Working on a Restructure?

Success Requires Complete Business Visibility, Fast

WALTHAM, Mass. — Dec. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Executives that enter into a restructuring situation are faced with a unique set of challenges, ranging from negotiating with creditors to reducing overhead. On-demand business visibility is crucial for businesses trying to successfully recover from this scenario. Executives and restructuring consultants have long desired to use Business Intelligence (BI) -- the integration and analyzing of disparate business data -- to make smarter business decisions based on how the business actually looks. However, with long implementation times and high costs, traditional in-house software was never an option. Now, hosted BI platforms offer accurate business visibility in weeks, not months.

"Restructuring is distressful and fast-paced. Decisions need to be made almost immediately to prevent the loss of additional dollars, but can't be made on gut alone," said Andrea Franz, CFO of Oco, Inc. "On-demand Business Intelligence helps those involved drive cash faster, focus on what really matters, and back decisions using historical and current business data. The key is to use a BI solution that is guaranteed to be accurate and fast while not significantly increasing IT overhead. Those restructuring can't afford to wait or act on incorrect data."

Franz believes the answer lies in the hosted, on-demand BI model rather than in-house BI software. Unlike traditional BI software, a hosted BI model allows for fast implementation and fast reporting. For example, Oco offers fully-managed, Web-based BI tools that are guaranteed to provide business visibility in just six weeks or money back, a stark contrast to the 12 to 18 months required for traditional BI solutions. As a result, restructuring executives and consultants have an accurate view of the business, the numbers to support decisions, and the ability to provide the financiers with a true picture and metrics to measure progress.

"TXF was in a restructuring situation and implemented Oco's technology to have a better sense of the business, to communicate the data across our organization, and to allow real-time inventory management. Within six weeks, all of our data was integrated into the system and we received our first daily report," said Paul O'Conor, president and CEO of TXF. "Because of Oco's hosted BI tools, we made smarter decisions and our profits went from a 2.5 million-dollar loss in 2004 to a 1.2 million-dollar gain in 2005."

Oco's fixed-time, fixed-cost hosted BI solution means restructuring executives and consultants can expect data integration from any source, accurate reporting, and guaranteed ROI.

"Having a true view of your business while restructuring can make the difference between getting out alive or going under," said Franz. "The only way to truly get an accurate picture through the data and information is to implement a fast business intelligence solution, one that is guaranteed to provide a return on investment -- imperative in restructuring."

According to Franz, there are some simple steps restructuring executives and consultants can use to recover successfully:

• Get the real picture, fast -- Make sure you have all the information necessary to institute real, profitable change, and make sure it's accurate.
• Implement a fixed-time, fixed-cost BI solution that is guaranteed to be put into action quickly -- those restructuring can't afford to wait.
• Measure your progress and success -- Use daily reports to document the situation, provide real numbers to creditors, and demonstrate improvement.
• Work with a vendor that will manage the process and keep overhead increases low. Restructuring is a stressful situation already -- a hosted BI tool reduces IT staff burden, training, and support needed for an in-house solution. About Oco, Inc.