Every Angle for SAP: A Product Note
Jorge Garcia 2/9/2010 12:16:00 PM
Hundreds—even thousands—of transactions could represent a great challenge when trying to analyze data and obtain results. Every Angle is a tool that can deliver SAP data analysis from every angle.
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(Forgotten) CRM and ERP Kingdoms in the Making?
PJ Jakovljevic 2/5/2010 10:41:00 AM
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) vendor Consona is determined to establish a CRM “kingdom” based on Consona Enterprise CRM. Read this comprehensive analysis of Consona Enterprise CRM to find out what lies ahead for this flagship product.
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Top Business Objectives When Adopting PLM
Kurt (Yu) Chen 2/4/2010 1:02:00 PM
This article presents research findings on business objectives to adopt PLM based on software selection projects and surveys conducted by TEC. Drawing and product documentation management, product collaboration, and engineering change management are the top priorities that PLM buyers have.
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TEC Spotlight Report: Sage Accpac ERP
David Clark 1/20/2010
In this Spotlight Report, David Clark examines Sage Accpac ERP. Learn about the product's history and market positioning, as well as its strengths, competitors, and challenges. Also featured in this Spotlight Report: a high-level overview of Sage Accpac ERP functionality.
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Product Note: NGC's Fashion PLM and Sourcing Solutions
Kurt (Yu) Chen 1/8/2010
NGC e-PLM and e-SPS are NGC’s offerings in product lifecycle management and sourcing for the fashion industry. This product note analyzes the strengths and challenges that the solutions have and makes recommendations to both the vendor and users.
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The Evolution of a Real-time Data Warehouse
Jorge Garcia 12/23/2009
Real-time data warehouses are common in some organizations. This article reviews the basic concepts of a real-time data warehouse and it will help you determine if your organization needs this type of IT solution.
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Why Privately-held Manufacturers Should Implement IFRS-ready ERP Solutions
12/14/2009
While regulatory requirements to adopt International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) may be a concern for publically traded companies only, there are plenty of reasons why privately held entities will want to prepare to adopt IFRS as well.
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Top 5 Trends in HR Technology
Sherry Fox 12/2/2009
Recession or not, innovation in HR technology continues to grow—altering the way people work. While there are many new solutions available, here are a few that we’ll be seeing more of in the year ahead.
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Leading Solution Provider to Steel Manufacturers Gets Acquired—Why?
Khudsiya Quadri 11/25/2009
When one company acquires another, who benefits? It seems PSI’s recent acquisition of AIS will benefit both—as well as their clients and the steel industry as a whole. The combined solution offering will address APS, MES, SCM, and more.
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As the Economy Rebounds, Will Your Organization Be Ready for New and Increasing Demand? A Summary of the 2009 APICS Conference
Gabriel Gheorghiu,Khudsiya Quadri 10/28/2009
Companies can get the latest on supply chain management trends—from inventory management, forecasting, and sales and operations planning—at the annual APICS Conference and Expo’s seminars and presentations. A summary of the 2009 expo explains what you might have missed.
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A Two-layer Model for Fashion PLM Functionality
Kurt (Yu) Chen 10/5/2009
To help fashion players achieve the most out of adopting PLM methodology and systems while respecting the uniqueness of fashion products and business processes, the article introduces a two-layer model to facilitate the process of selecting a fashion PLM solution.
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Food and Beverage Industry: Overview of Software Requirements
Joseph J. Strub 10/2/2009
The food and beverage industries have very special needs, many of which are externally regulated. Read on to discover some of the unique challenges and software requirements for these industries.
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Nine Ways to Use ERP to Make the Manufacturing Supply Chain Lean
Jakob Bjorklund 9/30/2009
There are entire books and thorough training and certification processes devoted to lean supply chain practices. But within any manufacturing environment, there are a few relatively simple steps that will help any enterprise make its supply chain lean. In this article, we will touch on these simple measures—measures that any company can take.
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Minimizing the Total Cost of Technical Support for Enterprise Applications
David Bourque 9/28/2009
Many organizations don’t follow formalized processes for technical support evaluation. However, technical support is a vital component of any enterprise software solution. The fact is, poor technical support can have a severe impact on a solution’s total cost of ownership.
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Trends in LMS
Don McIntosh,Ph.D 9/21/2009
Companies and educational institutions use learning management systems (LMSs) to provide training and e-learning. With over 250 LMSs currently on the market, smaller and medium-sized enterprises are now adopting this software and using it to boost performance. Find out why.
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The Blurry Line between ERP and PLM in Engineer-to-order (ETO) Manufacturing
Kurt (Yu) Chen 9/18/2009
Engineer-to-order (ETO) manufacturing needs a high level of integration between ERP and PLM systems. This article points out that ERP and PLM solutions are moving toward each other to achieve more organic data and process connectivity.
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The Customer Relationship Management Vision: It Starts with Relationships
Michael Chuchmuch 9/16/2009
An alarming number of companies get on the wrong track when creating a customer relationship management (CRM) vision. Outlined here are four steps that take the mystery out of what makes an effective CRM vision. The secret? It’s all about people and relationships.
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Using Predictive Analytics within Business Intelligence: A Primer
TEC Analysts 9/11/2009
What are predictive analytics, and how are they used within business intelligence applications and for business performance management?
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Customer Data Integration: A Primer
Lyndsay Wise 9/11/2009
Customer data integration (CDI) involves consolidation of customer information for a centralized view of the customer experience. Implementing CDI within a customer relationship management initiative can help provide organizations with a successful framework to manage data on a continuous basis.
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Five Steps to Business Intelligence Project Success
Lyndsay Wise 9/11/2009
Many business intelligence (BI) projects fall short of expectations. Unless organizations implement a methodology and benchmark the success other organizations have experienced, BI implementations may fail to provide the desired results. This article identifies five steps organizations should take when implementing BI solutions.
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Getting It Right: ERP Solutions for Mixed-mode Manufacturers
Alexander Hankewicz 9/9/2009
Falling somewhere between discrete and process manufacturing, mixed-mode manufacturers haven’t always been well served by traditional discrete or process enterprise resource planning solutions. But that’s changing now, as mixed-mode manufacturers finally have access to solutions that truly address their needs.
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An Analyst's View of Process Industry SMB Challenges
TEC staff 9/7/2009
Process manufacturing industries have distinct needs from an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Here’s an overview of what process manufacturing requires from an ERP solution, including business intelligence capabilities.
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Enterprise Resource Planning for Services: Has Software as a Service Become Service-oriented Architecture for Small to Medium Businesses?
Neil Stolovitsky 9/7/2009
In the past, enterprise resource planning (ERP) initiatives were far too costly for smaller organizations to consider. However, a trend has recently emerged where software vendors are now offering software-as-a-service business models for ERP implementation to even the smallest organizations.
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Your Reference Guide to SMB Accounting Software Features
TEC staff 9/7/2009
This reference guide provides insight into the accounting features and functions currently available on today's market for small to medium businesses (SMBs). It will help you determine which features your organization needs—and doesn't need.
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Bolstering the Call Center with Service Resolution Management Processes
P.J. Jakovljevic 9/4/2009
Integrated customer relationship management and call center solutions (sometimes referred to as service resolution management) have, despite initial glitches, reportedly helped some service companies realize remarkable returns on investment in addition to improved customer satisfaction rates.
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Product Lifecycle Management: Expediting Product Innovation
R. Nagarajan 9/2/2009
The highly competitive product manufacturing market makes true product lifecycle management (PLM) inevitable. PLM helps companies map product requirements to features, obtain control over product data, preserve product knowledge assets, and enter into the new paradigm of modular product development.
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Product, Project, Process, and People: The Four Ps of PLM Analytics
Kurt (Yu) Chen 9/2/2009
Product, project, process, and people represent the four areas of PLM analytics that may help PLM user organizations develop better products, improve the product development process, increase operational efficiency, and better measure employee performance, respectively.
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Transportation Management Systems: The Glue of the Supply Chain
David Bourque 8/31/2009
With manufacturing now a global industry, moving product throughout complex supply chains remains a challenge for most organizations. But transportation management systems are spearheading the way to help solve the dilemmas of today’s manufacturers, offering functionality that eases the transfer of goods from place to place.
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Why Is In-transit Visibility (ITV) in the Supply Chain Important?
8/31/2009
ITV capabilities allows an organization to meet the challenges of rapidly increasing fuel prices, changes in regulatory requirements, and provides customers with premium services without increasing the total cost of operations. Find out more in this article!
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Welcome to TEC's latest HRMS Showdown: Lawson S3 Human Capital Management versus Vista HRMS form PDS.
Sherry Fox 8/28/2009
I'm Sherry Fox, human resources (HR) research analyst and manager of Technology Evaluation Centers’ Research Analyst Group. Welcome to this month’s enterprise software Showdown! Today's Showdown compares Lawson S3 Human Capital Management and Vista HRMS from PDS, head-to-head. We hope you find these Showdowns helpful and informative, and invite your comments and questions at asktheexperts@technologyevaluation.com.
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Tactical Human Resources Evolves into Strategic Human Capital Management
P.J. Jakovljevic 8/28/2009
In contrast to traditionally investing in automation technologies for better use of tangible assets, enterprises have begun to invest in optimizing human capital. Human capital management, or talent management, is a set of human resources practices focusing on the acquisition, management, and optimization of the enterprise workforce.
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Using Demand to Modulate Consumer Packaged Goods Supply Networks
Subramanyam Venkataraman 8/26/2009
Traditionally, the consumer packaged goods supply has been driven to market mostly by upstream manufacturers. But progressive companies are realizing the enduring value of being driven by the market, and they are starting to use demand as a guiding light.
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EAM versus CMMS: What's Right for Your Company
Joe Strub,P.J. Jakovljevic 8/24/2009
This article looks at where computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) end and enterprise asset management (EAM) takes over, focusing on features and functionality of EAM software. It also compares CMMS and EAM software and explores the two key differentiators.
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Outsourcing in Latin America
8/17/2009
Global economic instability has modified the configuration in the worldwide outsourcing market. Find out what impact the crisis has had for Latin America players, according to new data, as well as the steps they should take to survive and—perhaps—prosper.
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Taking Multilingual Support to the Next Level
8/17/2009
Product managers in product companies are trying to develop applications that support multilingual functionality. Multinational corporations use multilingual software applications in order to increase their productivity and in some cases meet compliance regulations.
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A Guide to Selecting Process Enterprise Resource Planning Software
David Bourque 8/14/2009
Today, the issue of regulatory compliance touches every enterprise, and process manufacturers are no exception. To answer the challenge of this new reality, vendors now offer enterprise resource planning systems with far more features and functionality than ever before. But how can an organization choose the right system to meet its business needs?
