Spreadsheets Present a Real Danger to the Security and Competitiveness of Your Organisation, According to a New White Paper by Atlantic Global

The overuse and abuse of spreadsheets and the associated consequences for modern organisations, are explored in detail in a new whitepaper released today. ‘Thinking Outside the Cell’ by Atlantic Global, a Professional Service Automation and Project Portfolio Management software provider, aims to further the debate over the viability of spreadsheets versus commercial business systems.

Leeds, United Kingdom, August 02, 2009 --(PR.com)-- The latest white paper published by Atlantic Global today poses ‘6 questions you should ask yourself’ if you use spreadsheets to manage your finances, expenses, projects, contracts or resources. It explores the dangers of using spreadsheets and letting them get out of control.

The article provides examples of the very real danger that spreadsheets can pose to any size of company, if they are widely used for mission-critical and financial exercises and the paper includes an example of a North American power generation company which suffered a loss of several million dollars as a result of a simple spreadsheet error.

“The widespread use of spreadsheets is often overlooked, not just as a cause of errors and inaccuracies, but also as a constraint to rapid decision making.” explains Rupert Hutton, Finance Director at Atlantic Global “Even small companies rely on deciphering large amounts of complex data these days and anything that encourages people to work in ‘silos’ en-mass cannot be a good thing.”

The white paper goes on to question the perception of spreadsheets as a ‘cheap option’ for managing data, challenging managers to really analyse how much time and effort goes into maintaining spreadsheets in their team. Over a reasonable period of time, the costs associated with the up-keep of spreadsheets and the loss of man-hours which could be spent on more productive pursuits will outweigh the cost of investing in a commercial business management system.

The article delivers more food-for-thought for the ongoing debate about where spreadsheets fit in to the modern workplace and where we need to employ more robust and secure systems.

“Spreadsheets have always been around and are rarely questioned as a means of managing one of your most important assets, information. The result is that spreadsheets can be a ‘hidden killer’ to speed-of-reaction and competitiveness” adds Rupert Hutton.

To download a free copy of “Thinking Outside the Cell” please follow this link: http://www.atlantic-ec.com/contact.html?from=Product_Tours and register to access the white papers area.

About Atlantic Global PLC

Established in 1993, Atlantic Global have over 16 years of experience in developing and delivering cost-effective software applications to manage the project and the people in an organisation and improve the management of the business. In collaboration with long-standing clients such as GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer and Aviva (Norwich Union) Atlantic Global have developed a best-of-breed solution designed to respond to the problems of enterprise project and resource management.

Atlantic Global OnDemand is a comprehensive suite of business software designed to manage every aspect of your business, ranging from simple timesheet and expense management all the way up to Project Portfolio Management (PPM).

Atlantic Global's mission is to help businesses to better understand their resource capability and deployment, thereby enabling improvement in operational efficiency and effectiveness.

To learn more about Atlantic Global please visit: www.atlantic-ec.com
For more information please contact:

Neil Baxter (Marketing Communications)

Office: +44 (0)1274 863300
Fax: +44 (0)1274 865966
email: ondemand@atlantic-global.com

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Atlantic Global PLC
Neil Baxter
+44 1274 863 300
www.atlantic-global.com
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