Acambis selects Cognos 8 BI to improve resource allocation

Acambis is a leading biotechnology company that develops novel vaccines which target unmet medical needs or offer improvements over existing products. To optimize its investment in research and development, Acambis wanted to ensure it was spending properly across the organization. The firm looked at a variety of solutions and chose Cognos 8 BI as its corporate solution to integrate projects and initiatives and more effectively measure performance against resource allocation plans.

Cognos 8 BI will allow for timely access to accurate data and facilitate better collaboration and control between function and project leaders. Acambis executives will now receive reports specifically tailored to their needs and objectives, enabling them to gain immediate sense of their performance status and identify trouble areas in advance.

"Historically it took a long time to produce reports and analyze the information. Data were difficult to extract and were not always accurately reflected, which meant the credibility of the report was put in question," said Mohammad Hammami, Director of Financial Management, Acambis. "With Cognos 8 BI we will have quicker reporting with accurate data, which means management will have greater confidence in the information and, more importantly, in the decisions they make around resource allocation in particular."

As a long time Cognos Planning customer, Acambis will integrate its financial planning process with Cognos 8 BI to deliver a complete performance management environment. Cognos Planning helps Acambis forecast and manage its internal resources - including cash, people and revenues. Cognos BI will help Acambis measure key performance metrics against these targeted plans, identify trends, and spot anomalies.

Business intelligence and enterprise planning are key capabilities of the Cognos Performance Management System, which combines technology, best practices, analytical applications and solutions, and a broad network of partners into a single performance management solution for customers. Cognos 8 BI is the only BI product that provides the complete range of BI capabilities - reporting, analysis, scorecarding, dashboards, business event management, and data integration - on a single, proven architecture. Cognos 8 Planning leverages Cognos 8 BI to enable reporting and analysis on real-time plans.

"The pharmaceutical industry is seeing rising R&D costs, which means companies such as Acambis are looking for ways to identify cost savings and improve business processes," said Derek Morrison, Regional General Manager, Cognos Middle East. "Acambis, with its expertise in vaccine development, paired with Cognos' leading performance management solutions, will enable better decision-making to address its specific needs and keep the competitive edge required to succeed."

Cognos is a recognized leader in delivering performance management solutions for the pharmaceutical industry. Currently, 25 of the top 30 pharmaceutical firms rely on Cognos performance management software. In addition to Acambis, other customers include Novartis, Bayer UK, and Quintiles Transnational.