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Why Enterprise Application Search Is Crucial to Your ERP System
Dan Matthews 8/14/2009
Enterprise applications become easier to use with the addition of powerful search capabilities. There is a distinction to be made, however, between stand-alone search tools and true enterprise application search that is built into and tightly integrated within an application.
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How the Mining Industry Benefits from ERP Systems
Leslie Satenstein 8/12/2009
Integrated enterprise resource planning software normalizes the reporting requirements for a mining company’s various departments. This article loosely shows the parallels between the operations in a mining company and those of a manufacturer whose product is sold on store shelves.
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Who Could Object to Faster, More Responsive Supply Chains?
P.J. Jakovljevic 8/10/2009
Today, global manufacturers have all but abandoned traditional vertical supply chain management to adopt the more flexible horizontal and virtual supply chain concepts. But in changing their business model, they have given up a fair amount of control over their supply chain processes.
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Managing Lean Manufacturing Using Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009
Dr. Scott Hamilton 8/10/2009
A supply chain management system (SCM) is a critical success factor for implementing lean manufacturing. The SCM system helps define product structure, costing information, financial information and reports and is a useful tool in the decision-making process.
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Warehouse Management for Manufacturers: Why Extended ERP Might Be the Right Choice
David Barks 8/5/2009
As a provider of enterprise resource planning (ERP) integrated workforce productivity solutions, we have seen many approaches to distribution automation. Adding a warehouse management system is a logical option for many manufacturers, but this article provides insight into another option: extending ERP distribution capabilities to take advantage of a single receiving, inventory, shipping database.
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Playing Devil’s Advocate with an Innovative Vendor’s “Techies”
P.J. Jakovljevic 8/3/2009
Rather than pursuing the usual route of writing analyses of major market trends, we’ve decided to ask vendors about their opinions and approaches. IFS has re-joined the discussion on the topic of user experience (UX) design.
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From Manufacturing to Distribution: The Evolution of ERP in Our New Global Economy
David Bourque 8/3/2009
Because manufacturers are now competing globally, they have shifted production to developing countries where cost of labor and resources is low. Software vendors have combined supply chain management functionality with enterprise resource planning software to stay globally competitive.
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Operational Business Intelligence and Performance Management: Key Differentiators
Lyndsay Wise 7/31/2009
The distinction between business performance management and operational business intelligence is sometimes unclear. Many vendor offerings overlap in terms of features and functionality, making it difficult to distinguish between the two. However, there are some differences worth exploring.
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ERP: When Transparency Becomes Tunnel Vision
David Bourque 7/29/2009
The face of manufacturing is constantly changing. As enterprise resource planning (ERP) software evolves and more organizations continue to use ERP solutions, they must find a way to avoid ERP’s “tunnel vision” syndrome as manufacturing continues to grow globally.
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Rising Elephant Creates Euphoria: India's Growing Markets Are a Boon for SCM Vendors
Ashfaque Ahmed 7/27/2009
The nature of the organized retailing market in India may present challenges for software providers, but the opportunity to tap into and benefit from this market's huge (and growing) potential can yield sizable returns for supply chain management software vendors.
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One Vendor's Exploit of Marrying Infrastructure with Selling and Fulfillment Applications
P.J. Jakovljevic 7/24/2009
For many manufacturers, distributors and retailers with a mishmash of disparate back-office business applications, Sterling Commerce, a traditional integration and communication provider, has recently unveiled a package designed to automate web-based commerce all the way from order capture to fulfillment and payment, as a result of bringing together a few prudent acquisitions over the last three years.
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Tightening the Chain—Supply Chain Cost-cutting Strategies
TEC staff 7/24/2009
As companies struggle to control costs, the supply chain and management of supply resources have come under scrutiny. The supply chain is one area where a company can achieve quick gains and receive a fast return on investment.
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Advancing the Art of Pricing with Science
P.J. Jakovljevic 7/22/2009
Companies in search of a better, more precise method to determine the best prices for their products and to meet their margins, should harness statistical science to analyze transactions, and associated optimization algorithms to maximize revenues and profits.
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Retailers, Consumers, and the Recession: Weathering the Storm
Sherry Fox 7/22/2009
The latest economic crisis has retailers of all sizes closing their doors. On the flip side, consumers are tightening their pocketbooks due to layoffs and lack of brand trust. So, how are retailers and consumers weathering the storm?
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Innovations in Business Intelligence
Anna Mallikarjunan 7/17/2009
Business intelligence (BI) is in the midst of a new wave of innovations. Ideas in the search space, software as a service, and real-time analytics are extending the reach of BI across the complete size spectrum of organizations. This article looks at these technologies and their impact on businesses.
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Distilling Data: The Importance of Data Quality in Business Intelligence
Anna Mallikarjunan 7/17/2009
As an enterprise’s data grows in volume and complexity, a comprehensive data quality strategy is imperative to providing a reliable business intelligence environment. This article looks at issues in data quality and how they can be addressed.
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Open Source Business Intelligence: The Quiet Evolution
Anna Mallikarjunan 7/17/2009
As organizations face a pressing need to rationalize the cost of enterprise software, open source business intelligence (BI) is fast becoming a viable alternative. Learn about the current state of open source BI, with particular focus on one vendor's products.
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Yet Another Branding Debacle (This Time, It's ERP for Services)
Jane Affleck 7/15/2009
Organizations providing billable services to their clients can benefit from an enterprise resource planning solution. But what makes ERP for services different from solutions known as product portfolio management for professional services automation? And which is best for your organization?
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Four Ways to Botch Your ERP Implementation Process
Jeff Kugler 6/29/2009
Here are four worst practices that can contribute to the failure of an enterprise resource planning implementation—or the implementation of any other enterprise software, for that matter. Protect your investment and prevent disaster by steering clear of these major mistakes.
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The Truth about Data Mining
Anna Mallikarjunan 6/19/2009
It is now imperative that businesses be prudent. With rising volumes of data, traditional analytical techniques may not be able to discover valuable data. Consequently, data mining technology becomes important. Here is a framework to help understand the data mining process.
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Justification of ERP Investments
Part 1: Quantifiable Benefits from an ERP System
Dr. Scott Hamilton 6/12/2009
Studies that surveyed manufacturers about the impact of ERP systems on firm performance indicate that company size and industry do not affect the results. Benefits have been indicated for large and small firms, whether they make standard or custom products or are in discrete or process manufacturing environments. This section explains the quantifiable benefits in terms of several areas of improvement. Reprinted from Maximizing Your ERP System by Dr. Scott Hamilton.
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Who the Heck Needs ROI?
Anthony Sarno,Robin F. Goldsmith 6/12/2009
Ten common errors prevent return on investment (ROI) calculations from being used as much or as well as possible. Avoiding intuitive decision making and basing ROI on quantifiable factors is essential to the success of major decisions, including software selection.
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A Traditional "Local Touch" Leader Espouses a More Global Vision
P.J. Jakovljevic 6/5/2009
Rather than pursuing the usual route and writing our opinions and analyses of major market trends and then giving the pertinent vendors a chance for a factual review and feedback, we’ve done the opposite, and have asked different vendors about their opinions and their approaches to market trends. Sage is the most recent vendor to join this discussion.
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Vendor Spotlight: Agresso
TEC staff 6/5/2009
Welcome to TEC's Vendor Spotlight series. This installment focuses on Agresso, a Netherlands-based ERP vendor now enjoying its fair share of success in North America. So how successful is Agresso? Just ask SAP—Agresso claims to have won over $50 million (USD) against SAP in 61 separate deals…
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Reaching the Peak of CMMI: How Fast Can You Climb?
Henry Schneider 6/3/2009
Implementing Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) at Maturity Level 5 enables an organization to optimize its performance. Learn about the critical success factors for CMMI High Maturity level appraisals; world-class practice for establishment and coaching of a local SEPG group; and the secrets of one organization’s rapid implementation of CMMI High Maturity practices.
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Who to Blame for Project Failure? Look Up—Not Down, Not Left, Not Right
Olin Thompson 6/3/2009
Project failure is not a nice topic. None of us wants to be involved in a failure. But when a failure occurs, we feel compelled to assign blame. But who really is to blame, and how can a company avoid the same problems in the future?
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Today's Discrete ERP Landscape: Trends, Challenges, and Solutions
David Bourque 5/29/2009
With web-enabled technology, business intelligence, and supply chain management becoming integral parts of the manufacturing environment, discrete enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications today are not as they once were. Learn about the current trends and how to select a discrete ERP system for your needs.
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Employee Training in a Recession
Phil Simon 5/27/2009
Organizations reassessing their staffing levels are both reducing headcount and cutting employee-related expenses, even if training can provide long-term benefits. This article discusses the increased importance, benefits, and risks of employee training in a recession with respect to enterprise systems.
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Factors Inhibiting the Widespread Adoption of Business Performance Management
Lyndsay Wise 5/18/2009
Business performance management (BPM) and business intelligence (BI) solutions are at a crossroads. Vendors from each domain compete in the same market. BPM vendors are at a disadvantage due to BI's penetration and expansion into the BPM market.
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Welcome to the CRM Showdown:
Microsoft Dynamics CRM vs. NetSuite CRM+
Larry Blitz 5/15/2009
I’m Larry Blitz, editor of TEC’s Vendor Showdown series. Today’s Showdown compares two popular mid-market CRM solutions, Microsoft Dynamics CRM and NetSuite CRM+, head-to-head. I hope you find this showdown helpful and informative. I invite your comments and questions at showdown@technologyevaluation.com.
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Three Ways ERP Can Help Manage Risk and Prevent Fraud
Thomas Schiesl 5/6/2009
If enterprise resource planning (ERP) isn't properly implemented to manage risk, your organization may face loss due to fraud or other hazards. Take advantage of ERP's capacities for role-based security, on both the business and the IT sides of your processes.
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What's Holding Back Online Appointment Booking?
Donatello Bianco 5/1/2009
False myth and common misconceptions are preventing hospitals and clinics from adopting online appointments.
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A Road Map to Electronic Medical Record System Implementation
Jeff Spitzer 5/1/2009
It’s crucial to define the scope of an electronic medical system implementation, as well as to outline each stage of the project and the resources that will be needed. A failed implementation will paralyze the operational capabilities of a health care organization, but the right methodology will help ensure a successful implementation.
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Business Intelligence: Its Ins and Outs
Mukhles Zaman 4/29/2009
In today's highly competitive business climate, the quality and timeliness of business information for an organization is not only a choice between profit and loss, it is a question of survival or bankruptcy. No business organization can deny the inevitable benefits of business intelligence.
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Business Performance Management Basics: An Overview of Business Performance Management and Its Benefits to the Organization
Lyndsay Wise 4/27/2009
Business performance management (BPM) includes setting key performance indicators, using data mining to discover data patterns and using software to help drive business decisions and develop corporate strategy. For an organization, there are many benefits to implementing a BPM solution.
