Ventana Research Launches Benchmark to Assess Use of Spreadsheets in 21st Century

SAN RAMON, CA, September 17, 2012 (Press-News.org) Ventana Research will commence a new benchmark research to educate organizations on the use of spreadsheets. This new research will explore best and worst practices for efficient and timely use of spreadsheets within the industry. The benchmark will further investigate the issues surrounding stand-alone spreadsheets and the risks that come with the misuse of spreadsheets.

Errors are common with the use of spreadsheets, even in a company's most critical data. Time is often wasted as workers struggle to find data entry errors, inaccurate formulas and mistakenly hard-coded values. Ventana Research launched this benchmark research to assess inefficiencies in the use of spreadsheets and the costs associated with them when they are used inappropriately and to show companies how to gain control of desktop spreadsheets while adopting a newer generation of enterprise tools for business advancement.

This research will examine how spreadsheets have evolved from being a personal productivity tool into a time waster. It will also assess the business needs surrounding the use stand-alone spreadsheets for tasks and explore the regulatory compliance challenges faced by companies who use spreadsheets in reporting.

"One of the most striking findings from our previous research is the degree to which people who use spreadsheets have become numb to the real risk of losses and difficulties they pose. Individuals do not realize the extent to which using spreadsheets hinders their efficiency," said Robert Kugel, Ventana Research's Senior Vice President and research director who heads the company's financial performance management practice. "We intend to shed light amid the gloom of inefficiency and risk with this new research. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive benchmark to provide guidance to help solve the issues that frequently arise whenever spreadsheets are used in collaborative, repetitive, enterprise-wide processes."

To learn more about the Spreadsheets for the Twenty-First Century benchmark and participate in the research, please visit: www.ventanaresearch.com/ss21.

Ventana Research, a leading business technology research and advisory services firm, provides qualified research participants with a financial incentive, complimentary report and presentation of the research findings as well as access to a free educational webinar on key findings from the benchmark research.

About Ventana Research

Ventana Research is the most authoritative and respected benchmark business technology research and advisory services firm. We provide insight and expert guidance on mainstream and disruptive technologies through a unique set of research-based offerings including benchmark research and technology evaluation assessments, education workshops and our research and advisory services, Ventana On-Demand. Our unparalleled understanding of the role of technology in optimizing business processes and performance and our best practices guidance are rooted in our rigorous research-based benchmarking of people, processes, information and technology across business and IT functions in every industry. This benchmark research plus our market coverage and in-depth knowledge of hundreds of technology providers means we can deliver education and expertise to our clients to increase the value they derive from technology investments while reducing time, cost and risk.

Ventana Research provides the most comprehensive analyst and research coverage in the industry; business and IT professionals worldwide are members of our community and benefit from Ventana Research's insights, as do highly regarded media and association partners around the globe. Our views and analyses are distributed daily through blogs and social media channels including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+.

To learn how Ventana Research advances the maturity of organizations' use of information and technology through benchmark research, education and advisory services, visit www.ventanaresearch.com.