Antifraud System for Food Stamp Program Recognized for Exceptional Business Value

NEW YORK, NY (February 11, 2009) –

Information Builders, the independent leader in operational business intelligence (BI) systems, today announced that its customer, Louisiana Department of Social Services (LA DSS), won in the “BI/Analytics” category of DM Review’s (now Information Management magazine) 2008 Innovative Solution Award for its antifraud system. Specifically, LA DSS was selected for its use of Information Builders WebFOCUS BI platform along with geographic information system (GIS) technology from ESRI to identify trends and patterns in the Food Stamp Program to detect fraudulent activity. Senior Editor at DM Review Valerie Valentine described the initiative as, “A precedent-setting example.”

“Active in the field, intuitive as a story and has yielded unseen benefits for a lot of people,” said Jim Ericson, editor director, DM Review.

DM Review’s 2008 Innovative Solution Awards recognize groundbreaking solutions that provide quantifiable business value. DM Review editors reviewed more than seven submissions in eight categories to select winners based on the solutions they feel best exemplify unique software solutions or a new application of traditional software to achieve exceptional business value.

“One of the most important issues for any government agency is eliminating waste and fraud that prevent the public from being fully served,” said DSS Secretary Kristy Nichols. “DSS has renewed its commitment to leading the way when it comes to modernizing our delivery of service and targeting any misuse of funds. We are proud to be recognized for our work in this area, and it serves to motivate us to continue as stewards of the public’s trust.”

The LA DSS TINA-GIS system is comprised of BI from Information Builders and GIS technology from ESRI. What began in 2004 as a hybrid BI system for managing the state’s billion-dollar Food Stamp Program has developed into an innovative BI system for tracking and delivering services through multiple statewide programs and delivering them to those most in need. For example, during the intense days and months following hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the LA DSS and the USDA were able to apply TINA-GIS fraud detection technology and tools to proactively get aid to those affected. The system allows LA DSS to input data from its mainframe databases, transform it into valuable business information, run graphical reports on the data, and interpret complex relationships that might otherwise be difficult to detect. By making the TINA-GIS system one of the primary reporting tools for LA DSS, agency workers can discern trends in everything from disaster response to demographic analysis and, ultimately, ensure better service delivery.

“Detecting suspicious, fraudulent activity with BI and predictive analytics is becoming greatly sought after because of the successes of state departments such as Louisiana’s DSS,” said Gerald Cohen, president and CEO of Information Builders. “We congratulate them on their well-deserved win.”
About Information Builders

Information Builders’ award-winning combination of business intelligence and enterprise integration software has been providing innovative solutions to more than 12,000 customer for the past 30 years. WebFOCUS is the world’s most widely utilized business intelligence platform. It provides the security, scalability and flexibility needed at every level of global extended enterprises. Its simplicity helps create executive, analytical, and operational applications that reach dozens to millions of users. Information Builders’ iWay Software suite provides state of the art, multi-purpose, pre-built integration components that address all SOA, application, data and information management requirements. Its integration adapters have been adopted by the leading software platform providers. Together, these products give Information Builders’ customers the ability to grow and innovate according to their needs.

Information Builders’ customers include most of the Fortune 100 and U.S. federal government agencies. Headquartered in New York City with 90 offices worldwide, the company employs 1,450 people and has more than 350 business partners.

Source: Information Builders