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A Major New EPM Platform Has Just Launched

/in /by BPM Partners

Craig Schiff , President and CEO, BPM Partners

Overview

insightsoftware has officially launched the Lineos platform for the Office of the CFO.

Today, Lineos consists of five modules that can be purchased and run standalone or as part of one connected platform:
–         Financial Planning (based on technology acquired from JustPerform)
–         Reporting Intelligence (developed by insightsoftware)
–         Close & Consolidation (based on technology acquired from JustPerform)
–         Account Reconciliation (developed by insightsoftware)
–         Disclosure management (based on technology acquired from Certent)

Also launching are four module-specific AI agents: Reconciliation, XBRL Tagging, Analyst, and Variance Storyteller.

Details

We see this as a major development for two main reasons: it is coming from an established and successful financial software vendor (34,000+ customers, 1,800+ partners), and it addresses planning as well as close & consolidation, a rarity for new offerings in the space.

One of the challenges insightsoftware had was that they acquired numerous products over the years and several had overlapping capabilities. Lineos addresses this by bringing together and updating their flagship offerings in each key EPM area and uniting them on a single AI-enabled platform for planning through disclosure.

This will put them in direct competition with leading EPM suite vendors focused on the midmarket, as well as some vendors that target both the midmarket and large enterprises including Prophix, Vena Solutions, Jedox, and Pigment.

Outlook

While it is always challenging to enter the market with a new offering, the products that form the core foundation of Lineos are already proven: the Certent product has been recognized for many years as a leading disclosure management solution (along with its equity management capabilities), and our own research shows customers giving JustPerform high marks for both its planning and consolidation capabilities.

We are always happy to see a new choice for customers in the EPM suite market, and we believe Lineos should be considered by midmarket organizations, especially those looking for both planning and close & consolidation.

Learn More

To see the complete ratings, recommendation rates, and customer commentary for each vendor; as well as the latest information on their planning, consolidation, and AI capabilities: Vendor Landscape Matrix Report | BPM Partners

This post previously appeared in a condensed version on LinkedIn

Top-Rated EPM Vendors for 2026

/in /by BPM Partners

Craig Schiff , President and CEO, BPM Partners

Overview

The EPM solution market is highly competitive and customer satisfaction and related referenceability can be a key differentiator. This chart displays the Top-Rated Vendors for customer satisfaction based on their customers’ responses to our surveys.

Methodology

The data was collected as part of our 2025/2026 BPM Pulse Research Survey cycle which concluded in May 2026 and had responses from 627 end users.  The surveys were open to all, and responses were validated by the vendors being rated to confirm respondents were actual customers.

Vendors were rated by their customers on 15 attributes plus Overall (this rating was not mathematically derived). They provided a rating in the range of 1-5, with 5 being best, and we grouped those ratings into Fair, Good, Very Good, Excellent, and Outstanding categories.  The chart displays a subset of attributes and the vendors that were rated Excellent or Outstanding for each.

The Results

Vendors receiving one or more Top-Ratings this year include: Anaplan, CCH Tagetik, deFacto Global, insightsoftware, Jedox, OneStream, Oracle, Pigment, Prophix, Una AI, and Vena.

Conclusion

Customer satisfaction is but one aspect to be considered when evaluating vendors, but it is an important one. The ratings are even more valuable when you drill into specific areas that are most critical to your project, for example Ease of Use, or Budgeting and Planning functionality.

Learn More

To see the complete ratings, recommendation rates, and customer commentary for each vendor; as well as the latest information on their planning, consolidation, and AI capabilities: Vendor Landscape Matrix Report | BPM Partners

This post previously appeared in a condensed version on LinkedIn

 

AI in Finance: Proceed, but Mitigate the Risks

/in /by BPM Partners

Craig Schiff , President and CEO, BPM Partners

Overview

After 30+ years tracking every cycle of technology hype and reality in enterprise finance, I can tell you that the AI moment feels different. The potential for transformative impact in finance is real. But so is the risk of taking a counterproductive AI approach. With our most recent BPM Pulse data showing 52% of finance teams either piloting or going into production with their AI initiatives I think it’s time we share our perspective and offer some guidance.

