FP&A technology is the foundation of modern finance, and it integrates seamlessly with other enterprise systems.
It’s never been more true than it is today: The Office of the CFO (OCFO) needs an integrated software stack to drive strategic decision-making and business growth.
In this post, we explore the critical components of an effective finance tech stack, with financial planning and analysis (FP&A) software as its cornerstone. You'll discover how a tech-first approach helps finance leaders and their cross-functional team members overcome data challenges, enable strategic planning, and connect disjointed financial systems into a cohesive ecosystem that delivers measurable value.
The CFO’s role is evolving (and, with it, the finance tech stack)
CFOs’ influence is growing, as evidenced by their role shaping business strategy, optimizing supply chain operations, and implementing sophisticated treasury management practices. This trend isn’t limited to large private equity or portfolio companies – it’s also notable among public companies and small emerging startups.
The OCFO encompasses strategic finance functions that extend beyond traditional accounting to include financial planning and analysis, performance management, business partnering, and strategic decision support, all enabled by an integrated suite of modern finance software solutions.
Which productivity challenges can Office of the CFO software solve?
To earn a strategic seat at the table, modern CFOs need to eliminate workflow hassles so they can focus on growth initiatives and business valuation. To do that, they need an uncomplicated finance tech stack.
Today’s CFOs often use a wide range of disconnected tools to gather information from multiple sources, leading to manual errors that can significantly impact the business. These fragmented systems create silos that hamper data flow and block alignment between finance, sales, HR, and other functions.
Stale and hard-to-access data
Relying on spreadsheets as the central repository for financial data gives finance teams a backward-facing view, typically two or three weeks after month-end. With this lag, CFOs struggle to assess cash burn, revenue, and expenses in real time.
Most companies simply cannot afford to wait six weeks to discover cash flow problems. Traditional tools also have limitations for predictive forecasting and competitive benchmarking. Additionally, retrieving data, cleaning it, and converting it into user-friendly reports often requires technical skills that financial leaders may not possess.
Manual, error-prone data processing
Many finance professionals spend far too much time sorting and organizing data instead of analyzing it. Data entry and account reconciliation are frequently done by hand, introducing significant error risk at every stage. As a result, high-value strategic tasks like financial planning and analysis take a back seat, and the finance team's ability to provide timely, meaningful insights suffers.
Poor alignment between departments
In most organizations, there's inadequate collaboration between finance and other departments. But much of this disconnect is tech-based.
Here’s what an alignment deficiency might look like in practice:
To update the company's forecast for a newly hired head of sales, the finance team must send a series of emails across sales and HR departments, creating delays and introducing the potential for miscommunication. Meanwhile, department heads lack crucial information about how finance decisions impact overall profitability. Instead of collaborative planning and forecasting, finance and other departments resort to negotiations, creating further disconnects and inefficiencies.
Siloed tools built exclusively for finance teams don't allow for cross-functional collaboration, as legacy software often requires dedicated personnel specifically trained to operate that particular system. As a result, even with extensive knowledge of those systems, financial operators can struggle to provide actionable performance insights that help other teams improve results.
This misalignment also increases financial risk exposure, as high-level decisions may be made without a complete understanding of their financial implications.
What’s inside the modern CFO’s tech stack?
To address these challenges, CFOs are turning to more integrated technology stacks that connect data from different systems, streamline processes, and enable more strategic decision-making. Here’s what this core software ecosystem might look like:
The cornerstone: a financial planning and analysis (FP&A) platform
At the heart of any finance tech stack is robust FP&A technology that transforms raw data into actionable insights. These platforms support the strategic activities that influence a company’s financial health.
In essence, FP&A software functions as a single platform for all financial planning needs, empowering CFOs and finance teams to:
- Consolidate and aggregate large data volumes from multiple applications through native connectors, open APIs, and scheduled imports
- Build dynamic financial models within hours, not weeks
- Collect inputs from different departments and connect business cases across the company
- Enable cross-departmental collaboration with built-in communication tools
- Create powerful visualizations for enhanced data storytelling
- Rapidly test assumptions about your business drivers through powerful scenario modeling
These platforms deliver an intuitive user experience that makes complex financial modeling accessible to team members beyond finance.
