Whitespace Software Limited has announced the launch of a new global version of its Business Planning System, Francois.

Watson Wyatt, the actuarial and human capital consulting firm, has used the Francois system successfully in its European and Asia Pacific offices for several years.

Last year, the firm's Asia Pacific region ordered its own version so Whitespace revamped and developed Francois to provide a higher degree of functionality and global use.

This involved large amounts of data engineering to provide a multi-year capability; and changes in the way that the different planning elements are ordered and presented to users. The new system can also be customised so that the company can restrict the items seen by end-users.

Whitespace development manager Christian Finden-Crofts commented: "Francois was designed as a highly effective business planning tool that can be accessed from a company's offices all over the world. The new version is even more powerful and more versatile, and builds upon the success of the original."