The Research

Our collection of independent and objective technology research is designed to help you make smarter, data-driven decisions.

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ROI Case Studies

An ROI case study is a thorough examination of the actual benefits a customer achieved from a technology deployment.

Value Matrix

The Nucleus Research Technology Value Matrix is concise assessment of the operational value a solution delivers.

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  • Research R136

    Salesforce adds Einstein to Field Service Lightning

    On July 12, Salesforce announced new artificial intelligence (AI) and analytic capabilities for Field Service Lightning: Einstein Vision for Field Service, Equipment and Inventory Management,…

  • Research R137

    BlackLine returns $2.67 for every dollar spent

    On average, BlackLine customers have received $2.67 for every dollar invested, with a nine-month payback period and low total cost of ownership (TCO). Nucleus analyzed…

  • Research R138

    Anatomy of a decision: EiQ Networks

    Small and mid-market businesses are moving to vulnerability management systems as a way to expand their IT security without having to expand their security department….

  • Research R132

    Data monetization and security

    As more and more personal data is collected, companies are challenged by the requirements of data security. Nucleus has noticed a push among security firms…

  • Research R133

    FinancialForce defines core at Community Live

    At its recent conference, Community Live 2017, FinancialForce outlined its focus on cloud professional services automation and core financials. The vendor highlighted a new partnership…

  • Research R131

    Guidebook: DirectPath

      With the acquisition of Patient Care, DirectPath has rounded out a suite of services designed to help organizations maximize the value of health care…

  • Research R129

    ROI of security

    Security has a valid return on investment, however, the ROI is undermined by frantic sales efforts. Rather than taking the “sky is falling” approach to…

  • Research R130

    ROI views and their degree of influence on HCM deals

    In deals involving technology for human capital management (HCM), vendors must understand whose view of return on investment (ROI) matters most versus least. Whereas the…

  • ROI Case Studies R127

    Mautic ROI case study: uTest

    2018 ROI AWARD WINNER! uTest replaced its legacy marketing automation solution with Mautic to drive growth and innovation while cutting costs. Nucleus found that the…

  • Research R128

    Salesforce dips its toes into ABM

    Salesforce’s new Einstein Account-Based Marketing (ABM) gives business to business (B2B) companies an end-to-end solution for targeting at the account level. This release raises the…

  • Research R124

    Ceridian advances to graduate studies in HCM

    With Dayforce – acquiring and evolving the solution – Ceridian has shown that a vendor can become a formidable full-suite competitor in human capital management…

  • Research R120

    Microsoft lays out LinkedIn CRM strategy

    Earlier this spring, Microsoft announced the Microsoft Relationship Sales solution, which combines Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 for Sales and LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator Enterprise edition, scheduled for…

  • Research R123

    Demystifying marketing automation costs

    Nucleus found Act-On and HubSpot to be the most cost-effective marketing automation solutions out-of-box. However, low upfront costs do not necessarily mean a solution will…

  • Research R121

    SugarCRM announces Hint

    On June 27, SugarCRM announced the release of Hint, its first organic relationship intelligence product. Designed to provide sales people with all the customer contact…

  • Research R122

    The eight hot and cold vendors of 2017

    The hot software vendors are constantly adapting, offering new products and solutions to meet changing demand. Some vendors are innovating and adapting constantly to fend…

  • Research R119

    Industry accelerators increase CRM value

    Vertical CRM capabilities can help companies meet specific business needs while accelerating time to value, reducing initial consulting and customization costs by 40 to 60…

  • Research R92

    Guidebook: Upserve

    Restaurant managers are faced with many challenges: hiring, training, and retaining staff; defining and marketing their brand; and managing profitability from the menu line items…

  • ROI Case Studies R88

    Salesforce Financial Services Cloud ROI case study: Trilogy Financial

    Trilogy Financial moved to Salesforce Financial Services Cloud to drive a centralized, consistent approach to all its client intake, marketing, sales, and support processes. Nucleus…

  • ROI Case Studies R87

    Salesforce Lightning ROI case study: Aspect

    2018 ROI AWARD WINNER! Aspect upgraded its Salesforce Sales Cloud to Lightning to modernize its user experience and drive greater adoption. Nucleus found that the…

  • ROI Case Studies R117

    BlackLine ROI case study: Union Bank and Trust

    Union Bank & Trust deployed BlackLine to streamline its account reconciliations, replacing an inefficient, manual process. The company was able to centralize its accounts in…

  • Research R116

    IBM announces Watson Financial Services for RegTech

    On June 14, IBM announced a new Watson solution to address the needs of risk and compliance professionals. IBM Watson Financial Services for RegTech combines…

  • ROI Case Studies R115

    SilkRoad Onboarding ROI case study: General Electric

    Global Operations, General Electric’s (GE) shared services, deployed SilkRoad Onboarding to replace a homegrown, largely paper-based, and mostly unautomated system for onboarding employees company-wide. The…

  • Research R114

    Does blockchain have enough R to justify the I

    Blockchain has potential beyond digital currencies. Implemented correctly, blockchain could revolutionize the financial transaction and supply chain management industries. But, implementation will present challenges, such…

  • ROI Case Studies R108

    Microsoft ROI case study: Renault Sport Formula One Team

    2017 ROI AWARD WINNER! Renault Sport Formula One Team deployed Microsoft Dynamics 365, Power BI, and Azure Machine Learning to support its racing car development…

  • ROI Case Studies R112

    GoodData ROI case study: Firehouse Subs

    2017 ROI AWARD WINNER! Firehouse Subs, a restaurant brand with individually owned franchises, deployed GoodData to manage analytics dashboards for reporting and scorecarding across the…