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Weather the Recession with Project ERP
Bill Leedale 4/20/2009
There’s a notable difference between management by project and project management. By using project-centric software, organizations can implement the former and better address how to supply on-going demand, allowing them to better weather the recession and optimize their position during the recovery.
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The Business Model for the 21st Century Is Project-centric
Thomas Petersson 4/20/2009
Cost, time, resources, cash, and risk have always been the basics of project management. But as business as a whole becomes more project- rather than process-oriented, management technologies must in turn become more project-centric.
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How to Measure Customer Satisfaction
Murali Chemuturi 4/13/2009
Organizations often rely on surveys and questionnaires to determine customer satisfaction ratings, but such methods merely offer a perceived customer rating. Obtaining a realistic measure of customer satisfaction involves computing a metric based on a composite customer satisfaction rating system.
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The G-word: Do Businesses Touting Green Really Practice What They Preach?
Paloma Somohano 3/30/2009
The word “green” these days is everywhere—especially in business. However, it’s difficult to know whether the environmental concerns of these businesses are sincere. Are their so-called “green practices” truly focused on the protection of the environment, or are they a profit-driven marketing initiative?
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Managing the Overflow of E-mails
Hans Mercx 3/27/2009
Only effective e-mail management, together with records management and policies for employees on how to manage their e-mails, will help organizations deal with compliance regulations and potential litigation.
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Squeeze Play in the Supply Chain Management Market
Dylan Persaud 3/25/2009
Changing business requirements have forced supply chain execution (SCE) vendors to expand via add-on modules. Seeing this upward push from the SCE vendors, enterprise resource planning vendors are now pushing downward and including SCE modules within their solutions.
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Contemporary Business Intelligence and Its Main Components
TEC Analysts 3/23/2009
Business intelligence (BI) represents the tools and systems that play a key role in the strategic planning process by allowing a company to manipulate corporate data for decision-making. But what exactly are the primary components of BI?
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Off-loading Some Green Compliance Burdens: Can Enterprise Applications Meet the Challenge?
P.J. Jakovljevic 3/20/2009
The European Union’s WEEE Directive requires electronics manufacturers of member states to manage and pay for electrical and electronics waste recycling. Yet some prospective business service providers are waiting for the legislation and market to mature before offering their solutions.
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"Evergreen"—Environmental Regulations for High-tech and Electronics, Chemical, and Oil and Gas Industries
P.J. Jakovljevic 3/20/2009
High-tech and electronics, chemical, and oil and gas industries each have their fair share of regulatory requirements to meet, and an increasing number include environmental directives. Enterprise applications designed to meet their distinct needs should help pave the way to compliance.
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Preparing for Product Development in Process Manufacturing
P.J. Jakovljevic 3/16/2009
Combining process industry–oriented product lifecycle management capabilities with process manufacturing–oriented enterprise resource planning ones can help alleviate many of the challenges particular to the process manufacturers, especially in the areas of product development and regulatory compliance.
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Preparing for Product Development in Process Manufacturing
3/16/2009
Combining process industry–oriented product lifecycle management capabilities with process manufacturing–oriented enterprise resource planning ones can help alleviate many of the challenges particular to the process manufacturers, especially in the areas of product development and regulatory compliance.
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A Primer on Lean Manufacturing Using Microsoft Dynamics AX: Case Studies
Dr. Scott Hamilton 3/9/2009
To enable organizations to support lean and traditional manufacturing practices in a single system, Microsoft Dynamics AX has incorporated lean manufacturing constructs into its package. Several case studies illustrate the use of kanbans in various lean environments.
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Managing Customer Returns and RMAs
Using Microsoft Dynamics AX
Scott Hamilton 3/6/2009
Returned material authorization (RMA) built on sales order functionality, such as that used by Microsoft Dynamics AX, can drastically simplify RMA processes.
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Managing Customer Returns and RMAs
Dr. Scott Hamilton 3/4/2009
There are common and unique variations to returned material authorizations (RMAs) that can compound a company’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Identifying RMA variations enables a company to determine what needs to be simplified and what needs to be modeled in an ERP system.
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"Star Search"—Talent Management Made Simple
Sherry Fox 2/27/2009
One of the biggest challenges businesses face today in the area of human resources is the recruitment and retention of skilled talent. Combining a talent management strategy with an integrated talent management system can help ensure you have the right people in place to meet your organization’s needs.
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The Best-kept Secret in the Product Lifecycle Management Mid-market
P.J. Jakovljevic 2/20/2009
The name Omnify Software may hardly come to mind when one thinks of the product lifecycle management (PLM) leaders, but that might change down the track
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Two Origins, One Destination?
A Look at the Two Main Genres of PLM Solution from the Integration Standpoint
Yu (Kurt) Chen 2/4/2009
There are two major genres of PLM solution: CAD-PLM and ERP-PLM. These two types have different integration capabilities, but the gap between them is shrinking thanks to various factors driving the market. Currently, however, the difference still matters in the solution selection process.
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A VoIP Primer—Everything You Need to Know about VoIP
Leslie Satenstein 1/28/2009
Are you considering voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) for your organization? We’ll take a comprehensive look at how VoIP works, and what you should know before selecting a VoIP vendor.
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Learning Management Systems (LMS) Showdown:
Saba vs. Sumtotal
Larry Blitz 1/12/2009
I’m Larry Blitz, editor of TEC’s Vendor Showdown series. Today’s Showdown pits two major learning management system vendors against each other, head-to-head: Saba Software and SumTotal Systems.
I hope you find this LMS Showdown helpful and informative. I welcome all your comments and questions at showdown@technologyevaluation.com.
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Advanced Front Office Lean with Business Modeler Software
Gregory Romanello 1/7/2009
When part of an enterprise software environment, business modeler software can reduce training costs, prevent errors, and minimize non-value added work. And if properly integrated, it can be both a tool for senior management and for hands-on system users.
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Front-office Lean—Taking Lean Manufacturing Beyond the Shop Floor
Gregory Romanello 1/7/2009
Lean manufacturing practices are employed to some degree on almost every manufacturing floor, but many companies aren't realizing the real benefits of lean by bringing lean to their front-office operations. Here are a few tips on lean office operations.
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Application Giants in Duel and Duet for Users’ Hearts, Minds … and Wallets
P.J. Jakovljevic 1/5/2009
While SAP and Microsoft are concurrently partnering for certain initiatives, they are still dueling about who is bigger, better, smarter, whose user screens are prettier and more user-friendly, and so on. But the major question is whether the market and users are ultimately going to be better for it.
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A Veteran Mid-market ERP Vendor with a Pragmatic Vision Chimes In
P.J. Jakovljevic 12/31/2008
Joining our growing list of vendors willing to provide their opinions and commentary on our thought-provoking questions on market trends, SYSPRO takes part in our ongoing question-and-answer series, where the vendor responds from the viewpoint of a mid-market veteran.
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Attribute-based Demand Planning: A Powerful Tool for Process Manufacturers
David Bourque 12/24/2008
As manufacturing becomes a global process, advances in demand management software have given rise to attribute-based demand management software. In the process manufacturing environment, this software can help manufacturers deal with complex manufacturing processes and increase overall customer satisfaction.
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Function Points: Are They Really the Right Unit of Measure for Software Sizing?
Murali Chemuturi 12/15/2008
Function points (FPs) are the most popular unit of measure for measuring the size of software. But because FPs were developed in the 1970s, are they not now outdated for today’s event-oriented programming and multi-tiered software architectures?
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A Guide to Software Test Tools
James Lyndsay 12/15/2008
Testing a system well is harder than building it. In the face of new risks introduced by the ever-increasing complexity of software and hardware, test tools may be your only practical way to be confident that you've got just what you paid for. From gathering the initial requirements to supporting the system after it has been deployed, test tools are available to support all phases of a project. This article looks at the ways that test tools can be used to design, code, and (of course) test a system.
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The ERP Ecosystem
Yu (Kurt) Chen 12/5/2008
Three major parties (vendors, consulting services, and adopting organizations) are identified in the ERP ecosystem, in which different parties need different key success factors. This article also discusses some challenges that may have an impact on the ERP ecosystem.
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Leveraging 3-D for Sales Automation
Christina Park,Wayne Thompson 11/28/2008
Product knowledge is now readily available to buyers online, so it’s no surprise that salespeople are seeking new tools and new skills to close sales. A powerful new set of tools has taken its place in the salesperson’s arsenal: 3-D applications.
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The Basics of Quote-to-order Systems
P.J. Jakovljevic 11/28/2008
Global competition means more choice for consumers and increasing customer demands. Manufacturers and distributors must develop a better understanding of what customers want so that they can configure, produce, and deliver products and services faster and more cost-effectively.
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The Demo Crime Files!
Bob Riefstahl 11/26/2008
This article is part of the continuing education all software demonstrators need to ensure their fundamental skills remain sharp. It points out three common “crimes” made in demonstrations, how to recognize them, and suggests alternative approaches.
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Product Review: Ramco HCM
Sherry Fox 11/24/2008
Many HR issues, including talent management, are common points of interest for HR (and related software) vendors. As such, many are designing their products to address these issues. Ramco HCM goes one step further by adding analytics to the mix.
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Should North Americans Send More Software Development Work to China?
Yu (Kurt) Chen 11/17/2008
This article discusses the risks and opportunities related to outsourcing software development to China. It concludes that China, as an outsourcing destination, has different risk exposures in comparison with India. However, going to China may also bring opportunities considering the pressure of further cost reduction that North Americans are facing and the booming domestic demands of the Chinese market.
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Distinctions and Benefits of Strategic Sourcing
P.J. Jakovljevic 11/17/2008
Strategic sourcing involves ongoing relationships, which creates the opportunity for mutually beneficial collaboration between the buyer and the suppliers. This can result in improved profitability throughout the entire supply chain and add value to the final product or service.
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Electronic Medical Records: An Introduction
Jeff Spitzer 11/5/2008
Electronic medical records (EMR) serves a niche market. This software caters specifically to health care professionals working in clinics, private practices, and hospitals. EMR software came about to increase overall patient care and communication between health care staff and departments.
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Throw Away Your Financial Statements: Managing by Metrics
Charles Chewning Jr. 10/31/2008
Analyzing static, detailed financial statements has been the modus operandi for hundreds of years. Because many business management systems can isolate and create graphics of key performance indicators (KPI), businesses should now concentrate on KPIs, which influence profitability.
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How Project Portfolio Management Can Deal a Winning Hand to the SMB Project Manager
Alexander Hankewicz 10/29/2008
Project portfolio management (PPM), once a solution only larger organizations could afford, enables companies to analyze, recommend, authorize, activate, expedite, and monitor projects. In recent years, however, small to medium businesses have been able to benefit from PPM too, through software-as-a-service models of this tool.
