Enterprises Unify, Accelerate Business Planning with AI-powered Software Platforms, ISG Says
MWN-AI** Summary
According to a recent report from Information Services Group (ISG), an increasing number of enterprises are leveraging AI-powered business planning software to harmonize their planning activities with overarching corporate strategies. The ISG Buyers Guide™ for Business Planning highlights rankings of 17 software providers, showcasing the evolution from traditional budgeting methods to dynamic business planning practices that prioritize adaptability and identify growth opportunities.
ISG's research indicates companies are adopting integrated business planning tools to foster continuous planning across departments, enhancing decision-making and resource management. With developments in generative AI and agentic AI features, these platforms can streamline forecasting and engage more stakeholders in the planning process. By 2028, ISG anticipates that a significant portion of Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) organizations will embrace this integrated approach to planning.
The tailored software solutions enable firms to navigate the complexities of modern business environments, allowing them to adjust global assumptions and understand implications in real time. This capability is enhanced through advanced data management features and the use of application programming interfaces (APIs), which automate data handling from various source systems.
ISG's evaluation for its 2025 Buyers Guide assessed software providers across four categories: Business Planning, Financial Planning, Revenue Planning, and Workforce Planning. OneStream was notably recognized as the top Overall Leader in each category, followed closely by Anaplan and Oracle. This recognition demonstrates the powerful role these platforms play in transforming business planning into a strategic asset that supports proactive decision-making.
Overall, the advances in AI-driven business planning software are enabling enterprises to thrive amidst uncertainties, serving as crucial tools for anticipating change rather than merely reacting to it.
MWN-AI** Analysis
As enterprises increasingly turn to AI-powered business planning software, understanding market dynamics and making informed investment decisions is crucial. According to recent research from Information Services Group (ISG), dedicated business planning platforms are revolutionizing how organizations forecast, analyze, and make strategic decisions.
With the integration of AI features, these platforms enhance traditional budgeting processes by providing a more proactive approach, allowing companies to anticipate changes in their operational environment rather than merely react. This is essential as businesses navigate the complexities of multi-dimensional planning, which includes variables like products, customers, and currencies.
Notably, OneStream, Anaplan, and Oracle emerged as top leaders in ISG's comprehensive evaluation, consistently rated exemplary across multiple categories, indicating their ability to offer robust solutions for integrated business planning. Companies looking to invest in such platforms should consider these providers for their strong performance in both product capability and customer experience.
Emerging technologies, including generative AI and advanced data management features, are set to become game-changers. They facilitate faster forecasting, reduce bias in financial projections, and automate analytics, which significantly decreases manual labor. By leveraging these innovations, companies can optimize their planning processes and improve cross-departmental collaboration, further aligning business strategies with organizational goals.
As ISG projects that by 2028, 25% of financial planning and analysis organizations will adopt integrated business planning, firms should capitalize on this trend now. Investing in capable software platforms to enhance decision-making capabilities will position them favorably in a competitive landscape. Enterprises should assess their specific business needs and seek comprehensive solutions that streamline operations, improve resource allocation, and ultimately drive growth in an increasingly dynamic market environment.
**MWN-AI Summary and Analysis is based on asking OpenAI to summarize and analyze this news release.
Automation, analytics help companies anticipate change, coordinate decision-making across departments, new research says
A growing number of companies are using dedicated business planning software to integrate their planning activities and align them with enterprise strategy and objectives, according to new research from global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm Information Services Group ( ISG ) (Nasdaq: III ).
The ISG Buyers Guide™ for Business Planning, produced by ISG Software Research, provides the rankings and ratings of 17 software providers and their products to support connected, coordinated planning. The research finds that many enterprises are augmenting traditional budget processes, focused on financial safety and control, with business planning practices that identify opportunities and paths to improvement. Software platforms for carrying out these practices are becoming more powerful as they integrate AI features. The Buyers Guide for Financial Planning Emerging Providers ranks and rates 10 innovative providers of software that supports traditional financial management while reducing complexity.
“Companies need continuous planning with input from all departments to anticipate change, manage resources and pursue growth,” said Robert Kugel, executive director, Business Research, ISG Software Research. “Enterprises adopting business planning tools are using technology to overcome the limitations of siloed planning.”
Dedicated software platforms can refine an organization’s forecasting, planning, analysis and decision-making cycles while improving the performance of executives, managers and financial planning and analysis (FP&A) teams, the research finds. With emerging generative AI and agentic AI features, these platforms can make planning cycles even faster and more agile while increasing participation in the process. By 2028, one-fourth of FP&A organizations will implement this form of integrated business planning, ISG predicts.
Business planning software addresses the complexity of modern business, which operates in multiple dimensions, including those of products, customers, currencies and business units, rather than the two or three dimensions of traditional financial planning, ISG finds. Multidimensional modeling with business planning software lets companies adjust assumptions globally and calculate the effects instantly so leaders can explore scenarios interactively in meetings.
AI is creating new ways to carry out these activities, available in applications already on the market or coming soon, the research finds. Benefits include faster forecasting, reduced bias and simplified budgeting, with automated analytics, decision recommendations and report commentaries. With GenAI and natural language processing, self-service reporting is becoming widely available.
