TORONTO, July 8, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SMART Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq:SMT) (TSX:SMA), announces new global research demonstrating a correlation between optimized use of collaboration technologies and better business outcomes. Filigree Consulting, an independent global consulting firm specializing in technology research, conducted a study asking business users about technology adoption in their workspaces and the value that these solutions provided. The research concluded that 71 percent of businesses are not effective at using collaboration to drive business value throughout their organizations. The study included participants from North America, Europe, India and Asia and gathered input from multiple industries and government and included various company sizes and job functions.
The research results have been published in a white paper entitled Visual Collaboration Solutions Best Practices: Global Report and Recommendations. The primary conclusion identified that achieving the highest value from collaboration requires a strategy that deploys integrated solutions, supporting services and best practices. For those organizations at the highest levels of maturity, 90 percent reported value from collaboration solutions exceeding what was achieved from other technology investments. Organizations that adopted this comprehensive approach achieved up to 300 percent improvement on a range of outcomes including:
- Accelerated rate of innovation
- Faster and more informed decision making
- Increased productivity
- Enhanced customers experience
- Reduced travel costs
Based on the survey, an assessment tool has been created to help organizations determine their level of maturity with collaboration and how they may improve business outcomes. The SMART Collaboration Maturity Assessment consists of a 20 minute online questionnaire that can be taken by any member of an organization and will produce comparative results based on industry standards. These results supply decision makers with relevant information to assist in determining the optimal means of incorporating collaborative technology and process into their organization. For more information and to take the assessment survey, visit www.smarttech.com/assessment41.
"This global research highlights global best practices, addresses the value achieved by incorporating collaboration technologies into workspaces and provides key insights into what leading organizations are doing to enhance the way they work," says Jeff Lowe, Vice President, Marketing, SMART Technologies. "SMART is focused on customer outcomes and business value, and we invite people to get involved with this research project, rate their own collaboration maturity, and continue the dialogue with their peers."
About Filigree
Founded in 1993, Filigree is a research and consulting firm focused on high technology market research. Filigree's clients include: IBM, TELUS, IDC Canada, Software AG, Sun Microsystems, Oracle and Kodak. Filigree delivers knowledge via shared learning consultations and adds value to client initiatives through research, analysis, synthesis, facilitation and content development.
About SMART
SMART Technologies Inc. is a leading provider of collaboration solutions that change the way the world works and learns. As the global leader in interactive whiteboards, our focus is on developing a variety of easy-to-use, integrated solutions that free people from their desks and computer screens, making collaboration and learning with digital resources more natural. Our products have transformed teaching and learning in more than two million classrooms worldwide, reaching over 40 million students and their teachers. In business, our Freestorm™ visual collaboration solutions improve the way that people work and collaborate, enabling them to be more productive and reduce costs.
The SMART Technologies logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=7573
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