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A "Gentler" Giant's Success in Reaching Out to the "Little Guys"
P.J. Jakovljevic 10/29/2008
Until recently, the few leaders in the lower end of the technology and platform market have hardly had any viable competition. However, Oracle is determined to give these players—especially archrival Microsoft—a run for their money, starting with offerings attractive to small to medium businesses and partners alike.
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Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About LMS But Were Afraid to Ask—Well Maybe Not Everything!
Sherry Fox 10/24/2008
Today, if a company wants to retain its employees, it must take great strides to make their jobs more rewarding. To give their employees the learning experience they’re looking for, many organizations are now implementing learning management systems (LMSes).
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Why Manufacturers Should Cash In on the Promise of Business Intelligence
Lyndsay Wise 10/20/2008
Through this interview with RCG Information Technology’s Robert Abate, manufacturers can gain an understanding of what it takes to add value to their current business intelligence (BI) use, or what they can gain from BI and how to get started.
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Global Product Development Seen as a Boon for Product Lifecycle Management Vendors
Michael Bittner 10/17/2008
An enterprise that wants to shift to a global product development strategy must invest in modern product lifecycle management (PLM) technology. Therefore, the PLM software market could be on the edge of a significant growth cycle.
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War Looms in the On-demand CRM Market (and Beyond)—But Will You Profit from It?
David Clark,P.J. Jakovljevic 10/13/2008
Salesforce.com is now an almost unstoppable force in the world of on-demand customer relationship management. However, it may be the architect of its own downfall—and Microsoft is poised to take advantage. But will you profit from the Salesforce.com-versus-Microsoft war?
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A Semi–open Source Vendor Discusses Market Trends
P.J. Jakovljevic 10/10/2008
A response to trends in the open source software market comes this time from relative newcomer provider xTuple. This vendor’s footprint isn’t entirely in the open source door, however, with OpenMFG, its commercially licensed solution with an open source infrastructure.
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Is Your Enterprise Application on a Road to Nowhere?
Dan Matthews 10/8/2008
Consolidation is a well-documented trend and is to be expected in the market for enterprise applications. This article outlines the evolution of the enterprise software market. Specifically, it focuses on the revolutionary technology known as service-oriented architecture (SOA).
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A Lexicon for Customer Relationship Management Success
Glen Petersen 9/29/2008
Despite technological advances, users are dissatisfied with customer relationship management (CRM) systems. Ambiguous terms do not provide the vocabulary for concrete action and measurable expectations. Thus, CRM is perceived to be about intangibles, and is approached with a let's-hope–for-the-best mentality.
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Customer Relationship Management Showdown: Microsoft Dynamics CRM vs. Oncontact CRM vs. SageCRM
Larry Blitz 9/29/2008
For this Showdown, we looked at all three of the main CRM modules: sales force automation, marketing automation, and customer service and support. To eliminate any chance of bias and to ensure a level playing field, all the criteria that make up these three modules in our CRM Evaluation Center were given equal weight and priority. In other words, no area of functionality was treated as being more important than any other.
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Accounting for SMB Showdown
Larry Blitz 9/24/2008
I'm Larry Blitz, editor of TEC's Vendor Showdown series. Today's Showdown pits two major enterprise resource planning (ERP) and accounting for small to midsized business (SMB) vendors against each other, head-to-head: Exact Software North America (a division of Exact Software) and Infor.
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Project-oriented versus Generic GL-oriented ERP/Accounting Systems
P.J. Jakovljevic 9/24/2008
Caught between big-vendor ERP offerings requiring heavy customization, and off-the-shelf project management solutions that are easily outgrown, project-oriented organizations have special accounting needs. Find out more about those needs, along with recommendations for what solutions you should be taking a closer look at.
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The Web-based Sales Portal—A Catalyst for Business Transformation
B.K. Mahesh,Noorani Subramanian Hariharan 9/15/2008
A sales portal is one of many tools that can be used to help transform a business, especially a consumer packaged goods company. In this article, key structural and functional elements, as well as the advantages of implementing and effectively using a sales portal, are discussed.
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Manufacturing Software for an Integrated Steel Plant
Ashfaque Ahmed 9/10/2008
An integrated steel plant’s manufacturing processes typically encompass three distinct types of manufacturing—flow manufacturing, process manufacturing, and mill manufacturing—making such a plant a mixed-mode manufacturer. Software systems that address the diverse needs these manufacturers have cannot be emphasized more.
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Can ERP Speak PLM?
Jim Brown 9/5/2008
Because product lifecycle management (PLM) offers a host of benefits to manufacturers, it has become one of the fastest growing categories of enterprise applications.
But a PLM system needs to work hand-in-hand with an enterprise resource planning system, so how can an organization integrate these two enterprise applications, which "speak" in different languages?
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Service Level Agreements for Manufacturers and Software Vendors in the Supply Chain
David Bourque 9/1/2008
Supply chains are very complex, as is discrete manufacturing and the software that addresses its needs. To ease the complexities, service level agreements are developed so that all parties involved remain on the same page and product delivery is facilitated.
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Human Resources for Small to Medium Businesses
Jeff Spitzer 9/1/2008
When small to medium businesses shop around for a human resources (HR) solution, their main considerations are whether to go for a hosted or non-hosted solution, or to simply outsource HR functions altogether. It’s important to know the advantages and disadvantages of each before making a selection.
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Audit Your Message Strategy by Answering Three Questions
Lawson Abinanti 9/1/2008
Most companies create a new marketing plan every 12 months. At the same time, they should audit their message strategy to stay on top of competitors’ marketing and to have confidence that they are delivering the right message to their market.
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Segregation of Duties and Its Role in Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance Issues
Alexander Hankewicz 8/27/2008
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) requires publicly traded firms to demonstrate that their accounting and reporting practices are in compliance with regulatory standards. Section 404 of SOX addresses the concept and practice of segregation of duties—a key aspect of this legislation, and the focus of this article.
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Thou Shalt Comply (and More), or Else: Looking at Sarbanes-Oxley
P.J. Jakovljevic 8/27/2008
Compliance with the US Sarbanes-Oxley Act (and a slew of other regulations) is crucial for all businesses, as failure to comply with the law’s strict standards and policies can spell disaster for executives and upper management of any enterprise.
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Quote-to-order: One Big, Lean Machine Adds High Tech to Its Mix
P.J. Jakovljevic 8/22/2008
BigMachines differentiates itself in the quote-to-order (Q2O) sphere due to its solutions’ lean end-to-end, inquiry-to-order focus. Although there are other vendors offering Q2O as a service, BigMachines product is arguably more flexible, as high tech manufacturers may be noting.
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Quote-to-order: A Newcomer Causes a Stir in the Market
P.J. Jakovljevic 8/20/2008
A crop of next-generation, Web-based, on-demand, startup quote-to-order systems providers has lately flourished, spearheaded by BigMachines, whereas some traditional vendors that once defined the product configuration space in the 1990s have since left the market.
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Quote-to-order: New Ingredients in the Recipe for Success
P.J. Jakovljevic 8/18/2008
Quote-to-order (Q2O) systems can address the increasing demand for personalized and customized products. Complex product specification, quoting, and ordering processes—as well as the software applications catering to those processes—can benefit from the use of the Web, collaboration tools, and lean thinking.
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Cash Management 101
Leslie Satenstein 8/13/2008
Cash management is an essential business process all organizations must perform to survive. Though cash management uses automation for much of the “grunt” work, it is human intelligence in the financial decision making that does the rest.
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Use a Computerized Maintenance Management System to Improve Predictive Maintenance Performance
David Berger 8/6/2008
Companies that have moved from a highly reactive environment to a more planned one notice significant improvement. A computer maintenance management or enterprise asset management system is useful tool to create a planned environment, help build accurate equipment history, and develop comprehensive analysis capability.
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Most Misunderstood Link in Supply Chain Management
Abe WalkingBear Sanchez 8/4/2008
Business practices have changed dramatically through the years, but credit and collections is still handled like it was back in the 1950s. Fact is, it’s way past due to re-think this vital business function given today’s business realities.
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Blast Past Manufacturing Bottlenecks with Constraint-based Scheduling
Bill Leedale 8/1/2008
Managing constraints in any manufacturing or service environment can be difficult. But with the right tools, accurate data, and a skilled user, a management team can manage the throughput of its constraints to support the goals of its company.
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The ITIL Version 3 Prescription for Transitioning Services
Lou Hunnebeck 7/30/2008
IT service transition is difficult to manage. But with the updated guidance found in ITIL Version 3, IT organizations can plan for a more successful transition, with a new perspective on all transition phases, including planning, configuration, and change management.
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Process-based Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance
P.J. Jakovljevic 7/23/2008
The right balance of automated processes with paper records and manual, human interaction is necessary to keep costs under control with a flexible yet controlled set of procedures. The strategic software category, governance, risk management, and compliance, is poised to help.
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How Supply Chain Management Helps Today's Engineer-to-order Companies
David Bourque 7/18/2008
In today's competitive engineer-to-order (ETO) manufacturing environment, procuring components on time and within budget is crucial. With rising fuel costs and increased international trade, supply chain management software can help ETO organizations get—and stay—ahead of the competition.
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Drug Pedigree Guidelines and How Software Can Help
Ashish Labh,Joseph J. Strub 7/11/2008
Drug manufacturers and retailers are tightening their data collection and reporting processes to meet new US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) guidelines. But which software offerings are best placed to help drug manufacturers comply with the new guidelines?
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Welcome to ERP Showdown: Infor ERP LN 6.1 vs. Epicor Vantage vs. Lawson M3 Discrete Manufacturing Solutions
Larry Blitz 7/9/2008
I'm Larry Blitz, editor of TEC’s Vendor Showdown series. With enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems being the information backbone of the organization, we decided to take a closer look at three of the more popular discrete ERP solutions for the mid-market. Using TEC's ERP Evaluation Center, we compared Infor ERP LN 6.1, Epicor Vantage, and Lawson M3 Discrete Manufacturing Solutions head-to-head, based on the most recent data supplied to us by the three vendors.
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Ambitious Plans and Promises: How Will the Market Respond to One Enterprise Software Provider’s Offerings?
P.J. Jakovljevic 7/7/2008
The market should commend Infor’s attempt to combine business-specific solutions from a partner like IBM. If nothing else, the fact that Infor can provide integrated and best-in-class offerings poises the vendor to become serious competition for such giants as SAP and Oracle.
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Ambitious Plans and Promises: An Enterprise Software Vendor’s Open Course of Action
P.J. Jakovljevic 7/2/2008
Infor has met several of its objectives with Infor Open SOA. The vendor has managed to resolve inherited customer retention issues, move forward with “green” and corporate social responsibility initiatives, and even has a viable new product version to offer Baan users.
