Cloud9 Recognizes Splunk, Brainshark and Schneider Electric with 2nd Annual Sales Leadership Awards Sales management’s impact on the bottom line is highlighted with achievements in win rates, forecast accuracy and sales process improvement.

Redwood City, Calif., Dec. 7, 2010 News Facts

Cloud9 Analytics, a leading provider of on-demand business analytics for line-of-business managers, announced the winners of its inaugural Sales Leadership Awards at the Cloud9 Analytics 2010 Customer Summit. These awards honor customers that have successfully implemented Cloud9 pipeline management solutions and best-practice sales processes to positively impact their organizations bottom line.

Splunk, a global provider of software used to monitor, report and analyze live streaming IT data, was recognized for its achievements in forecast accuracy. Using Cloud9’s Pipeline Accelerator Suite, Splunk increased forecast accuracy during the first week of the quarter from 60 percent to 95 percent, providing executive management with the predictability they need to manage their high-growth business.

Moving beyond forecasting, Brainshark, a global on-demand presentation technology provider, was awarded for its increased forecast win rates – a five percent increase that translated to $1.6 million of found revenue annually. Using Cloud9’s Pipeline Accelerator Suite, Brainshark sales leaders gained critical visibility across multiple sales teams and opportunity types to identify deals that were at risk and which deals their sales teams should focus on.

Lastly, Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management, took home the prize for improvements in sales process for its emphasis on a more consultative approach to sales. Using Cloud9’s Pipeline Accelerator Suite, Schneider Electric sales managers set expectations for the kinds of information they needed from their sales representatives so that meetings could focus on brainstorming and problem solving, not CRM and compliance. After a year, internal survey results at Schneider show that 75 percent of sales representatives report that their coaching sessions have improved or significantly improved. And, as a byproduct, Schneider Electric is 18 percent ahead of goal for the year.

The 2010 Cloud9 Customer Summit was held in conjunction with Dreamforce, where Cloud9 is exhibiting in booth 419.

Supporting Quotes
“The sales function has unquestionably benefitted from innovative technologies that manage customer information and critical data, which enables sales teams to improve productivity in their sales cycles,” said Swayne Hill, president and CEO of Cloud9 Analytics. “However, in order to sustain this progress, it’s also imperative for organizations to implement new applications and methodologies that provide sales management with the information they need to more effectively manage their teams and provide executives with improved win rates, rock-solid forecast accuracy and productive sales processes. We created these awards to recognize the great strides progressive businesses are making in sales management and are pleased to honor Splunk, Brainshark and Schneider Electric with the second annual

Cloud9 Customer Awards
“We’re honored to accept the Cloud9 Sales Leadership Award for achievements in forecast accuracy,” said Jon Jung, sales operations manager of Splunk. “Managing the sales process is imperative for our bottom line and, as we continue to grow, revenue predictability is essential to executing on our business plan. We’re pleased to be recognized for our efforts in the area, which generated significant business results over the past year.”

“The difference Cloud9 Pipeline Accelerator has made in our ability to improve win rates has been truly impactful,” said Dave Fitzgerald executive vice president of sales, marketing and services of Brainshark. “Our management team now has the instantly relevant visibility Brainshark needs so they can focus on the deals that have the highest likelihood of closing and not waste their time on opportunities that are less likely to close.”

“Being recognized by Cloud9 for our achievements is validation of Schneider Electric’s efforts to improve our sales processes and enable sales managers to engage with their staff in a meaningful way – not just ‘what have you done for me lately’,” said Dave Henrichs, business development manager of Schneider Electric. “Cloud9 Pipeline Accelerator has enabled our sales leadership to have productive conversations with their teams about selling strategy, as opposed to why a representative’s information in Salesforce is missing. More than 75 percent of our representatives recently said that their coaching sessions had improved since the implementation of Cloud9 and it has definitely contributed to the fact that we are 18 percent above plan this year.”

About Splunk
Splunk is the world’s leading software used to monitor, report and analyze live streaming IT data as well as terabytes of historical data – located on-premise or in the cloud. Almost half of the Fortune 100 and more than 2,000 enterprises, service providers and government organizations in 74 countries use Splunk to improve service levels, reduce IT operations costs, mitigate security risks, and drive new levels of operational visibility.
For a new approach to IT, visit http://www.splunk.com, or visit http://www.splunk.com/download to download a free copy.

About Brainshark, Inc.
Brainshark is the leader in on-demand multimedia for business, transforming static business content into high-impact communications. Delivered via Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Brainshark enables audiences to access and engage with business content when and how they want. Thousands of companies - including a third of the Fortune 100 - rely on Brainshark software and services to help sales, marketing, training and HR experts cost-effectively deliver measurable results. In addition, organizations and individuals use the myBrainshark site to create, share and track multimedia presentations for free. For more information on these offerings, visit www.brainshark.com.

About Schneider Electric
As a global specialist in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries, Schneider Electric offers integrated solutions across multiple market segments, including leadership positions in energy and infrastructure, industrial processes, building automation, and data centers/networks, as well as a broad presence in residential applications. Focused on making energy safe, reliable, and efficient, the company’s 100,000+ employees achieved sales of more than $22 billion in 2009, through an active commitment to help individuals and organizations “Make the most of their energy.” For more information, please visit www.schneider-electric.us.