  • Research R111

    SAP unveils Leonardo at Sapphire Now

    At its recent conference, Sapphire Now 2017, SAP outlined its vision to help customers reinvent business models. SAP announced SAP Leonardo, which it plans to…

  • Research R113

    Marketing automation costs down 85 percent

    Increased competition and more strategic deployments are driving down the cost of marketing automation. Nucleus found that the average total cost of ownership (TCO) is…

  • ROI Case Studies R101

    GoodData ROI case study: MediSpend

    MediSpend upgraded their previous deployment of GoodData to the full suite of analytics features, resulting in a better product for their customers and a much…

  • ROI Case Studies R107

    GoodData ROI case study: GED Testing Service

    The GED Testing Service, a branch of Pearson, deployed the GoodData analytics suite to overhaul their data model and provide state education departments with analytics…

  • ROI Case Studies R105

    Act-On ROI case study: Ticomix

    Deploying Act-On automated manual processes and equipped Ticomix’s marketing department with the functionality it needed to support the company’s growth. Nucleus found that Act-On enabled…

  • ROI Case Studies R106

    SAP Data Services ROI case study: SAP

    2017 ROI AWARD WINNER! SAP Data Services, part of the SAP Data Management Hub, was deployed by an SAP internal branch in charge of data…

  • ROI Case Studies R104

    OutSystems ROI case study: Eneco Group

    Eneco Group deployed OutSystems to develop user-friendly applications to improve the digital experience for its end-customer. Operating in a highly competitive market, the company leveraged…

  • ROI Case Studies R110

    Genesys ROI case study: Quicken Personal Finance

    Quicken Personal Finance deployed Genesys PureCloud to support its contact center operations as it transitioned to an independent company. As the company was divested from…

  • Research, Value Matrix R109

    CPM Technology Value Matrix 2017

    Corporate performance management (CPM) has long revolved around planning, budgeting, and forecasting core functionality, but companies are now focusing on other ways of differentiating themselves….

  • ROI Case Studies R99

    Rootstock Software ROI case study: 1st Light Energy

    1st Light Energy deployed Rootstock to replace QuickBooks and better integrate with Salesforce. The company opted to put its enterprise resource planning and accounting software…

  • ROI Case Studies R100

    Rootstock Software ROI case study: Pro Tech

    Pro-Tech deployed Rootstock to replace an outdated enterprise manufacturing resourcing system and to spur growth. The company sought to connect its manufacturing enterprise resource planning…

  • ROI Case Studies R102

    Ceridian Dayforce ROI case study: E and H Family Group

    The E&H Family Group deployed Ceridian’s Dayforce human capital management (HCM) solution to replace an on-premise legacy program with a single source cloud solution. Nucleus…

  • ROI Case Studies R98

    Salesforce Einstein Analytics ROI case study: Shazam

    2017 ROI AWARD WINNER! Shazam deployed Salesforce Einstein Analytics to provide its employees with a user friendly analytics tool, allowing for ad-hoc analysis. The company…

  • Research R103

    Modern payroll chops error rate to nearly nil

    Nucleus’s analysis strongly suggests that many employers live an anachronistic existence: In researching deployments of technology for workforce management (WFM), Nucleus found many employers running…

  • Research R97

    Value in HCM ripples from the epicenter outward

    Nucleus has found that value in human capital management (HCM) ripples from the epicenter outward. At the very core of this epicenter of HCM is…

  • Research R94

    HPE Announces GDPR Starter Kit

    HPE addresses the May 2018 implementation of European Union General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), helping companies overcome the primary challenge – getting started with compliancy….

  • Research R95

    Marketing automation increases productivity

    Marketing automation makes marketers 20 percent more productive. Nucleus found that companies implementing marketing automation technology for the first time experience the greatest productivity gains….

  • Research R96

    JDA FOCUS reveals a focus on agility

    In late April, JDA held its annual user conference, in Las Vegas. Customers and other stakeholders attending JDA FOCUS learned about the progress JDA is…

  • ROI Case Studies R86

    Ultimate Software UltiPro ROI case study: AmeriPride Services

    AmeriPride Services deployed Ultimate Software’s UltiPro solution to replace a legacy, on-premise human capital management (HCM) application with modern cloud technology. The company needed a…

  • Research R93

    When to implement marketing automation

    Nucleus found that 90 percent of companies implement their first marketing automation solution in the “mature” phase of their marketing department’s development. With marketing automation…

  • ROI Case Studies R91

    BlackLine ROI case study: Dun and Bradstreet

    Dun & Bradstreet deployed BlackLine to streamline its global reconciliations process and reduce its audit costs. Nucleus found that the company shrank the time it…

  • ROI Case Studies R89

    Ultimate UltiPro ROI case study: Pace Center for Girls

    2017 ROI AWARD WINNER! Pace Center for Girls deployed Ultimate Software UltiPro to replace a legacy human capital management (HCM) application with end-to-end cloud technology….

  • ROI Case Studies R90

    Bpmonline ROI case study: Quint Wellington Redwood Group

    2017 ROI AWARD WINNER! Quint Wellington Redwood Group replaced its on-premise solution with Bpm’online Marketing and Sales, driving growth with more complex marketing campaigns. Nucleus…

  • ROI Case Studies R85

    Act-On ROI case study: Bisco Industries

    2017 ROI AWARD WINNER! Bisco Industries deployed Act-On to replace point solutions with an automated, integrated marketing solution that enabled it to attribute revenue directly…

  • ROI Case Studies R84

    HPE Vertica ROI case study: Nimble Storage

    Nimble Storage deployed HPE Vertica Analytics Platform to replace its legacy open-source database management (DBM) system. As with many data management deployments, the company experienced…