Finance in a Cloud

Session Date and Time: Day 1, March 23, 6:45pm EST (3.15pm West Coast)- (45min)
Keywords: Finance.
Authors: Robert Kugel, VP & Global Research Director, Ventana Research.
Abstract: Cloud computing is an important innovation that will help finance organizations save time and money while improving their strategic value to the company. It can deliver new capabilities to improve operational efficiency. The cloud makes it possible to interact with customers and collaborate with suppliers or partners. For companies that cannot or do not want to support on-premises software, cloud computing can substantially broaden the scope of available computing resources, and for many midsize and smaller companies the cloud for the first time makes available large company capabilities. Robert Kugel, SVP and Global Research Director of business research at business research and advisory services firm Ventana Research, summarizes the current landscape of available financial applications as services in the cloud and explores what companies can achieve with them, the risks in cloud computing and how best to address them.

Robert D. Kugel, CFA, SVP & Research Director - CFO and Business Research Rob heads up the CFO and business research focusing on the intersection of information technology with the finance organization and business. The financial management research agenda includes the application of technology to financial process optimization and collaborative systems; control systems and analytics; and advanced budgeting and planning to where the software operate on-premise or in a cloud computing environment. Prior to joining Ventana Research he was an equity research analyst at several firms including First Albany Corporation, Morgan Stanley, and Drexel Burnham, and a consultant with McKinsey and Company. Rob was an Institutional Investor All-American Team member and on the Wall Street Journal All-Star list. Rob earned his BA in Economics/Finance at Hampshire College, an MBA in Finance/Accounting at Columbia University, and is a CFA charter holder. As an industry veteran with more than 25 years experience, Rob can be found on Twitter at @rdkugelvr and on LinkedIn.