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The Marriage of Virtual Machines, Software as a Service, and Cloud Computing
Leslie Satenstein 7/2/2008
New technology, such as virtual machines and high-speed internet communication, is leading to wider remote application hosting. Here is a tutorial-level technical explanation of how it’s being driven
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Ambitious Plans and Promises: An Enterprise Software Provider Keeps Its Word
P.J. Jakovljevic 6/30/2008
With its numerous new software license sales, new product deliveries, and its dedication to complicated technological rejuvenation (namely, an ambitious open service-oriented architecture strategy), Infor's position and image in the market these days are at an all-time high.
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Six Misconceptions about Data Migration
Norma L. Davis 6/23/2008
A truly successful data migration project involves not only an understanding of how to migrate the data from a technical standpoint, but an understanding of how that data will be used and its importance to the operation of the enterprise.
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Welcome to ERP Showdown!
Infor SyteLine vs. Exact Software Macola ES vs. QAD Enterprise Application
Larry Blitz 6/23/2008
Today's ERP Showdown pits Infor SyteLine vs. Exact Software Macola ES vs. QAD Enterprise Application, all aimed at medium-sized businesses in the $250 million (USD)–plus range. Once again, we used TEC's ERP Evaluation Center to look at all eight standard ERP modules…
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Security Risk Assessment and Management in Web Application Security
Caleb Sima 6/6/2008
Corporations are at risk because Web applications and servers make them susceptible to hackers and cyber crooks. However, companies can perform security risk assessments that mitigate risk by applying security risk management policies designed to protect a company’s data.
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Open Platform Provider Answers Questions about the State of the Market
P.J. Jakovljevic 6/4/2008
Rather than offering the customary opinions and analysis of major market trends beforehand and then giving the involved vendors a chance for a factual review and feedback, this time Technology Evaluation Centers has attempted to solicit vendors’ proactive views.
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How Can Business Intelligence Benefit Small to Medium Businesses?
Lyndsay Wise 6/4/2008
Research shows that the number one software solution that small to medium businesses plan to purchase in the coming year is business intelligence (BI). Download TEC’s latest podcast to find out why BI is so hot right now.
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A Partner-friendly Platform Provider Discusses Market Trends
P.J. Jakovljevic 6/2/2008
A background of Progress Software notes the vendor’s product line-up, and some of the benefits companies find by using Progress platforms and infrastructure products. The vendor’s recent growth is also detailed, as well as its relationships with partners.
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The “Gentler” Giant’s Value Proposition to Overcome the “Little Guys’” Perception
P.J. Jakovljevic 5/23/2008
Since its launch less than a year ago, Oracle’s VAD Remarketer Program has been quite successful in recruiting new value-added distributors worldwide. But the real challenges that remain for this software giant have more to do with its image within the market than with its products.
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Welcome to ERP - Distribution Showdown!
Epicor Enterprise vs. JDA Supply Chain Planning & Optimization Suite vs. Pronto Xi
Larry Blitz 5/23/2008
I'm Larry Blitz, editor of Technology Evaluation Centers’ (TEC) Vendor Showdown series. Welcome to our latest: ERP - Distribution Showdown. You’ll notice this one has a broader focus than Showdowns we’ve done in the past. Again we’ll be comparing three vendor solutions head-to-head, but not just on functionality. This time we’ll also look at the industries these solutions support, how well they cover different portions of the mid-market segment, and how their installed bases break out geographically. Of course, functionality is again a key component of this Showdown, broken down into four main distribution areas and 13 subareas. We hope you find today’s Showdown helpful and informative, and invite your comments and questions at showdown@technologyevaluation.com.
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Current Trends in Supply Chain Analytics Systems
Anand Chatterjee 5/7/2008
Supply chain analytics is gaining popularity with organizations, as it is an effective mechanism to monitor and track supply chain performance. And with new technological innovations promising to enhance these tools, businesses can look forward to benefiting more fully from this area of supply chain management.
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Pricing Management Vendor Must Show Proven Payback from Clients
P.J. Jakovljevic 5/5/2008
Vendavo’s recent growth is due to its reseller partnership with SAP, and the segmentation and optimization functionalities of its pricing solutions. But the vendor needs to stay on its toes, at least until its role in lifting almost every client profit margins is proven.
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Provider of B2B Price Management and Optimization Speaks Out
P.J. Jakovljevic 5/2/2008
In addition to growing at a breakneck pace for the last few years, Vendavo has recently rounded out its suite for price and margin management. The market should take notice, while the competition should indeed watch out.
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From Local to Hosted: The Story of One Company’s Migration to On-demand ERP
Wayne Thompson 4/25/2008
Here’s the inside story on how an international manufacturer using a traditional, local enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution shifted gears to end up with an on-demand, remotely hosted ERP system. It wasn’t the change the company originally intended, but the benefits proved too overwhelming to resist.
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Acquisitive Vendor Expands Its Enterprise Asset Management Potential
P.J. Jakovljevic 4/18/2008
IFS has much to offer customers. Its IFS Applications suite now boasts an asset lifecycle management module for quick data retrieval. IFS also has a strong commitment to international standards, and with its acquisition of iSC, expertise in naval and marine operations.
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"Once Bitten” Vendor Is Not “Twice Shy” about New Acquisition
P.J. Jakovljevic 4/16/2008
IFS Defence Ltd., a joint venture between BAE Systems and IFS, recently acquired iSC, a British custom software firm. However, some product integration issues and questions about long-term benefits for IFS customers outside the defense sector should be monitored.
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Choosing the Right Electronic Medical Record System for Your Health Care Organization
Jeff Spitzer 4/14/2008
Health care organizations have special needs to consider when deciding what type of electronic medical record (EMR) system to implement. This article examines the advantages and disadvantages of on-demand and on-premise EMR systems.
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Supply Chain 101: The Basics You Need to Know
David Bourque 4/11/2008
Today’s manufacturers face increasing global competition and complex manufacturing networks. Supply chain management provides manufacturers with the needed visibility into their supply chain, as well as software solutions, to help give them a competitive edge.
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Oracle Product Showdown!
Larry Blitz 4/4/2008
I'm Larry Blitz, editor of Technology Evaluation Centers’ (TEC) Vendor Showdown series. Today’s Vendor Showdown is an encore presentation of a Showdown that was originally published last September. It compares two popular Oracle enterprise solutions—JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and E-Business Suite—head to head.
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The Challenges of Integrating Enterprise Resource Planning and Manufacturing Execution Systems
P.J. Jakovljevic 3/28/2008
While enterprise applications solutions are moving closer to the plant floor, and plant-level systems are moving closer to enterprise planning application functionality, these systems will not likely converge anytime soon, because they use different technologies and have different user requirements.
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The Rapid Response Solution Continues to Improve
P.J. Jakovljevic 3/26/2008
Kinaxis’s latest response management product releases deliver even more refined software system tools to help global manufacturers with capacity planning and scheduling, including monitoring and alerting, action team selection, and inventory liability reduction capabilities.
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Thou Shalt Motivate and Reward Workforce Better
P.J. Jakovljevic 3/24/2008
The potential of enterprise incentive management systems should not be ignored, since this software category promises a fairly rapid and tangible return on investment, outlines expensive over- and under-payment errors, and reduces administration overhead.
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What Makes Process Process?
Olin Thompson 3/21/2008
The systems dealing with manufacturing, inventory, procurement, and customer order management systems are among the systems that often prove to be the hardest to acquire due to the unique issues of the process enterprise.
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A Response Management Pioneer Offers Its Solution
P.J. Jakovljevic 3/19/2008
Kinaxis Inc. is answering the needs of global manufacturers by delivering an on-demand response management service. These services are designed to help manufacturers drive quick responses to ever-changing global supply chains and fulfillment networks.
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A Possible Remedy for Non-responsive Supply Chains
P.J. Jakovljevic 3/17/2008
Because the supply chains of most manufacturers have become complex, global networks, managing these systems requires enterprise applications that enable collaboration, visibility, demand-sensing, and quick response to unplanned and unexpected events. But from where will such solutions come?
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Multi-enterprise Responsiveness—Can It Ever Be Achieved?
P.J. Jakovljevic 3/14/2008
Most manufacturers are now operating in a multi-enterprise, multi-echelon context, and their supply chain processes and supporting IT tools need to accommodate responsive collaboration. Yet most enterprise resource planning systems currently used do not adequately serve the needs of these businesses.
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Chemical Industry ERP Showdown:
Infor vs. JD Edwards vs. Lawson vs. SAP vs. SSI
Larry Blitz 3/10/2008
Today’s Showdown is based on an industry-specific case study. Five enterprise resource planning vendors were selected for the evaluation. All the results were based on the latest request for information (RFI) supplied to us by the vendors, and all priorities were assigned by the client.
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What Are Manufacturing Execution Systems?
P.J. Jakovljevic 3/7/2008
A manufacturing execution system (MES) can be defined as a collection of business processes providing event-by-event, real-time execution of planned production requirements. However, market ambiguity and functional overlap with enterprise resource planning systems obscure what an MES can bring to an enterprise.
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How to Solve Your Warehouse Woes
Sherry Fox 2/29/2008
Today’s manufacturers and distributors are under immense pressure to ensure their warehouse and supply chain activities are continually operating at peak performance. But before any improvements can be made, they must first develop a warehouse management improvement strategy.
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The Convergence of ERP and Field Services—One Vendor’s Leadership
Judith Rothrock,Predrag Jakovljevic 2/27/2008
Agresso’s experience with people-centric services organizations has led the vendor to design a solution that effectively address these businesses’ need for field services and asset maintenance management. Agresso’s melding of two solutions, and the product’s underlying architecture, support change and tightly couple solution categories.
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An ERP Vendor Poised to Overtake the Services Market
Judith Rothrock,Predrag Jakovljevic 2/25/2008
Companies in the services industry need both asset and field services management, but current integrated asset and field services maintenance systems often fail to meet these organization’s needs. However, enterprise resource planning vendor Agresso appears to have just the right solution.
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Retail Merchandising Showdown! Lawson Software vs. Epicor vs. Aldata Solution
TEC Analysts 2/15/2008
Using our Merchandising Evaluation Center, we compared Lawson Retail Operations Management, Epicor CRS Merchandising, and Aldata G.O.L.D. head on. For the overall rankings portion, we looked at these vendor solutions in two basic configurations: with and without POS functionality. To eliminate any chance of bias, and to ensure a level playing field, all 3,072 criteria comprising all the modules and submodules in the merchandising request for information (RFI) were given equal weight and priority…
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Best Practices for Transporters and 3PL Service Providers
Ashfaque Ahmed 2/6/2008
The business of transporting goods is risky, complex, and effort-intensive. Despite the continuing rise in fuel prices, employee salaries, and other overhead costs, transporters often face the prospect of providing their services at lower rates. How can transporters survive in such a difficult business climate?