Learn how financial planning software for business teams is evolving. Read the 2025 Office of the CFO Report.
Examples of FP&A platforms include:
- Pigment: an all-inclusive FP&A platform with efficient architecture
- Cube: an FP&A technology platform tailored to scaling startups
- Planful: a multi-step FP&A platform known for its features
As the central hub of the finance tech stack, best-in-class FP&A technology solutions connect with all other essential components to create a unified view of financial performance and enable strategic decision-making.
ERP and Accounting Systems
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems automate accounting processes and serve as the single source of truth for essential financial data.
Cloud-based ERPs offer:
- Multi-dimensional reporting capabilities
- Integrated general ledger management for financial record-keeping
- Entity consolidation in minutes, not days
- Automation of redundant accounting tasks
- Configurable workflows without custom programming
Examples of ERP platforms include:
- NetSuite: a cloud-based ERP solution for mid-size to enterprise businesses
- Xero: a user-friendly cloud accounting platform designed for small to medium businesses
- Sage Intacct: a finance-focused ERP system specializing in multi-entity organizations and financial services
FP&A technology providers like Pigment integrate seamlessly with these systems to ensure planning models are always in sync with actual figures, minimizing discrepancies and manual data pulls.
Billing and Payment Solutions
Next-generation billing and payment platforms help companies manage complex revenue operations, particularly for subscription-based business models.
These systems:
- Manage customer subscriptions and recurring billing
- Issue invoices and track revenue
- Streamline accounts receivable (AR) processes and aging reports
- Connect to company bank accounts for real-time cash visibility
- Automate payment sending and receiving
- Aid in payment reconciliation and accounts payable (AP) management
Examples of billing and payment solutions include:
- Stripe: a payment processing platform for handling online transactions and subscription billing
- Chargebee: a subscription management and recurring billing solution specializing in SaaS
- Square: a payment and point-of-sale solution for small to medium businesses transactions
When connected to Pigment, these systems provide crucial data for revenue forecasting and cash flow planning.
Cash flow management solutions
Cash flow management systems help finance teams track the flow of incoming and outgoing funds and forecast future cash positions.
Benefits include:
- Improved visibility with reliable cash flow forecasts
- Creation and monitoring of cash flow scenarios
- Automated cash flow analysis
- Early warning of potential liquidity challenges
Examples of cash flow management systems include:
- Pigment: cashflow management is built into centralized FP&A technology
- Agicap: a cash flow forecasting and management tool
- Float: a cash flow solution that helps with tracking and projecting
As with Pigment, FP&A technology platforms enhance the capabilities of cash flow management systems by incorporating cash flow data into comprehensive financial models and scenarios. These platforms can also function as cash flow management systems, eliminating the need for separate tool spend.
CRM integration
Customer relationship management (CRM) solutions bring sales, marketing, and customer teams together around shared goals.
Integrating with CRM systems enables platforms like Pigment to provide:
- Accurate sales performance planning
- Customer cohort analysis to identify opportunities
- Integration of customer data with financial projections
- Alignment between sales targets and financial forecasts
Examples of popular CRMs include:
- Salesforce: a famously robust CRM with extensive integration capabilities
- HubSpot: a user-friendly CRM designed to meet sales and marketing objectives
- PipeDrive: a sales-focused CRM with pipeline management and visual deal tracking
Integrating your FP&A technology solution with your CRM provides the essential insights needed to drive your business forward. By connecting these systems, finance teams gain a real-time view of cash runway and balances.
Spend management solutions
Spend management platforms give finance teams comprehensive expense management tools to automate, digitize, and consolidate organizational spending. When connected to Pigment, these systems provide real-time expense data that enhances budget tracking and variance analysis.
