CDS Global Uses Information Builders' WebFOCUS to Create SaaS-Based Reporting Solution

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Apr 14, 2011) - Information Builders, an independent leader in business intelligence (BI) solutions, today announced that CDS Global has launched InFOCUS Circ+, a Software as a Service (SaaS)-based reporting solution based on WebFOCUS that enables publishers to visualize circulation, fulfillment, and order-management data via the Internet.

As a leading provider of outsourced business solutions for e-commerce, payment processing, marketing, order management, and fulfillment, CDS Global created the BI environment to help clients in the publishing industry maximize the value of their data. Business users at nearly 150 publishers -- including Reader's Digest, Condé Nast, Rodale, Meredith, and American Media, Inc. -- depend on InFOCUS Circ+. CDS Global also offers InFOCUS BI+ to clients in the direct-to-consumer and media industries.

CDS Global conducted a rigorous evaluation of seven BI vendors. After careful consideration, it selected Information Builders' WebFOCUS BI platform because it met the proof-of-concept targets, manipulated data from CDS Global's current data constructs, and provided the most flexible development environment. "We needed an easy-to-use, web-based reporting solution that could give clients a clear view of their business metrics," said Kristin Runyan, chief information officer and vice president of Product Management at CDS Global. "WebFOCUS has an excellent graphical user interface development environment and it enables us to get down to the code level when we need to. Our customer base especially likes WebFOCUS Active Technology reports, which enable people who are not Excel wizards to interact with the data."

WebFOCUS Active Technology reports combine data and interactive controls into self-contained HTML or PDF files. These highly portable reports are ideal for a SaaS-based reporting environment since they permit unlimited analysis and drill-down functionality without any special client-side software. For example, CDS Global's new circulation management reports let clients track business renewals, billing metrics, and circulation trends for multiple magazine titles simultaneously, even when they are disconnected from the network. They can easily select the publications, analysis method, date range, and output options they wish to study. Since each Active Technology report includes a payload of data, these clients can drill-down into summary-level charts to study detailed metrics, such as gross and net subscriptions compared side-by-side over several quarters.

"The growing penetration of digital media has motivated publishers to gather more targeted information about circulation, fulfillment and many other business metrics from their subscribers," said Gerald D. Cohen, president and CEO of Information Builders. "CDS Global has always offered robust and innovative reporting services to publishers, and this new BI environment offers even more flexibility to help these companies make fast, knowledgeable decisions."

To learn more about InFOCUS Circ+, please view CDS Global's multimedia presentation.

About CDS Global
CDS Global is a leading provider of outsourced business solutions to multiple industries, delivering a wide range of innovative and flexible e-commerce, payment processing, marketing, order management, and fulfillment solutions. It effectively manages customer interactions and maximizes the value of data, creating a positive impact on the bottom line of its strategic partners. CDS Global is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hearst Corporation and employs 2,500 people worldwide.

About Information Builders
Information Builders provides software and services that bring smarter decision-making and streamlined processes to leading organizations in business, government, and education worldwide. The company's software is installed in tens of thousands of locations, servicing millions of users. Its WebFOCUS business intelligence (BI) platform delivers massively scalable information applications, analytics, and customer-facing portals to the new generation of information users to deliver game-changing business results. Its iWay Software integration platform allows enterprises to leverage all of their information resources to streamline internal and business-to-business processes while escalating the overall accessibility and integrity of information regardless of environmental complexity. Headquartered in New York City with 60 offices worldwide, the company employs 1,350 people and has established significant industry partnerships. Visit Information Builders at informationbuilders.com. For ongoing news, go to informationbuilders.com/new or follow Information Builders at @infobldrs.