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How to Evaluate a Sales and Operation Planning System
Anand Chatterjee 2/1/2008
The features available in today’s sales and operations planning (SOP) systems make these systems indispensable assets for an organization. Reporting tools and graphical representations are just a couple of these key features. Find out what else to look for in an SOP system.
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Software Selection: A Third Alternative
Part One: The Buyer’s Perspective
Joseph J. Strub 1/21/2008
There are two prevailing approaches for selecting enterprise-wide software: the functions and features approach and the business processes approach. Yet a third alternative does exist—one that takes the best aspects of these two to provide the assurances needed by the buyer and the efficiency desired by the vendor.
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Are You Adequately Protecting Your IT Infrastructure Components Inside the Firewall?
Teresa Wingfield 1/11/2008
Components such as applications, databases, web servers, directories, and operating systems rely mostly on built-in security features. But passwords and privileges are hardly enough, considering that many users have elevated privileges and fail to follow established corporate procedures.
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Software Selection Processes—Accelerating Vendor Identification
Jeff Gusdorf 1/2/2008
Software selection is complex and time-consuming. Taking shortcuts or skipping steps in the process increases the risk of making the wrong choice. But attending a virtual trade show can accelerate the selection process, increase vendor interaction, and reduce this risk.
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6 Specialists, 6 Industry Domains: Trends for 2008 and 2009
Verónica Inoue 12/31/2007
In a survey on upcoming trends in employee management, the Learning Review asked six experts in six major industry domains one simple question: what do you think the main trends in [domain] will be for 2008 and 2009? Here are their answers.
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Your Guide to Enterprise Software Selection: Part Two
Bill Carson 12/28/2007
Enterprise software selection is a risky undertaking. Even after you’ve determined your requirements, the crucial software assessment and negotiation phases are potential minefields. Find out how you can reduce the risk involved in choosing a solution that meets your needs.
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Your Guide to Enterprise Software Selection: Part One
Bill Carson 12/26/2007
Enterprise software selection is a risky undertaking for any organization. Find out how you can reduce the risk with a best-practice approach to assessment, evaluation, and selection—and learn how to reduce the time and cost involved in choosing the right solution.
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So What’s the Big Deal with Chemicals?
Olin Thompson,P.J. Jakovljevic 12/24/2007
Due to the inherent challenges of the industry, most chemical companies are still unable to profitably respond to highly variable demand, or to execute predictable product supply strategies.
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Software Evaluation and Software Selection
TEC staff 12/17/2007
Organizations are surrounded by ambiguity when making their implementation decisions. Accurate and relevant criteria that are properly weighed against an enterprise’s needs, what-if scenarios, and supporting graphics and reports are essential when making a software selection.
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SaaS-ing the Manufacturing Opportunity
P.J. Jakovljevic 12/14/2007
The software as a service (SaaS) delivery model is here to stay, and most vendors have noticed. Recently, the endorsement for SaaS in the realm of manufacturing enterprise resource planning has come from a veteran vendor and SaaS pioneer.
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The Quest for the Right Self-service Model: Enterprise Content Management Suite or Integrated Best-of-breed?
Hans Mercx 12/12/2007
Organizations are looking for self-service models to manage their internal and external content. Content management systems are the answer, but then the question becomes which to choose—an all-in-one enterprise content management suite, or an integrated, best-of-breed point solution?
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Knowledge Management: The Core of Service Resolution Management
P.J. Jakovljevic 12/12/2007
Businesses today need to demonstrate their value to customers by making information that is relevant to them accessible. Hence the need for knowledge management software, which helps companies segment and then distribute the information their customers want to know.
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The Keys to Effective Project Governance Leadership
Jed Simms 12/10/2007
Project Sponsor.com conducted a three-year research program on project governance. The findings turned up some surprising facts on how project governance is approached and applied in businesses today, and shed some light on what is required for project governance to be effective.
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Integrating Customer Relationship Management and Service Resolution Management
P.J. Jakovljevic 12/7/2007
The business case for integrating call center service resolution management into customer relationship management is becoming increasingly obvious, as companies need to rely more on inbound (customer-generated) calls than on outbound telemarketing efforts.
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Data Governance: Controlling Your Organization’s Mission-critical Information
Lyndsay Wise 12/4/2007
Controlling your company’s key information through data governance is more than just good practice—it can make the difference between success and failure at meeting compliance requirements and at arming your organization with a competitive edge.
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Small Merger Challenges and Recommendations to Users
P.J. Jakovljevic 12/4/2007
The recent merger of enterprise resource planning vendors CMS Software (now known as Solarsoft Business Systems) and XKO Software presents some challenges. Although little overlap exists between the companies’ product lines, customers should verify that pre-merger support and service contracts are honored.
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The Sweet Spot of One Merging ERP Vendor
P.J. Jakovljevic 12/3/2007
CMS Software (now known as Solarsoft Business Systems) may not be a huge global player, but its enterprise resource planning solutions address a wide spectrum of supply chain management requirements, including customizable electronic data interchange functions, warehousing, distribution, and traceability features.
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A Quiet ERP Vendor Merger That’s Worth a Closer Look
P.J. Jakovljevic 11/30/2007
The CMS Software-XKO Software merger into Solarsoft Business Solutions offers proof that smaller enterprise resource planning vendors are not extinct yet. Perhaps in the grand scheme of things, no one should really care about such events, but these less well-known vendors haven’t said their last words yet.
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Are You Tuned into Radio Frequency Identification?
Dylan Persaud 11/28/2007
This article examines the organizational fit of radio frequency identification (RFID) and its technology’s basic mechanics. Its prohibitive costs often account for the decision to not implement RFID. Yet some factors influencing adoption may shed new light on why RFID is important.
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Quote-to-order Solutions and Key Performance Indicators
P.J. Jakovljevic 11/26/2007
Providers of complex products, systems, and services should view quote-to-order (Q2O) systems as enablers that can improve competitive advantage. At the same time, users should remember that Q2O solutions are not necessarily advantageous for all manufacturing departments or businesses.
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Quote-to-order: The Major Players in the Manufacturing Arena
P.J. Jakovljevic 11/19/2007
The latest generation of quote-to-order systems uses knowledge-based software to help reduce an organization’s dependence on its highly skilled experts. The ability to harness a company’s intellectual property and know-how helps build competitive advantage.
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Q2O Systems: Solutions for Quotation Management and Pricing Configuration
P.J. Jakovljevic 11/16/2007
Quote-to-order systems include quotation management and pricing configuration solutions. Pricing configuration engines automate pricing and quoting processes for manufacturers with complex requirements. Their benefits include quotes that are quick and accurate, leading to increased customer satisfaction.
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What Does Having a Paperless Office Really Mean?
N’Gai Cobb 11/14/2007
Establishing a paperless office may appear to be a daunting task, but if you understand your operational goals, and if you know what to expect from a paperless system, achieving beneficial results are much easier than you think.
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The Essential Components of Quote-to-order Application Suites
P.J. Jakovljevic 11/14/2007
Modern quote-to-order suites provide customers and suppliers access to design, planning, and material data. This enables users to proactively understand various aspects of a project, as well as reduce planning time, document activities, and promote communication throughout the engagement cycle.
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The Complexities of Quote-to-order and Possible Solutions
P.J. Jakovljevic 11/12/2007
It is becoming necessary to go beyond the direct sales force to sell complex products. With the advent of personal computers and the Internet, new possibilities for reaching manufacturing clients have opened up, and new sales opportunities have become available.
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So, You’re Considering a Paperless Office?
N’Gai Cobb 11/12/2007
The concept of the paperless office has been around for many years, but only recently has this concept been turned into reality. This article analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of having a paperless office.
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Stemming the Loss of Knowledge Capital: A Business Fix for Manufacturers
Christina Park,Wayne Thompson 11/5/2007
The clock is ticking for manufacturers to come up with a solution to the ongoing loss of knowledge capital. Their best hope lies in introducing knowledge management strategies across the enterprise—before it’s too late.
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Software Selection for Organizations: Are We Becoming Too Web-biased?
Murali Chemuturi,Udaya Sundari Chemuturi 11/2/2007
Web-based software has come of age: it is more robust and stable, and combined with the increased speed of the Internet, businesses have reaped tremendous benefits. Still, Web-based systems may not be the answer for every business.
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The Challenges that Remain for One Aspiring Global Sourcing Vendor
P.J. Jakovljevic 10/26/2007
In the long term, Eqos’s current stature and means may not be enough to maintain its competitive position against current and potential competitors, especially those with significantly greater financial resources, name recognition, and other resources.
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Social Networks: How They're Turning CRM Upside Down
Wayne Thompson 10/24/2007
Social networking has collided with customer relationship management, and it's turning the relationship between businesses and their customers upside down. Today, businesses are using social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace or, as is the case with Procter & Gamble, developing their own social networks, to …
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How One Sourcing Vendor's Offerings Are Bolstered by a Wealth of Services
P.J. Jakovljevic 10/22/2007
Eqos is especially proud of its complementary services portfolio, which stems from a decade's worth of direct experience in providing some of the world's leading retailers with sourcing and supplier management solutions.
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The Secret of One Vendor's Success in the Retail Supply Chain
P.J. Jakovljevic 10/19/2007
Using the service-oriented architecture concepts of reusability and standards-based interoperability, and based on extensive experience with legacy systems and packaged applications integration, Eqos can deliver pre-configured, cross-enterprise business processes that blend new and legacy functionality into a more coherent process.
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Case Study: Small Retail Chain Gears Up for Rapid Growth
Christina Park 10/17/2007
Elephant Pharm, a start-up retail chain in the natural health and wellness retail market, needed a software solution to help the company compete with the bigger players in the industry, and to achieve rapid growth. The retailer found the right software with Aldata Solution.
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A Retail Sourcing Suite Built on Experience
P.J. Jakovljevic 10/15/2007
Eqos's mission is to become the leading provider of global sourcing and supplier management solutions for the retail supply chain worldwide. Today, Eqos supports some of the world's top retailers, hosting thousands of users and enabling their collaboration with as many suppliers.
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One Vendor's Quest to Garner a Global Sourcing Ecosystem
P.J. Jakovljevic 10/12/2007
Having started as a business-to-business integration provider for a few major retailers in the United Kingdom, Eqos has evolved into a full-fledged, worldwide provider of global sourcing and supplier management solutions.