The addition of advanced data management features is another key trend in the evolution of business planning platforms, ISG finds. There are rapidly maturing technologies for managing data flows between these platforms and source systems, including enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM) and supply chain management. The platforms increasingly use application programming interfaces (APIs) for automatic data extraction, transformation and loading, reducing manual effort and allowing planners to focus on strategy.
For its 2025 Buyers Guide for Business Planning, ISG evaluated software providers across four platform categories: Business Planning, Financial Planning, Revenue Planning and Workforce Planning. A total of 17 providers were assessed: Anaplan, Board, IBM, Infor, insightsoftware, Jedox, Lucanet, OneStream, Oracle, Pigment, Planful, Prophix, SAP, Unit4, Vena Solutions, Wolters Kluwer and Workday.
ISG Software Research rates software providers in five evaluation categories: Overall, Product Experience (incorporating Capability and Platform) and Customer Experience. Providers ranked in the top three for each evaluation category are named as Leaders. Within each platform category, those with the most Leader rankings are named as Overall Leaders.
The Overall Leaders of the 2025 Buyers Guide for Business Planning were the following:
Business Planning: OneStream was the top Overall Leader, followed by Anaplan and Oracle. OneStream was designated a Leader in five evaluation categories, Anaplan in five and Oracle in four. All three Overall Leaders were rated Exemplary, along with Board, Prophix, SAP and Workday. IBM and Planful were rated Innovative.
Financial Planning: OneStream was the top Overall Leader, followed by Anaplan and Oracle. OneStream was designated a Leader in five evaluation categories, Anaplan in five and Oracle in four. All three Overall Leaders were rated Exemplary, along with Board, Prophix, SAP and Workday. IBM and Jedox were rated Innovative.
Revenue Planning: OneStream was the top Overall Leader, followed by Anaplan and Oracle. OneStream was designated a Leader in five evaluation categories, Anaplan in five and Oracle in four. All three Overall Leaders were rated Exemplary, along with Board and Workday. IBM, Jedox and SAP were rated Innovative.
Workforce Planning: OneStream was the top Overall Leader, followed by Anaplan and Oracle. OneStream was designated a Leader in five evaluation categories, Anaplan in five and Oracle in four. All three Overall Leaders were rated Exemplary, along with Board, Prophix and Workday. IBM and SAP were rated Innovative.
For its 2025 Buyers Guide for Financial Planning Emerging Providers, ISG evaluated 10 providers: Abacum, Centage, Cube, Datarails, Drivetrain, insightsoftware, Jirav, Phocas Software, Sage and Solver.
The Overall Leaders of the 2025 Buyers Guide for Financial Planning Emerging Providers were the following:
Financial Planning Emerging Providers: Sage was the top Overall Leader, followed by Abacum and insightsoftware. Sage was designated a Leader in four evaluation categories, Abacum in five and insightsoftware in four. All three Overall Leaders were rated Exemplary, along with Cube. Drivetrain, Phocas Software and Cube were rated Innovative.
“Rapid advances in software, especially with AI, are turning business planning from an operational burden into an asset for decision-making and action that lets executives and managers anticipate change rather than react to it,” said Mark Smith, partner and chief software analyst, ISG Software Research. “This comprehensive research rates and ranks business planning software so enterprises can assess each option and determine which products best serve their general and specific business needs.”
The ISG Buyers Guides™ for Business Planning and Financial Planning Emerging Providers are the distillation of more than a year of market and product research efforts. The research is not sponsored nor influenced by software providers and is conducted solely to help enterprises optimize their business and IT software investments.
Visit this webpage to learn more about the ISG Buyers Guides™ for Business Planning and Financial Planning Emerging Providers and read executive summaries of each of the reports. The complete reports, including provider rankings across seven product and customer experience dimensions and detailed research findings on each provider, are available by contacting ISG Software Research.
About ISG Software Research
ISG Software Research provides authoritative coverage and analysis of the business and IT software industry. It distributes research and insights daily through its user community, and provides a portfolio of consulting, advisory, research and education services for enterprises, software and service providers, and investment firms. Its ISG Buyers Guides™ help enterprises evaluate and select software providers through tailored assessments powered by ISG’s proprietary methodology. Visit http://research.isg-one.com/ for more information and to sign up for free community membership.
About ISG
ISG (Nasdaq: III ) is a global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm. A trusted partner to more than 900 clients, including 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is a long-time leader in technology and business services that is now at the forefront of leveraging AI to help organizations achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm, founded in 2006, is known for its proprietary market data, in-depth knowledge of provider ecosystems, and the expertise of its 1,600 professionals worldwide working together to help clients maximize the value of their technology investments.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251209168754/en/
Press Contacts:
Laura Hupprich, ISG
+1 203 517 3100
laura.hupprich@isg-one.com
Julianna Sheridan, Matter Communications for ISG
+1 978 518 4520
isg@matternow.com
FAQ**
How does the Information Services Group Inc. III report highlight the role of AI features in enhancing the effectiveness of business planning software across various industries?
In what ways can companies leverage insights from the Information Services Group Inc. III’s Buyers Guide to improve their financial planning processes through software?
According to Information Services Group Inc. III, what are the anticipated trends in business planning software by 2028 that companies should prepare for?
How does Information Services Group Inc. III assess and rank software providers in its Buyers Guide, and what criteria contribute to their designation as "Leaders"?
**MWN-AI FAQ is based on asking OpenAI questions about Information Services Group Inc. (NASDAQ: III).
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