At BPM Partners, we impartially evaluate the AI-enhanced capabilities of leading EPM vendors. We survey and speak with many finance leaders navigating this landscape. An obvious early conclusion: your approach to leveraging AI in Finance will largely determine success or failure in receiving the potential benefits.

The Hype

Newly minted AI ‘experts’ will tell you all you need is their training, consulting guidance, or book of prompts, combined with the most popular AI tool of the moment, and you are all set. Just point AI at a data set and you can kick back and relax as the accolades pour in.

These same experts, along with some FP&A software vendors looking to reinvent themselves, may say ‘FP&A software is dead’ and ‘EPM will be wiped out in the SaaSpocalypse’.

You might even be excited to jump in and experiment with AI to create models, or vibe code a more complete solution. But before you do that ask yourself: are you ready to build—and take accountability for—a financial application that your entire organization will rely on? Finance demands 100% accuracy; what if you miss the mark? Unfortunately, even the most promising pilot is often followed by the realization that turning it into a trustworthy and scalable solution will take a lot more time, effort, and money (tokens).

The tools-and-prompts approach to AI is high risk. It lacks focus on the most important element of an AI platform for finance: high-quality unified data. Our BPM Pulse data shows that of organizations not currently pursuing AI 40% say it’s because they recognize that their data is not yet AI-ready.

The good news: there’s a better, safer way to leverage AI in Finance, and you may already own the necessary software.

The Reality

In spite of all the hype around standalone AI tools, many finance teams have started by leveraging the AI capabilities already embedded in their EPM solutions. While perhaps not as flashy and fun, this approach is much more practical and rewarding. It enhances accuracy, analysis, and productivity while minimizing risk.

When utilizing the AI capabilities in your EPM solution you gain access to:

  • A governed data foundation (the CFO’s system of record)
  • Governed, human-in-the-loop AI with guardrails
  • Decades of deep domain expertise built in
  • Existing dimensions, data definitions, business rules and workflows
  • Security, transparency, and trust
  • Auditability

The leading EPM vendors offer proven FP&A and Consolidation and Close solutions that have now been augmented with a suite of ML, GenAI, and agentic AI capabilities embedded in their platforms. These AI capabilities support a wide range of use cases including predictive forecasting, data quality, report generation, model creation, transaction matching (account reconciliation, intercompany), agents to automate tasks for planners, analysts, controllers and more.

AI offerings from leading EPM vendors that we have evaluated include: Anaplan Intelligence, CCH® Tagetik Expert AI by Wolters Kluwer, Jedox AI, JustPerform Lineos from insightsoftware, OneStream SensibleAI™, Pigment AI, Prophix One™ Intelligence, Una AI, and Vena AI. While documented ROI is still scarce, early feedback from customers is that they are in fact seeing measurable benefits from leveraging AI inside their EPM solutions.

Most EPM vendors are also rolling out MCP support to allow your AI tools of choice to work easily with their EPM solution. This combines the flexibility of modern AI with the governance and expertise of a purpose-built platform.

Conclusion

The end result of combining AI with EPM is faster cycle times, greater accuracy, enhanced analysis,  increased productivity, and trustworthy, auditable results. Finance is freed up from routine tasks (and experimenting with standalone AI tools) to take a more strategic role and lead the discussion of results.

Learn More

If you are currently discussing how to leverage AI in your Finance department let us share our research data and provide input. You can talk to us, or add us to your team. Further reading: Buyers Guide: AI-Powered Planning and Analysis Solutions | BPM Partners, Buyers Guide: AI-Powered Financial Consolidation and Close | BPM Partners

This post previously appeared in a condensed version on LinkedIn