Mexican Riviera Beaches -Puerto Vallarta Villa Rentals, Hotels, Resorts

City of Atlanta Standardizes on Cognos 8 Business Intelligence

Burlington, MA (PRWeb) December 21, 2006 -- Cognos (Nasdaq: COGN; TSX: CSN), the world leader in business intelligence and performance management solutions, today announced that the City of Atlanta has standardized on Cognos 8 Business Intelligence (BI) for Atlanta Stat, its city-wide performance management initiative in a multi-million dollar partnership.

Founded in 1837, Atlanta is the fastest growing city in the United States, known as a global transportation hub and established banking center, with world headquarters for 13 Fortune 500 companies. In order to accomplish Mayor Franklin's priorities of ensuring fiscal responsibility and maintaining efficient government, Atlanta needed a more effective way to evaluate departmental performance and manage its billion dollar annual operating budget.

Atlanta selected Cognos 8 BI to aggregate disparate data from multiple sources, such as PeopleSoft, to provide information access and visibility for more than 1,500 government officials across all city departments, from the Mayor to individual managers in its Atlanta Stat process. For example, Atlanta's Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs is now able to have self-service access to real-time information such as service level vendor agreements, and analyze the impact of performance at the field-crew-level on common functions across the city. Previously, this process would have required weeks of resource-intensive efforts.

"In the City of Atlanta, we needed a total performance management solution that would enable us to become a more efficient, cost-effective and accountable government organization," said Chuck Meadows, Chief, Budget & Fiscal Policy, City of Atlanta. "With Cognos 8 BI, we can more easily communicate and manage performance goals and service level agreements across our agencies citywide. By selecting Cognos as our performance management solution, we can eliminate the need for additional solutions while driving enhanced performance throughout the organization, ultimately resulting in better services for our citizens."

"The City of Atlanta is a representative example of the significant value local governments can derive from an enterprise performance management strategy," said Terence Atkinson, Director, Government and Education Solutions, Cognos. "Cognos is the only supplier in the market with the full product capabilities to deliver a total performance management solution for our customers. The combination of world-leading reporting and analysis capabilities and dynamic scorecarding will help put the City of Atlanta on the path to continuous performance improvement, which ultimately means improving service delivery across the city with the same resources."

Cognos partner Sky Solutions assisted with the pilot phase of this program and will continue to deliver its expertise, alongside Cognos consulting services, to help the City of Atlanta complete the full deployment.

Cognos is a leading provider of business intelligence and performance management solutions for state and local governments, helping them deliver timely, high-quality programs and services to their citizens. In addition to the City of Atlanta, leading customers include City of Albuquerque, District of Columbia - Office of Budgeting & Planning, New York City Police Department, and State of Texas Building and Procurement Commission. For more information about Cognos solutions for state and local governments, please visit http://www.cognos.com/solutions/industry/government/state-local.html.

About COGNOS:

Cognos, the world leader in business intelligence and performance management solutions, provides world-class enterprise planning and BI software and services to help companies plan, understand and manage financial and operational performance.

Cognos brings together technology, analytical applications, best practices, and a broad network of partners to give customers a complete performance system. The Cognos performance system is an open and adaptive solution that leverages an organization's ERP, packaged applications, and database investments. It gives customers the ability to answer the questions -- How are we doing? Why are we on or off track? What should we do about it? - and enables them to understand and monitor current performance while planning future business strategies.

Cognos serves more than 23,000 customers in more than 135 countries, and its top 100 enterprise customers consistently outperform market indexes. Cognos performance management solutions and services are also available from more than 3,000 worldwide partners and resellers. For more information, visit the Cognos Web site at http://www.cognos.com.

###

MORE ARTICLES:

Puerto Vallarta Vacation Review
Just returning from a wonderful trip to Puerto Vallarta, I've decided that tropical vacations are good for the "soul". It's important to take the time to get a way from the everyday routine.

