The Continuum Network, a global leader in sustainable business systems, has been included by Gartner, Inc., the world's leading information technology research and advisory company, as a sample vendor in the "Sustainable Business Systems, Part 3: Differentiating Sustainable Solutions by Functional Domain" report.

"We are thrilled to be mentioned as a sample vendor by Gartner," said Elisa Turner, Founder of The Continuum Network. "Gartner is a world leader and Stephen Stokes's opinion carries significant weight in the global marketplace, so this report certainly represents important affirmation of our work over the past decade."

In the third report in the Sustainable Business Systems series, published on October 25, 2010 by Dr Stephen Stokes of Gartner, Inc., a framework is provided which classifies sustainability software applications into a series of functional domains. These domains demonstrate both the linkages between sustainability and increased business value, and the key role that IT enablement plays in maximizing business value.

According to Stephen Stokes, two crucial questions are frequently asked of sustainability by user clients: 1. How do you measure it? and 2. How can it be demonstrated to add new or enhanced business value?

"These are the same questions that have driven us since the beginning," affirmed Turner. "Our response is the TCNC5 software platform, a proprietary tool and management system which measures, manages and reports on integrated business value - our definition of sustainability."

For eight years The Continuum Network has worked with a few blue-chip clients to perfect an approach that embeds integrated, sustainable business management and reporting practices into strategic goals and day-to-day operations. Its proprietary approach integrates sustainability into an organization's core culture and across the supply chain, and is executed through its unique and intuitive TCNC5 reporting software platform. The system simplifies and integrates strategic, business, financial, reputational and reporting management to address the growing interdependencies and needs of an organization in order to mitigate risk and leverage opportunities.

This approach is underscored in the report which highlights that, "sustainable business strategies that incorporate energy and resource optimization, carbon management, and economic, environmental and social performance criteria and indicators are key to risk minimization and success in the emerging economy."

Although considered by some as a new entrant in the marketplace, The Continuum Network and its network of advisors have in fact been global leaders in this area for more than a decade. The company's goal since its founding has been to prove that efficient integrated business systems are more profitable and to develop an elegant tool to support that. This allows companies to integrate sustainable business practices throughout their culture, manage the cause and effect of actions, the ROI and integrated value into the ecosystem of their business from the C-suite to the front lines in real time, all in an auditable format.

The report also stressed the importance that, "embedding sustainability and sustainable business systems is not simply an exercise in software purchase. In our two previous annual sustainability surveys, the majority of respondents indicated a desire to be supported by a combination of software and professional services."

"TCN is different," said Kira Montgomery, of the Continuum Network. "It is not a software company looking for the next market; it is an experienced business advisory firm rooted in world class understanding of sustainability and business value, bringing a sophisticated solution to the marketplace."

As for next steps, Turner states that, "The Continuum Network has been quietly working under the radar for many years and being recognized as having a solution to the critical issue facing CEOs and regulators today will certainly validate our position as we now enter the market in an aggressive fashion. Our strategy also includes finding a partner to work with to service the global market."

About TCN

Based out of Toronto and Washington, D.C., The Continuum Network is a global thought leader on integrated sustainable business practices and reporting. Our network is an unprecedented group of global thought leaders in the space, including Fortune 1000 business leaders, American and Canadian government advisors, and leading legal and accounting authorities.

The Continuum Network is a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact and a registered organizational stakeholder of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

Elisa Turner is the Founder of The Continuum Network.

Kira Montgomery is a Senior Associate and Partner at The Continuum Network.

Dr Stephen Stokes is Managing VP, Supply Chain Leaders group at Gartner, Inc. He coordinates sustainability and green technology research across supply chain, business strategy and sustainable technologies and leads an active, growing and dynamic team of researchers.

To view the full report published by Gartner, Inc., please go to www.tcnc5.com.

The Continuum Network

The Continuum Network

Based out of Toronto and Washington, D.C., The Continuum Network is a global thought leader on integrated sustainable business practices and reporting. Our proprietary approach integrates sustainability into an organization's core culture and across the supply chain and is executed through our unique and intuitive TCNC5 reporting software platform. The system simplifies and integrates strategic, business, financial, reputational and reporting management to address the growing interdependencies and needs of an organization in order to mitigate risk and leverage opportunities.

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