We primarily use IBM Controller for the consolidation of all our company results and yearly reporting.
User support and consolidation capabilities have strengthened financial reporting
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
IBM Controller appeals significantly to our user group led by the Chief Financial Officer and the team under them. The strong user support and capability in consolidation are standout features. It is mainly used for structured, formal reporting, which is essential for adhering to organizational requirements.
What needs improvement?
I am uncertain about the delivery model of IBM Controller and the direction it is headed. While the delivery model includes both cloud and on-premises options, it causes confusion. A more straightforward, possibly software-as-a-service, presentation would be beneficial.
For how long have I used the solution?
My company has been using IBM Controller for more than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability has never been mentioned as a problem. If there were any issues, they would be quickly prioritized by our Chief Financial Officer. I have not seen any substantial stability issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have never heard of any scalability limitations with IBM Controller. The Cognos product is so reliable that it hardly raises any concerns within our IT department.
How are customer service and support?
The delivery model is complex, involving an IT operations partner and a third-party application provider rather than IBM directly. This complexity in delivery makes customer support a bit convoluted.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is concerning because our IT operations partner cannot clearly explain how it's managed and operated, nor how it could be improved in the future.
What about the implementation team?
We've chosen to install IBM Controller on our Virtual Machines, resulting in a manual management process. Currently, it is operated from our own data centers rather than as a cloud service from IBM.
What was our ROI?
The current deliberation is on the savings from transitioning to a full cloud delivery model. This might eliminate the need for input from our IT operations partner, which could result in a savings of twenty to forty percent.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I haven't provided a definitive opinion on pricing. However, knowing our CFO's cost-conscious nature, the pricing is likely very competitive and has never been an issue.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate the overall solution eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
