In the heart of Berlin, a city steeped in rich history and groundbreaking transformation, the „OneStream Splash Berlin 2023“ conference convened from September 19th to 21st.
Just as the city has been the epicenter of pivotal moments in European history, this event positioned itself at the forefront of finance and enterprise software revolutions. With over 900 attendees and a myriad of influential speakers, the conference set out to illuminate the trajectory of modern finance and its increasingly tight integration with technology.
1. Key takeaways from the main keynotes
Matt Rodgers’ Address: Setting the stage for the event, Matt highlighted the sheer number of attendees – a whopping 900, signaling the growing interest in OneStream’s offerings.
Tom Shea’s Insights: Tom underscored OneStream’s laser focus on finance. He spotlighted operational planning and AI as top subjects, shedding light on their growing importance to finance professionals.
Craig Colby’s Perspective: Craig introduced the idea of building solutions atop OneStream resusing core functions, pointing towards the solution exchange that builds on OneStream’s platform.
2. Unveiling of next-generation 8.0 and its offerings
Unified Data Model: A central aspect of the platform fueling its analytics services and its financial intelligence which powers the core CPM features.
Release Timeline: Version 8.0, having been released in August, offers modern UX, technology updates, and cloud-native deployment. While it continues on the .Net platform, the introduction of .Net 6 aims at optimized memory usage and better performance.
End-User Experience: The early-access browser UI extends its reach to mobile devices, emphasizing adaptability and accessibility.
3. The Rising Role of Women in Finance
In a noteworthy observation, while there was a dedicated session for „Women in Finance“, the keynote stage featured a male-dominated lineup. This discrepancy comes at a time when more women are carving a niche for themselves in finance, as evidenced by university statistics. It’s a gentle reminder for software companies to future-proof themselves, considering the changing demographics in the finance domain.
4. Partner and Customer Experiences
Infineon’s Journey: Citing outdated technology as a trigger for change, Infineon embarked on a mission to find a unified platform for consolidation and planning. Their experience with OneStream’s performance has been above that of previous systems but with added detailed data.
Solution Exchange Highlights: Various partners showcased their innovations, from AMCO’s lease accounting to Finit’s „all field tested“ toolkit. The Solution Exchange also saw the introduction of Partner Place and Open Place, aiming to bring more community and industry-focused content built on the OneStream platform.
SAP Integration: A new graphical UI promises ease of setup, while features like loading from various sources via Theobald solidify the software’s commitment to robust connectivity.
Berlin, with its enduring spirit of innovation and resilience, was not chosen as backdrop for this conference by accident. Just as Berliners have reinvented their city time and time again, OneStream aims to push the boundaries of what’s possible in finance and enterprise software.
While it remains to be seen whether the path laid out at OneStream Splash Berlin 2023 will be the path forward for modern finance, we will follow the sector’s trajectory towards tighter technological integration with great interest – and, of course, keep you updated as we gain more detailed insight.