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QAD: A Software Vendor That Has Survived (if Not Thrived) in the ERP Market
P.J. Jakovljevic 10/5/2007
QAD, a renowned provider of enterprise software solutions for midsized global manufacturers, has outlived many of its contemporaries by maintaining its stronghold in the discrete and process manufacturing sectors. In doing so, the vendor has reached a respected, veteran status.
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Boosting the Bottom Line with Master Data Management
Lyndsay Wise 10/3/2007
You may not have heard of master data management (MDM), but it can help an organization cut costs while strengthening its sales and marketing efforts. Find out how MDM can help boost your company's bottom line in this latest podcast.
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The Seven Deadly Sins of Software Marketing
Joseph J. Strub 10/1/2007
Huge amounts of money are spent on marketing collateral—you need to ensure that you get your money's worth. This article discusses seven common mistakes made when developing software marketing collateral. Read on to see if you need to repent.
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Innovation and Change in Human Resources
Verónica Inoue 9/28/2007
Learning Review's Veronica Inoue interviewed two representatives of the Interamerican Federation of Human Resource Management Associations (Federación Interamericana de Asociaciones de Gestión Humana), who attended the Human Management Conference held by la Asociación de Recursos Humanos de la Argentina.
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Welcome to BI Showdown:
Oracle Hyperion System 9 vs. Microsoft ProClarity vs. Exact Business Analytics
Lyndsay Wise 9/26/2007
I'm Lyndsay Wise, senior research analyst at Technology Evaluation Centers. Welcome to another in TEC's series of enterprise software Vendor Showdowns. Today's Showdown pits three of the top business intelligence (BI) vendors against each other in a head-to-head contest: Oracle's Hyperion System 9 vs. Microsoft ProClarity vs. Exact Business Analytics. We hope you find this Vendor Showdown helpful and informative, and invite your comments and questions.
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Customer Relationship Management: Evolution, Not Revolution
Jane Affleck 9/24/2007
Customer relationship management (CRM) can be a tool for positive change in businesses' operations. Or CRM can—unintentionally—cause a host of problems, from lost employee time to lost customer data. But with the right information, implementing CRM allows evolution without the upset of revolution.
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Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Case Study
Case Study Spotlight 9/21/2007
Find out how one American manufacturer with a hot new product line found a product lifecycle management (PLM) system that would enable its team to meet demand in record time. Oddly enough, it was right under their noses the whole time…
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At Last—A Complete (and Successful) RFID Implementation
Dylan Persaud 9/21/2007
A radio frequency identification implementation is a major undertaking for any organization—a project with ample risk of failure. This entire series is a step-by-step guide to the process, with this final part including a comprehensive glossary of key terms for better understanding.
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Applying the Power of Social Networks to Customer Relationship Management
Wayne Thompson 9/19/2007
Customer relationship management (CRM) is rapidly morphing from a customer management model to one of customer engagement. Social networks, podcasts, blogs, and wikis are enabling customers to become advocates, and not simply the targets they were in the traditional CRM process. The same techniques are also being used within the CRM industry itself to create a content-rich, social media environment for CRM professionals. Find out what these sweeping changes mean to businesses and CRM professionals alike, as TEC's director of research Wayne Thompson sits down with Paul Greenberg and Bruce Culbert of BPT Partners, a leading CRM consulting firm.
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RFID Implementation: Moving Forward through the Four Phases
Dylan Persaud 9/17/2007
Implementation of a radio frequency identification system is best approached in four phases to ensure its success. Discussed here are the second and third phases, which deal with testing and validation, and the importance of setting up a pilot implementation.
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Radio Frequency Identification Implementation: The First Steps
Dylan Persaud 9/14/2007
Phase one of the four phase approach to a successful radio frequency identification implementation consists of several essential steps, including the careful selection of business partners and the development of a test environment and corrective label placement procedures.
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Oracle Product Showdown! JD Edwards EnterpriseOne vs. E-Business Suite
Neil Stolovitsky 9/12/2007
In JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and E-Business Suite, Oracle has two of the most popular enterprise solutions available in the marketplace today. To compare these two Oracle products, we looked at six standard enterprise resource planning (ERP) modules: supply chain management, distribution process management, web commerce, human resources, financials, and product technology. To eliminate any chance of bias and to ensure a level playing field, all 3,214 criteria that make up these six modules (and their submodules) in our ERP Evaluation Center were given equal weight and priority…
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A How-to Guide for a Radio Frequency Identification Site Survey
Dylan Persaud 9/7/2007
As organizations prepare for a radio frequency identification (RFID) implementation, they often don't understand the preliminary work necessary to begin the project. The importance of a site survey can influence the success or failure of an RFID project.
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Podcast: A Project Manager's Guide to Business Performance Management
Neil Stolovitsky 9/5/2007
As business performance management (BPM) has expanded into virtually all areas of business, project managers have been broadening their soft management skills. Learn what project managers can borrow from BPM to streamline service delivery, optimize operations, and improve customer satisfaction.
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Maximizing Potential Benefits in Reverse Auctions
Amitava,Noorani Subramanian Hariharan 8/31/2007
Reverse auction (RA) has emerged as a strategic tool for consumer packaged goods companies pursuing cost efficiencies in their sourcing programs. This article presents a framework to structure and gain maximum mileage out of the RA process.
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A Primer on Lean Manufacturing Using Microsoft Dynamics AX
Dr. Scott Hamilton 8/27/2007
Lean manufacturing constructs have been incorporated into the Microsoft Dynamics AX package, enabling firms to support lean and traditional manufacturing practices in a single system. This primer covers the constructs for supporting many of the variations in lean practices.
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Are Software Vendors Messing with Your Head? (The Art of Reading White Papers)
David Clark 8/24/2007
If you're researching a software selection project, you need to take full advantage of the white papers available to you. Find out about the top 10 white paper buzzwords used today—and learn how to make solid sense of them.
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Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe: Software Selection, Its Pitfalls, and How to Avoid Them
Hugh R. Alley 8/22/2007
The process of selecting software can be streamlined by paying close attention to the types and quantities of criteria you use. Better decision processes will distinguish between two key types of criteria and limit the number of criteria considered.
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Zooming into the Clothing Retailer Conundrum
P.J. Jakovljevic 8/20/2007
If retailers in the vertical market of fashion apparel do not constantly refresh their presentation and assortment for consumers, they run the risk of being overtaken by their competition, regardless of how competitively they source and deliver.
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No One Said Sourcing Overseas Would Be Easy
P.J. Jakovljevic 8/17/2007
The many challenges and risks that retailers face when sourcing globally could be mitigated with the right software tools. Yet the sad fact is that few information technology systems fully support the complexities and unique requirements of global trade.
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The Anatomy of Retail Sourcing Processes
P.J. Jakovljevic 8/15/2007
The most successful retailers are those that continually focus on driving the very best performance from each of their suppliers, and that work collaboratively to improve performance in areas such as on-time delivery, product quality, and regulatory compliance.
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The Promise (and Complexities) of Private Labels
P.J. Jakovljevic 8/13/2007
Recent studies have shown that retail winners (that is, companies that outperform their peers in year-over-year, comparable store sales) carry a significantly higher percentage of private label merchandise than their competitors do.
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Optimizing the Supply Chain and Increasing Customer Satisfaction: An Interview with Robert Abate of RCG Information Technology
Lyndsay Wise 8/8/2007
Manufacturers must constantly address how to increase customer satisfaction, identify supply chain issues before they become problems, and lower production costs. In this podcast, Lyndsay Wise and Robert Abate discuss the benefits business intelligence provides to help address these topics.
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The Blessing and Curse of Global Sourcing and Supplier Management
P.J. Jakovljevic 8/6/2007
The appeal of global sourcing is understandable given the benefits of seemingly lower costs. But without discerning hidden challenges and eliminating potential shortcomings, the process may be more costly than anticipated—a situation especially true for companies using inadequate, out-of-date enterprise information technology infrastructures.
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ERP − Distribution Showdown! Oracle's JD Edwards vs. TGI's Enterprise 21
Dylan Persaud 7/31/2007
Using our ERP - Distribution Evaluation Center, we compared Oracle's JD Edwards and Technology Group International head-on.
For the overall rankings portion, we looked at these vendors' solutions in two basic configurations, with and without back-office (human resources [HR] and financials) functionality.
To eliminate any chance of bias and to ensure a level playing field, all 3, 414 criteria comprising all the modules and submodules in the ERP - distribution request for information (RFI) were given equal weight and priority...
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Podcast: What the Revolution in ERP for Distribution
Means to Your Organization
Dylan Persaud 7/25/2007
Today, globalization is becoming a way of business. With big-box retailers, supplier relationship management (SRM) has become an important component in how organizations conduct business. In this podcast, Rodney Winger from Epicor discusses ERP - distribution software and SRM solutions.
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How One Vendor's Software Solutions Address the Insurance Industry's Unique Issues
P.J. Jakovljevic 7/23/2007
Callidus Software's latest enterprise incentive management and sales performance management product suite for the insurance sector aims at helping insurance carriers improve agent retention and at providing producers with the best service possible.
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How Can Insurance Carriers Retain and Reward True Producers?
P.J. Jakovljevic 7/20/2007
The enterprise incentive management and sales performance management market is evolving rapidly. Callidus Software remains the vendor of choice for some of the largest companies in the world. The vendor is aiming to cement its leadership within the insurance sector.
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Merchandising Showdown!
Lawson vs. Epicor/CRS vs. Aldata
Christina Park 7/18/2007
Using our Merchandising Evaluation Center , we compared Lawson Software, Epicor, and Aldata Solution head-on. For the overall rankings portion, we looked at these vendor solutions in two basic configurations, with and without POS functionality. To eliminate any chance of bias, and to ensure a level playing field, all 3,072 criteria comprising all the modules and submodules in the merchandising request for information (RFI) were given equal weight and priority…
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Improving Human Performance by Identifying the Gaps
Verónica Inoue 7/16/2007
Mariano Bernárdez, expert in performance improvement, was interviewed in Buenos Aires (Argentina) by Learning Review's Verónica Inoue. Inoue asked Bernardez about his new book, Tecnología del Desempeño Humano (Human Performance Technology), and how this issue affects the Latin-American market.
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The Return of Supplier Relationship Management
Dylan Persaud 7/13/2007
Globalization, technology stabilization, inventory visibility, and traceability are forcing organizations to reevaluate supplier relationship management systems. The benefits of a customer relationship management system that can be applied to a supply chain can streamline operations and increase bottom line results.
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Two Stalwart Vendors Discuss Mid-market Issues
P.J. Jakovljevic 7/6/2007
In continuing our first-time ever questions-and-answers series for software applications vendors, Infor and IFS, two upper mid-market, stalwart vendors, express their views on market trends, platform approaches, and mid-market issues.
