Cognos Launches New Book on Proven Practices in Banking Performance Management.

Latest in Cognos' business book series helps banks focus on making better decisions, by function, that drive overall performance

BURLINGTON, Mass. -- Cognos[R] (NASDAQ: COGN) (TSX: CSN), the world leader in business intelligence and performance management solutions, has partnered with industry thought leaders on a new book offering critical insights and proven practices in banking performance management.

The Performance Manager for Banking, developed in collaboration with BI International and PMSI Consulting, is based on the concept of information "sweet spots" - or key decision areas - and offers bank managers and executives an aggregate view of best practices taken from the most thoughtfully designed and successfully deployed banking performance management initiatives.

Covering strategic industry topics such as risk management, product management, and customer service, the book reviews typical challenges and business issues applicable to each function within a bank, and then details solutions that are based on proven banking practices implemented by the world's leading banks. Templates are included to illustrate what information is required, and how each function - and which role within each function - needs to see it.

"Operational efficiency and organic growth are fundamental benchmarks in the banking market. The challenge is finding innovative ways to service the customer to separate you from the competition. Understanding and incorporating industry best practices is a solid first step to optimizing the business model," said Serge Couture, Senior Manager, Business Intelligence Competency Center, Laurentian Bank of Canada.

The Performance Manager for Banking taps into both the authors' collective expertise in performance management and Cognos' extensive footprint in the financial services industry. Critical insights, proof points and recommendations provided in the book reflect many of the successful performance management strategies Cognos has powered for over 1,000 banking customers worldwide, including 9 of the top 10 banks in Europe and all of the top 10 banks in the United States.

"Regardless of a bank's size, geographic scope or product mix, the challenges remain the same - increase revenues through effective cross-sell strategies, mitigate risk, adhere to industry regulations, and maximize operational efficiencies through greater visibility into performance," said Frank McKeon, Financial Services Industry Director at Cognos. "This book spotlights the critical partnership between key decision-makers across a banking organization, and the people who provide the necessary information that drives better decisions. The book offers a strategic framework for banks to help leapfrog the gaps between first implementation, proven practices and strategic deployment of business intelligence and performance management solutions, on an enterprise scale."

The Performance Manager for Banking is the first industry-specific iteration of The Performance Manager, released in January 2007, and builds on the foundation initiated 10 years ago when Cognos originally commissioned The Multidimensional Manager - 24 Ways to Impact Your Bottom Line in 90 Days and The Multidimensional Organization: How to Deliver the 24 Ways. Demand led to the printing of more than 400,000 copies, many of which remain in use by organizations worldwide today.

About the Authors and Availability:

The Performance Manager for Banking is now available for order direct from Cognos at http://www.cognos.com/banking.

It was authored by Roland P. Mosimann, Chief Executive Officer, BI International; Dr. Richard Connelly, Chairman, BI International; Patrick Mosimann, Founding and Joint Managing Director, PMSI Consulting; and Meg Dussault, Director of Corporate Positioning, Cognos, in collaboration with Laurence Trigwell, Associate Vice-President of Financial Services, Cognos, and Frank McKeon, Financial Services Industry Director, Cognos.

About Business Intelligence International:

BI International is a global expert in providing the frameworks, structures, and analytics that allow businesses to properly manage risk and performance. Since 1995, with The Multidimensional Manager and subsequent DecisionSpeed[R] framework, BI International has pioneered core principles for aligning information needs with roles, decision-making processes, and cascaded goals to drive performance. In 2004, BI International also launched its AlineT Platform for on-demand Governance, Risk, and Compliance. These Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions seek to 'right size' Fortune 1000 capabilities so they become affordable for small and medium sized companies.

For more than 10 years, BI International has led the development of key business intelligence solutions for companies both large and small across the Financial Services, Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical, and other industries. Beyond its direct customers, BI International has influenced thousands of companies worldwide through its thought leadership, frameworks, workshops, and design tools. For more information, visit the BI International Web site at www.aline4value.com.

About PMSI:

PMSI provides practical and commercial solutions to drive performance with data-driven decision-making using a combination of business consulting skills, data integration, and analytical capability. The design of a successful performance management solution requires the expert understanding of the business decisions and drivers across various responsibilities and functions. PMSI acts as a bridge between the insights needed within a business and the potential IT capability and delivery. The focus is to fully leverage the innovative use of technology and create highly repeatable, business-led solutions while reducing cost of delivery. PMSI's experience ranges across industry sectors and markets; this cumulative business knowledge and flexibility of solution and approach is of particular value to its clients. For more information, visit the PMSI Web site at www.pmsi-consulting.com.

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 organisation'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.

Cognos and the Cognos logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cognos Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Note to Editors: Copies of previous Cognos press releases and Corporate and product information are available on the Cognos Web site at www.cognos.com.