BOSTON, MA, Nov. 4, 2009 (Marketwire) --

BOSTON, MA -- (Marketwire) -- 11/04/09 -- Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS), announced today the top performing vendor rankings in its e-Payables AXIS™ Report. The report provides a competitive intelligence perspective that allows organizations insight into the technology providers that helped leading companies achieve superior performance. The research showcases which vendors enabled client success based on the value delivered and the ability of the vendor to support and service its clientele. According to John Pearson, VP Products and Technology for Aberdeen, "The 22-page vendor assessment is based on two key dimensions: first, Aberdeen aggregated top performance of companies in the target marketplace based on 990 primary surveys conducted typically over the past eighteen months; and second, Aberdeen conducts a vendor readiness assessment which includes evaluation of responses to a standardized vendor questionnaire, analyst briefings, public records and customer interviews."

Andrew Bartolini, Vice President Global Supply Management, Aberdeen and Report Author, had this to say about the report, "In the midst of the current global recession, finance and other enterprise executives have intensified their focus on cost containment and the optimization of working capital. The Accounts Payable (A/P) department is uniquely positioned to support these objectives. Unfortunately, the average A/P department lacks the automation, executive focus, and general business alignment needed to effectively do so." Bartolini goes on to say, "While A/P automation offers compelling transaction cost savings and other strategic benefits, only one-third of all enterprises have any significant level of automation in place."

According to Aberdeen's findings after evaluating over 40 e-Payables vendors, the solution providers offering the best combined Value Delivered and Market Readiness scores include: Kofax, Ariba, Bottomline Technologies, and U.S. Bank PowerTrack.

Aberdeen Group's President Andrew Boyd reports that AXIS(TM) was developed in response to requests from Aberdeen's 2.5+ million business readers spanning 40 countries, including representation from 90% of the Fortune 1000. "Aberdeen's mission is clear as we take yet another step to educate businesses to action by providing them with relevant and timely information to make more informed decisions, understand efficient and effective ways of accomplishing a task, and maximize their ability to gain competitive ground," according to Boyd.