Dresner considers Unit4 FP&A to have a low ‘Total Cost of Ownership’ while still providing high-value
Dresner’s 2024 “Wisdom of Crowds” market study for Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) surveys global users of EPM and FP&A systems to provide prospective users with a vendor comparison.
A survey of global EPM users, with North America (59%), and Finance teams (56%) being the main respondents, it’s an ideal way to evaluate EPM or FP&A vendors.
In this 2024 survey, Dresner introduced a new model for vendor evaluation – the ‘Total Cost of Ownership’ model. This blog covers the methodology behind this model, why it’s important, and how Unit4 FP&A was ranked highly in this model and a leader for total cost of ownership.
What is an EPM system?
While EPM and FP&A systems are slightly different – the former being an umbrella term for all kinds of performance analysis, while the latter focuses solely on financial performance analysis - Unit4’s Financial Planning and Analysis solution (FP&A) fits Dresner’s following definition.
Dresner writes that an EPM system “allows an organization to plan for the impact of various internal and external factors on its future performance and business outcomes. This includes strategic, operational, and financial planning and forecasting.”
The current EPM market
Slowly increasing to 71% in 2024, from 62% in 2023, and 54% in 2022, EPM systems are steadily growing and taking increased priority for those organizations looking to optimize performance.
Notably, Dresner observes much higher usage across small-sized organizations (62% in 2024 compared to 34% in 2023) to mid-sized organizations (63% in 2024 compared to 59% in 2023).
Dresner considers 71% of the organizations using EPM/FP&A systems as ‘extremely successful’ or ‘very successful’ presenting these digital solutions as growth-defining tools.
Importantly, the Cloud now dominates the EPM market, with 59% of respondents stating the Cloud as the preferred mode of deployment, up from 44% in 2023.
Click to read FP&A product brochure gated
How does Dresner form the ‘Total Cost of Ownership’ ranking?
In Dresner’s words: “This model is based solely upon input from users of each EPM vendor and represents opinions related to the perceived value for price paid and perceived TCO.”
In a similar vein, this model and ranking isn’t simply an evaluation of how much an EPM/FP&A system costs. A low total cost of ownership can still have low value, and vice versa.
User’s responses around cost are couched in their understanding of value. By collating these responses Dresner can place each vendor within a quadrant, which you can see yourself in their report, representing how users weigh cost against value - many might refer to this as ‘return on investment’.
How did Unit4 rank in the ‘Total Cost of Ownership’ model?
Unit4 FP&A ranked highly in Dresner’s new model, based on user feedback, and is considered high value with a low total cost of ownership, showing that users of Unit4 FP&A consider there to be a high return on their investment.
Unit4 FP&A also ranked positively for other models, an ‘Overall Credibility Leader’ in the ‘Customer Experience Model’, and a ‘Trust Leader’ in the ‘Vendor Credibility Model’, while maintaining a perfect 10.00 score for recommendation.
Learn more about Unit4’s ranking in Dresner’s 2024 EPM Market Study
Dresner’s EPM Market study is based directly on user feedback and is an ideal way to compare vendors. We’re pleased Unit4 is ranked as high value with a low total cost of ownership, representing the return on investment demonstrated in our user feedback.
To read more, download the full EPM Market Study for 2024, visit our dedicated FP&A product page, read more Unit4 FP&A customer stories, or talk to sales today.
