Unite Group chooses Cognos technology to support growth   27th August 2007 Unite Group, the student accommodation and hospitality company, is investing in Cognos 8 Business Intelligence and Cognos Performance Blueprints to support ambitious business growth. Unite Group houses 34,000 students across 124 different sites, in university cities such as Bristol , Edinburgh , London and Newcastle . Following an assessment of the main vendors in the space, Cognos 8 BI was chosen to replace a cumbersome spreadsheet reporting system. Once implemented, all employees will easily access up-to-date and accurate information about each property on the web-based solution. Reports will include details on where student demand is high or low, levels of student satisfaction or if any repairs are needed. The finance module of Cognos Performance Blueprints will support planning and property investment appraisals. They provide ‘what-if' capabilities that allow the property development team to accurately test the potential of multiple locations for new student properties. They will be able to quickly decide which locations are best for the business, as well as comfortable for the student. “When you are investing in the fast-moving property market, you can't afford to be slow or make a mistake,” said Mark Mayler, head of business information at Unite Group. “However, as the company grew rapidly, spreadsheets became more difficult to use, creating silos of information and slowing the decision-making process down.” “Cognos' performance management technology will ensure all our employees have easy access to one version of relevant management information. We will be able to make better decisions and maximise the performance of our existing properties, while planning effectively for our future growth,” he continued. The finance-focused Blueprint was a key factor in Unite Group's decision to choose Cognos ahead of other vendors. “80% of the planning model was already defined and built, so it will be simple and cost-effective to implement. Also, the technology is already proven as it incorporates best practice experience from other organisations around the world.” “Cognos will be key to helping Unite Group maintain quality accommodation for students, at the same time as helping us achieve our goal of establishing 67 more student properties in the next 5 years,” concluded Mayler. “All companies need to be able to make good decisions quickly, but this can't be left to guesswork,” said Graham Walter, vice president of Cognos UK , Middle East and South Africa . “Organisations need to be able to look back at historic data, understand what is happening now and predict the future trends to know the best path to take in the future. By using performance management technology, Unite Group is making this a reality.” Related FSN articles: FSN Product Review: Cognos 8 “Performance Management fit for the whole organisation”
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