Key benefits include:
- Greater visibility into spending patterns
- Categorization of purchases for tax and audit compliance
- Simplified approval processes
- Data-driven business spending decisions
- Real-time expense tracking
Examples of spend management solutions include:
- Spendesk: a comprehensive platform offering expense management, invoice automation, and company cards
- Airbase: a spend management platform with features for expense management, accounts payable, and procurement
- Ramp: a finance automation platform focused on company cards and expense management
Spend management and FP&A technology solutions bridge the gap between operational spending and strategic financial planning. These integrations transform raw transaction data into actionable insights that drive better financial control, forecasting accuracy, and overall business performance.
Learn how Spendesk moved beyond Google Sheets and began using Pigment for FP&A. Read the case study.
Procurement and supplier management
Modern procurement software solutions streamline the process of sourcing and purchasing goods and services while ensuring compliance with company policies.
These solutions work to:
- Automate procurement workflows and approval processes
- Manage vendor relationships and contracts
- Source strategic and competitive bidding
- Manage supplier performance and evaluation
- Identify and track cost savings
Examples of procurement and supplier management systems include:
- SAP Ariba: a comprehensive suite covering sourcing, procurement, and supplier lifecycle management
- Coupa: a cloud-based platform working with procurement and supplier information management
- Jaggaer: a direct and indirect procurement solution that also conducts supplier management
When integrated with an FP&A technology provider that offers supply chain planning, these systems enable more accurate expense forecasting, demand and inventory planning, and profitability analysis.
Trends shaping the Office of the CFO software market
AI is becoming a standard part of predictive analytics.
The OCFO software market is seeing a rapid shift, where AI-powered predictive analytics is moving from a differentiator to a standard offering. Software vendors are increasingly integrating machine learning capabilities to enable users to identify patterns, detect anomalies, and generate forecasts directly within their platforms. This embedded AI functionality is becoming a core expectation for modern financial planning solutions.
Learn how AI is poised to transform strategic finance in the next three to five years. Watch our fireside chat with OpenAI.
Software architectures are evolving towards continuous planning support.
The demand for continuous planning is pushing OCFO software vendors to move beyond static annual budgeting functionalities. Modern platforms are being designed with flexible modeling capabilities and real-time data integration to support rolling forecasts and dynamic scenario planning. This shift in software architecture allows users to update projections and adapt to changing business conditions seamlessly within the application.
Software like Pigment exemplifies this trend by offering flexible modeling that facilitates ongoing forecast updates and scenario analysis, reflecting the market's move towards solutions that enable continuous planning cycles.
User-centric design is democratizing financial data access.
The software market is prioritizing user-friendly interfaces and self-service analytics to broaden access to financial data for non-finance stakeholders. Financial planning software for business teams is evolving to empower users across the organization with intuitive tools for understanding and utilizing financial information.
This focus on user acceptance has tangible benefits. As one Gartner survey shows, organizations with high user acceptance of their technology environments experience fewer financial errors.
“Companies that digitize with high acceptance of their technology environments see a 75% reduction in financial errors.” – Gartner
Intuitively designed software solutions like Pigment address this trend by making complex financial data accessible through data visualization and easy-to-use templates, fostering a more collaborative and informed decision-making environment across the business.
For companies struggling to perform financial forecasting and pricing optimization through Excel or Google Sheets, Pigment also offers purpose-built templates that streamline implementation.
Office of the CFO software is empowering the evolving finance role.
The changing skill profiles of finance professionals are influencing the features and focus of OCFO technology. Vendors are developing solutions that automate routine data tasks and risk management processes, allowing finance teams to concentrate on strategic analysis, business communication, and risk management. The software itself is becoming a tool to facilitate this evolution of the finance role.
The market is seeing a demand for CFO software that minimizes time spent on basic data handling, freeing up finance teams to perform more strategic, forward-looking analysis. This shift in focus within the software directly supports the modern CFO's need to drive strategic decision-making.
Integrated platforms are supporting distributed finance teams.
