| That something was the creation of Anaplan, a cloud-based financial planning software provider that began life in his office in a brick barn in the United Kingdom and has gone on to be embraced by some of the world’s biggest companies. Self-styled as the 'spreadsheet killer'2, the ground-breaking solution enables business planning on a single system and, in its own words, “integrates planning, budgeting and forecasting processes to provide organisations with real-time visibility into data that drives results”3.
Now based in San Francisco, Anaplan was purchased for more than $10 billion in 20224 and remains committed to using its business planning and performance management platform to collectively save its more than 1900 customers5 billions of dollars in time and resources each year. In a world where business dynamics have never been more complex, it is essential for companies to connect key people, data and plans and Anaplan has forged a reputation for doing just that.
It is one thing to adopt Anaplan though and another to do it properly. To ensure organisations get the most out of the solution, we have designed this easy-to-use guide that outlines how it works, its game-changing benefits and why it pays to partner with an experienced technology partner for implementation.
Anaplan is a cloud-based platform for planning and performance management that offers applications across multiple areas including sales, marketing, HR, finance and IT. With a key focus on enhancing decision-making, the solution integrates data sources, crafts simulations and facilitates real-time collaboration to foster improved teamwork and streamlined business operations.
Anaplan also allows users of all tiers to pay for additional features including PlanIQ (create business forecasts via integration with machine learning and statistical algorithms) and HyperModeling (aggregation of large data sets for easier analysis). Professional tier customers can also access Enterprise-level technical support for an extra fee.
The Anaplan platform has several key features that support organisations and users including:
Embedded intelligence: Anaplan combines embedded optimisation, cutting-edge predictive algorithms and artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities to transform complex inputs into actionable recommendations. This includes its trademarked Optimizer tool and embedded algorithms that enable statistical forecasting.
Patented engines: an in-memory calculation engine, Hyperblock facilitates multi-dimensional scenario modelling with unlimited contrasts to allow businesses to model complicated scenarios and stay ahead of market changes. A further two calculation engines – the Classic engine and the Polaris engine – are also designed to solve business problems at scale, while Hypermodel capabilities allow users to feed vast amounts of data into use cases and effortlessly adjust forecasts.
Enterprise scalability: imagine being able to scale your business planning across trillions of cells, hundreds of models and use cases, thousands of users and multiple versions. The Anaplan platform makes this a reality as calculations stay consistent and rapid for all datasets and any number of users.
Robust security: few things are more important in today’s business landscape than data protection. With this in mind, Anaplan offers industry-leading security capabilities that guarantee organisations transparency, visibility, access and control. Be it BYOK, single sign-on (SSO) support with SAML 2.0, audit functionality that tracks user activity or data encryption at rest and in transit, Anaplan is a safe bet.
Anaplan undoubtedly offers users more benefits than negatives. These include:
Anaplan operates under a license-based pricing system that depends on various factors. These include the tier chosen, a customer’s user count, line of business, use plans and number of workspace gigabytes the customer buys. Pricing can also increase significantly as application complexity increases. While Anaplan does not offer free plans or trials, product demos are available. For further information on pricing, visit the company’s website.
Anaplan is a game-changer but far too many organisations fail to realise its true potential as they adopt the platform without a clear strategic vision. While it offers its own training and resources, the truth is the greatest Anaplan success stories are told by organisations that have partnered with experts not only during the implementation phase but for ongoing optimisation.
At Innovior, we take pride in guiding clients on their Anaplan journeys. Our experienced consultants take the time to look at the individual needs of an organisation and devise implementation and optimisation plans that are unique and deliver long-term success. The reality is most companies do not boast the skills or knowledge to optimise purpose-built technology solutions such as Anaplan - and that is where we come in. Best of all, taking the first step is only the click of a button away.
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