Geac Computer Corp.

• Position: BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

Geac Computer Corp., a major supplier of business intelligence and business performance management software, has brought out its MPC (Management, Planning and Control) 7, the latest in a series whose last release, 6.5, came in mid-2004.

Brian Hartlan, GEAC vice president of global marketing, said in an interview that a key enhancement was to the strategic planning module, which he says "is much more open to unrestricted, rich data." Currently, the strategy management process as it tracks through the budget is the "most disconnected" process in most organizations, he adds.

Key features of the new release, he says, include a "planning for everyone" capability--which allows finance people to work comfortably from an Excel front end--the ability to get information delivery anyway you want it, a smarter consolidation engine, enterprise scalability and an open architecture.

MPC 7 facilitates collaboration across large user populations, the company says, allowing unstructured information to be processed by "discussion...