The prevalence of remote and hybrid work environments is driving the need for CFO software that facilitates collaboration across geographically dispersed teams. The market is moving toward integrated solutions that break down data silos and provide a single source of financial truth for stakeholders regardless of location.
Features that enable real-time collaboration are becoming essential in OCFO tech to support distributed teams. Platforms like Pigment are emphasizing collaboration tools to ensure alignment and a shared understanding of financial data for more effective strategic planning across the organization.
How Pigment’s FP&A technology is transforming Office of the CFO software
As the centerpiece of the modern CFO software stack, FP&A technology solutions fundamentally transform how finance teams operate and contribute to business success. Here’s how we do it at Pigment:
Infusing financial planning with agentic AI
Imagine a system that doesn't just process data but actively understands financial objectives, breaks down complex planning tasks, and autonomously executes them using a suite of integrated tools. Pigment is unveiling a network of specialized AI agents designed to do just that.
These agents do more than just gather and analyze information: they proactively take actions, like flagging anomalies (anomaly detection) or revising forecasts based on evolving business conditions. By automating these and other complex, time-consuming tasks autonomously, Pigment’s FP&A platform helps finance teams redirect their time to higher-value activities and decision support.
Curious about the buzz around AI agents? Learn why everyone's talking about this game-changing technology.
The right tech integrations for total visibility
Pigment transforms your financial visibility by syncing FP&A technology with CRM and ERP data. The result is real-time insights into cash runway, balances, and customer acquisition costs. You can also easily track accounts payable and receivable while gaining a comprehensive, predictable view of your business's financial future.
A user experience with something for everybody
Pigment's self-service dashboards and intuitive user experience make financial management and performance metrics accessible to business leaders throughout the company – not just the finance team. The result is a cultural shift: one where accountability and alignment around common goals are prioritized.
Promoting real-world efficiencies and growth
Pigment’s platform empowers data-driven decisions that fuel growth across diverse industries.
Consider, for instance, how Prisma Media – a leading French magazine publisher and online media powerhouse – leveraged Pigment to transform its financial operations.
Managing the intricate production and distribution costs for 40 prominent brands (including Harpers Bazaar and National Geographic) demanded more than outdated spreadsheets. By implementing Pigment's financial planning software for business teams, they achieved significant productivity gains.
Specifically, Prisma Media now benefits from automated calculations and reliable data management – a hallmark of effective FP&A technology. Best of all, they’ve saved an estimated month's worth of work in profitability analysis. This demonstrates the real-world impact of choosing the right CFO software.
Explore how Pigment helped Prisma Media streamline their profitability calculations and modernize cost management.
Add Pigment’s FP&A technology to your finance tech stack
The Office of the CFO is evolving from a mere collector of data to an interpreter of insights and a strategic business partner. To support this shift, modern CFO software should capture the company's financial health from every angle by integrating with existing systems and providing a unified view of performance.
In today's volatile business environment, reactive financial planning isn't enough. CFOs need flexible, data-informed strategies to deliver actionable insights that keep them one step ahead of the market.
By investing in Pigment’s integrated financial planning software for business teams, finance leaders can:
- Spend less time on data processing and more on analysis
- Provide faster, more accurate forecasts
- Enable better-informed strategic planning and decision-making
- Drive collaboration across the organization
- Respond more quickly to changing market conditions
- Empower team members across departments with financial insights
CFOs can provide their executive teams with clear, accurate insights that illuminate the financial implications of strategic choices. Through integrated data sources, driver-based modeling, and AI-powered analytics, Pigment dramatically improves forecast accuracy, helping businesses anticipate changes, identify risks, and capitalize on opportunities before competitors.
Pigment's AI-powered business planning platform empowers finance teams and CFOs by providing a full-spectrum view of the business, streamlining analysis, financial reporting, and planning. Our solution connects data from across your organization, enables flexible modeling, and fosters collaboration between finance and other departments.
Ready to transform your Office of the CFO software?
Make Pigment the cornerstone of your financial tooling. Sign up for a personalized demo with one of our teammates to learn how our platform can turn your finance tech stack into a competitive advantage.
