Executive Update

Vice President of CGI Advantage Program

What an exciting time for the CGI Advantage program!  Since our last newsletter, we have made great strides in growing and strengthening the program.  Renaming our solution, reinstituting the in-person CGI Forum 2012, enhancing the CGI Advantage product, and growing our client community provides evidence of these efforts.

Solution Name Change

I am pleased to say we have renamed our U.S. state and local ERP product from AMS Advantage to CGI Advantage. Our commitment to the CGI Advantage product and to our client community is stronger than ever and we are thrilled to further align the solution name with our suite of CGI intellectual property.

In addition to the CGI Advantage name change, we have also renamed our Automated Testing Services to CGI Accelerate, to properly reflect all that this service has to offer. CGI Accelerate provides incredible cost savings related to testing and delivering upgraded software including customizations and database conversions.  This service increases the speed, efficiency, quality, and predictability of your upgrade process and provides opportunity savings so your staff can focus on other core mission work.

CGI Forum 2012

I invite you to join us for CGI Forum 2012, an education, collaboration, and community event for the CGI Advantage user community (October 14-16, 2012), where I will discuss our plans to further grow and strengthen the product. With 65 in-depth product sessions and abundant networking opportunities, the Forum is the must-attend educational event for government professionals to share experiences and best practices with peers and experts from across the country - live and in person.  For more information on registration, please refer to the CGI Forum 2012 website.

Product Enhancements

I am very pleased to announce the addition of two new solutions that complement the CGI Advantage ERP Suite: CGI Advantage Case Management and CGI Advantage Permitting. CGI Advantage Case Management automates and transforms case management, driving efficiencies, flexibility and enhanced customer service.  The browser-based, business process configuration solution handles aspects of case management for organizations that are file, case, complaint or application based, providing a powerful alignment of people, process and technology.  CGI Advantage Permitting is an enterprise licensing, permitting and compliance solution that supports regulatory processes and integrates across disciplines, programs and agencies.  Expect to hear more in the near future. If you are interested in learning more, please contact us at cgiadvantage@cgi.com.

CGI Advantage 3.9 was fully released on September 30th, 2011 and since that time this release has been adopted like never before.  In a relatively short time-frame, the following clients have successfully implemented the release:

• State of Iowa
• New York City
• Commonwealth of Kentucky
• Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Maryland
• Palm Beach County, Florida

CGI Advantage 3.9 provides enhancements to increase business end-user and application process efficiency, supports methods to increase revenues and decrease costs, provides better access to information, and improves performance and integration.  In addition, CGI Advantage Fixpack 3.9.0.1 was recently released and contains client-reported defect resolutions and updated partner product releases.

We are also very excited about our next release, Release 3.10, which includes Debt Management, Employee Relations, Capital Budgeting, and Financial/HRM Executive Dashboard enhancements.  An updated product roadmap outlining the upcoming CGI Advantage releases can be found in the Advantage Support Center.

CGI Advantage is going mobile with a Timesheet App as well as certification on the iPad.  While this functionality will be included in the 3.10 release, it can also be ported to earlier releases. If you are interested in this functionality, please contact us at cgiadvantage@cgi.com.

Market Growth

We are very pleased to recognize our new members to the CGI Advantage client community:  the State of West Virginia and the State of Vermont!

In addition, LA County and CGI recently signed a Phase IV, 10-year maintenance contract which includes Managed Advantage Lite for the first five years, the implementation of Vendor Self Service, Manager Self Service, and ECM Integration, and the full suite upgrade to CGI Advantage 3.9.

Your CGI Advantage team has stayed in front of the latest technology in the market including expanded use of the cloud, mobile computing, mobility and enterprise business intelligence.  The market’s move to managed services for ERP aligns perfectly with CGI’s Managed Advantage offering.  Many of you have either moved or are moving to this great offering that can reduce your ERP operational costs and, more importantly, allow your team to focus on the business of government.

Finally, I would also like to acknowledge CGI’s Alden Jamison and Pat Thompson for all of their efforts with the CGI Advantage program.  Both have recently retired and we thank them for their extraordinary contributions to the program and wish them well in the future.

Thank you for your continued support and I hope to see all of you at this year’s Forum,

Daniel Keene
Vice President, CGI Advantage Program