My Holiday Villa Rentals, Vacation Rentals and Holiday Homes by Owner
More and more vacationers are choosing the cheaper, more cost worthy option of renting a home. This is often a way to give holiday makers a larger more comfortable space for far less cost than a hotel room. Sending inquiry messages are free, any commissions are cut out completely as you rent direct from the owners. This is now becoming the most popular way to vacation around the world.

Iconic Mexican Performers Take Flight In Puerto Vallarta
Every weekend in Puerto Vallarta, a group of famous Mexican performers take flight From a central location on the Malec?n ? Puerto Vallarta?s beloved boardwalk ? the Papantla Flyers dazzle visitors with six performances each Saturday and Sunday

CasaHelga.com Offers Over 120 Luxury Villa Rentals in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - New Website Offers More Photos, Videos, Search by Availability
Our new and improved website allows vacationers interested in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to find a luxury villa suited exactly to their needs and available during the dates they specify. We've also added more photos and videos of the exclusive villa homes we represent.

More Vacations at Puerto Vallarta MX
Puerto Vallarta MX is definitely one of the places where people can stay and enjoy more vacations Puerto Vallarta MX is in the state of Jalisco and is one of Mexicoýs premier resort cities

Dream Destination Wedding in a Puerto Vallarta Villa
Every woman dreams of her wedding at some exotic destination with beautiful white sand beaches, pristine clear waters, magnificent Villa and surrounded by her close ones. If you thought this is just a dream then you could not be more wrong. You can have your wedding with great style and sophistication in a luxury Villa in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Discount Last Minute Puerto Vallarta Packages To The Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita
We managed a discount last minute Puerto Vallarta package to the Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita. In truth the discount was the bonus, because we fully intended to go there anyway, and pay the full price, but thanks to some work online, we got a huge discount. A quick thank you to The Vacation Bargain Finder, details of which can be found at http://www.worldwidevacationspots.com/pages/Vacation-Bargain-Finder.html

Celebrate Grandparents at Grand Velas Resort in Puerto Vallarta
Dolphin Encounters, Spanish Lessons, Mexican Folkloric Night and More As part of the Grandparents Package Available Until October 1st

Puerto Vallarta: The City of Festivals
After Puerto Vallarta found its way onto the international tourism map following the release of ?The Night of the Iguana,? the city became a meeting place for artists, musicians and anyone seeking a cosmopolitan destination amongst incredible natural beauty As a result, numerous festivals have developed in Puerto Vallarta, celebrating everything from independent film to haute cuisine

Uncovered: A New Resource for Real Estate Investment Opportunities in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
fundVallarta announces a full online resource for discovering real estate investment opportunities in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. With conditions similar to the property boom in California, Puerto Vallarta is poised to become an international performer with a solid return on investment. Visitors are able to access a significant knowledge-based investment resource center at the fundVallarta.com website.

New Shop & Spa Money at All-Inclusive 5 Diamond Puerto Vallarta Hotel
Travelers save Over 50% at Puerto Vallarta hotel Grand Velas All Suites & Spa Resort With $250 Credit during Summer & Fall

Livin' La Vida Loca at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Mexico is in itself a paradise with its lot of places that offer nothing but the best comfortable life to anyone. Out of the several coastal resort-type offerings in the region, Puerto Vallarta is possibly the greatest epitome of wonderland.

Mendocino Coast Hotel Pacific Mist Inn Whale Watchers Festival Vacation Rental Home Special
Mendocino Coast Hotel offers a new special during Whale Festival. Pacific Mist Inn and Cabins announced that throughout the month of March, they are offering a special for travelers to the Mendocino Coast, if a guest books any room or full cabin for two nights, the third night is for free.

A Mexico Vacation Special To The Maroma Resort In The Mayan Riviera
Some very good reasons for booking a Mexico vacation special and choosing the best of luxury hotels the Maroma Resort in the Mayan Riviera

Casa Velas in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Receives AAA Four Diamond Award
Casa Velas Hotel Boutique in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, is again joining the ranks of AAA Four Diamond Award winners. Casa Velas is the only adults-only all-inclusive golf resort in Mexico to receive this AAA Four Diamond award.