be deploy across any cloud or multi-cloud environment such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud and private clouds – the flexibility to deploy anywhere enables you to avoid vendor lock-in. IBM Planning Analytics on Cloud Pak for Data will give your organization the edge it needs to plan, forecast, and budget faster, with greater accuracy and infuse AI into your planning process. For more information, please register for our upcoming webinar or view our infographic to learn more.