SAS maintains growth amidst ‘worst economy most can remember’


5 Feb 2009

Business analytics leader SAS last night reported global revenue of US$2.26bn, up 5.1pc over 2007 results.

“We achieved our 33rd year of revenue growth in the worst economy most can remember,” said CEO Jim Goodnight.

“This growth is a direct result of being a stable privately held company, which allows us to invest in long-term relationships with employees and customers.”

SAS’ strongest growth was in analytics, data mining and solutions that help organisations keep current customers and win new ones, manage risk and optimise processes.

Goodnight said: “In tough times, companies focus on optimising their businesses.”

Henry Morris, senior vice-president, Worldwide Software and Service Research at IDC, said: “IDC surveys of business intelligence software buyers during 2008 show that a vendor’s economic viability is gaining in priority as a factor in software selection.

“SAS’ long-term record of continued year-over-year growth positions it favourably, therefore, in this economic downturn.”

Michael Kearney, managing director of SAS Ireland, said that few industries in Ireland are unaffected by the current financial crisis, and this is translating into a reassessment of cost efficiencies and revenue-generating capacity throughout the economy.

“We are seeing a cultural change starting to take place with Irish companies now turning to business analytics tools to build competitive strategies that deliver tangible competitive advantage by creating meaningful relationships with customers.

“Those that deploy business intelligence software are achieving tangible reductions in costs and taking market leads.”

“SAS sees business analytics solutions as a critical commodity and competitive differentiator that every Irish business should have in place, particularly when faced with alarming drops in profitability during the recession.

“This has at its core a focus on achieving business growth and developing strategies built on expectation of potential trends, forecasting customer switchers and identifying potential fraud,” Kearney.

By John Kennedy