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The CMO–CIO Organizational Alignment Mandate
Glen Petersen 7/4/2007
Chief information officer reporting relationships continue to be distanced from the strategy function. The marketing function is experiencing this same distancing from strategy. However, the two functions should be on the leading edge of strategy, rather than the receiving end.
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Two Stalwart Vendors Discuss Platform Approaches (Wars)
P.J. Jakovljevic 7/2/2007
Infor and IFS, two upper mid-market, stalwart vendors, were the first to respond to our questions-and-answers series directed at software application vendors. Based on our questions, these two vendors share their views on market trends, platform approaches, and mid-market issues.
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Two Stalwart Vendors Discuss Market Trends
P.J. Jakovljevic 6/29/2007
In this unique question and answer series, vendors were given the opportunity to put forth their views on market trends, platform approaches, and mid-market issues. The questions posed to willing participants of this opinion poll are elaborated on here.
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Is There a Way to Avoid Lengthy Catalog Numbers?
P.J. Jakovljevic 6/22/2007
A sales configurator needs to be able to "decipher" products' specifications from a rule-based, constructed catalog number. Part number users should query vendors to determine whether their enterprise solutions cater to the needs of industrial automation manufacturers.
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ERP - Distribution Showdown! Microsoft Dynamics NAV vs. Retalix vs. Epicor Enterprise
Dylan Persaud 6/22/2007
I'm Dylan Persaud, senior analyst at Technology Evaluation Centers. Welcome to another in our ongoing series of enterprise software Showdowns. Today's Showdown pits three of the top ERP - Distribution solutions against each other in a head-to-head contest: Microsoft Dynamics vs.Retalix vs. Epicor Enterprise! We hope you find this Showdown helpful and informative, and invite your comments and questions.
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Can We Intelligently Use Part Numbers to Configure and Order the Right Products?
P.J. Jakovljevic 6/20/2007
In the industrial automation industry, an overlooked, fatal flaw of sales configurator solutions is their inability to simultaneously configure part numbers and products. A greater concern is their inability to "decipher" product specifications from part numbers—that is, in reverse.
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Recent Developments in One Price Management Provider's Business
P.J. Jakovljevic 6/13/2007
A quality product offering doesn't guarantee success for any up-and-coming vendor, especially in a market requiring more awareness and depending on organizational change. While Zilliant appears to be the early market leader, its long-term success depends on several factors.
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A Guide to ERP for Service Organizations
Neil Stolovitsky 6/12/2007
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is enabling service organizations to streamline service delivery, optimize operations, and improve customer satisfaction. In this podcast, TEC analyst Neil Stolovitsky sits down with Oracle's Ted Kempf for his take on the unique implementation requirements of ERP systems for professional service organizations, as well as the role technology plays in running a successful service business.
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How One Provider's Solution Covers the Bases of Price Optimization and Management
P.J. Jakovljevic 6/11/2007
What are the solutions that enable Zilliant's customers to gain a better understanding of their markets' price response and translate this into more profitable pricing? Zilliant Precision Pricing Suite encompasses distinct solutions geared for each step of the pricing process.
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How One Vendor Parlays Price Variation into Profit Improvement Opportunities
P.J. Jakovljevic 6/8/2007
Rather than sticking to such outdated and speculative pricing practices as "cost plus" or "meet competition," Zilliant suggests companies leverage data to determine how market price response varies, and use this holistic measure of price sensitivity to optimize pricing.
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What if Companies Could Use Science to Align Prices to Market and Maximize Margins?
P.J. Jakovljevic 6/6/2007
Zilliant, a data-driven, price management software provider, aims to enable business-to-business companies to optimize revenue and margins through decision support and automation software that delivers more effective discount guidelines, in-depth price analytics, intelligent deal management, and successful price promotions.
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A Dynamic Answer to Enterprise Resource Planning for Services
Neil Stolovitsky 6/4/2007
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) vendors do battle to win business and Epicor is leveraging Microsoft's technology to deliver a mid-market solution to services industries. Despite Microsoft's competing ERP offering, Epicor continues to build a Microsoft-centric solution with its partners' support.
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BPM Showdown! Oracle's Hyperion System 9 vs. OutlookSoft vs. Cartesis Suite
Lyndsay Wise 5/30/2007
I'm Lyndsay Wise, senior research analyst at Technology Evaluation Centers. Welcome to another in TEC's series of enterprise software Showdowns. Today's Showdown pits three of the top business performance management (BPM) vendors against each other in a head-to-head contest: Hyperion System 9 vs. OutlookSoft vs. Cartesis Suite! We hope you find this Showdown helpful and informative, and invite your comments and questions.
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Productivity for Software Estimators
Murali Chemuturi,Sarada Kaligotla 5/30/2007
Presently, software estimation is considered to be an art rather than a science. At the heart of this perception is the lack of understanding of the concept of "productivity." This article attempts to provide insight into the concept of productivity.
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Customer Relationship Management and Social Networks—They're Related How, Again?
Paul Greenberg 5/28/2007
No company today can afford to ignore the value of its customers' natural social networking behavior. The advantages that these social networks can bring to a company's customer relationship management platform are powerful tools that can ultimately improve its products.
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So What's the Bottom Line on Price Segmentation?
P.J. Jakovljevic 5/28/2007
Data-driven, science-based price management is an emerging market. Therefore, vendors should be made to prove whether and how they can enable a company to achieve and measure margin lift, or return on investment, of their price management applications.
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Business-to-business Price Segmentation—Outlined and Explained
P.J. Jakovljevic 5/25/2007
The central premise of price segmentation, especially in business-to-business environments, is that pricing should be consistent for similar deals. The process quantifies similarity by empirically determining which deal circumstances affect price response, enabling companies to benchmark prices against similar transactions.
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Know Thy Market Segment's Price Response
P.J. Jakovljevic 5/18/2007
Since no variable can influence margins as much as pricing, almost all companies need to approach the management of selling prices, discretionary discounts, and potential price increases with the same firmness they use to manage manufacturing and procurement costs.
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How One On Demand Vendor Addresses Its Unique Challenges and Competition
P.J. Jakovljevic 5/14/2007
As the software-as-a-service market matures, and while it remains appealing to resource-constrained companies, organizations having up to 500 payees, and that are in need of complex compensation calculation and multitier compensation rules, should consider Centive Compel product suite.
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On Demand Compensation Management Partnerships for Spiffed-up Success
P.J. Jakovljevic 5/11/2007
Centive's strategy is to form a limited number of strategic partnerships with leading management consulting firms to ensure customers receive the highest levels of service and support. Pertinent alliances made include one offering sales performance incentive funding formulas (SPIFFs).
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The Compelling Capabilities of One Compensation Management Vendor's Solution
P.J. Jakovljevic 5/9/2007
Despite its product's notable functional scope, Centive is committed to being the leader in on demand sales compensation management. The vendor believes it now has sufficient resources to fund research and development, as well as business initiatives.
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On Demand Delivery Compels a Compensation Management Vendor
P.J. Jakovljevic 5/7/2007
The on demand paradigm and enterprise incentive management market seem to have established a viable cross-section to the extent that, going forward, some players feel comfortable enough to opt solely for the software-as-a-service, subscription-based delivery model.
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One Vendor's Dedicated Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance Unit
P.J. Jakovljevic 5/4/2007
SAP's governance, risk management, and compliance roadmap is still in its beginning stages. Only time will prove the vendor's delivery of true, tangible products (and not vaporware), as well as the success of those products with current and prospective customers.
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How a Leading Vendor Embraces Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance
P.J. Jakovljevic 5/2/2007
SAP AG has long committed to placing compliance at the core of its product suite, as the vendor has recognized the growing role of enterprise systems in assisting companies to meet the increasing challenges of corporate compliance and risk management.
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Requirement Traceability—A Tester's Approach
Neha Grover 4/30/2007
The value of a requirement traceability matrix is in its ability to track and monitor each requirement to be incorporated into the customer's product throughout the entire process of product development, and to detect defects at the earliest stage possible.
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How One Vendor Addresses Support and Maintenance Issues
P.J. Jakovljevic 4/27/2007
SAP is addressing the problem of customers wanting support that vendors are either not providing, or providing at unjustifiable prices. Support and maintenance customers are committed to service contracts, but only to a point. New options are thus available.
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EAM Showdown! IFS vs. Mincom vs. CHAMPS
Sadat Zaman 4/27/2007
Using our EAM Evaluation Center, we compared Mincom Ellipse, CHAMPS, and IFS head-on. For the overall rankings, we looked at the vendors in two basic configurations: with back-office (HR and financials) functionality, for a total of eight main modules, and without, for a total of six main modules. To eliminate any chance of bias, and to ensure a level playing field, all 3,146 criteria comprising the modules and submodules in the EAM request for information (RFI) were given equal weight and priority.
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Criteria for Selecting a Software Estimation Tool
Murali Chemuturi 4/25/2007
A plethora of software estimation tools are available, each claimed to be better than the others, thereby confusing prospective buyers. An effective tool ought to provide for all four aspects of software estimation, namely, size, effort, cost, and schedule.
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Latest Developments for a Vendor-neutral Third Party Support and Maintenance Provider
P.J. Jakovljevic 4/23/2007
Rimini Street is not trying to be a software vendor. Rather, the third party support and maintenance provider is a focused system implementation and consulting firm that sells its services under service contracts instead of mere break-fix arrangements.
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Is There a Street Corner for a Vendor-neutral Third Party Support and Maintenance Provider?
P.J. Jakovljevic 4/20/2007
Although Rimini Street's client base is still budding, the third party provider of support and maintenance has been quite bullish, owing to the accelerating demand for its service lines; healthy win ratios; and solid execution of its aggressive business plan.
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Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 for Manufacturing Environments
Dr. Scott Hamilton 4/18/2007
This continues a reprint of the summary chapter from the book Managing Your Supply Chain Using Microsoft Dynamics AX by Dr. Scott Hamilton. In this second part, design factors related to system usage in manufacturing enterprises are covered.
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Microsoft Dynamics AX 4.0 for Distribution Environments
Dr. Scott Hamilton 4/16/2007
This is a reprint of the summary chapter from the book Managing Your Supply Chain Using Microsoft Dynamics AX by Dr. Scott Hamilton. In this first part, design factors related to system usage in distribution enterprises are covered.
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ERP Showdown—Round 2!
Exact Macola ES vs. Infor SyteLine vs. QAD MFG/PRO
Dylan Persaud 4/11/2007
I'm Dylan Persaud, senior analyst at Technology Evaluation Centers. Due to the overwhelming response to our first ERP Showdown, we're pleased to present another head-to-head discrete enterprise resource planning (ERP) comparison. Here, then, is ERP Showdown, Round 2!—featuring Exact Macola ES vs. Infor SyteLine vs. QAD MFG/PRO.
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Alternative Software Support and Maintenance Options
P.J. Jakovljevic 4/11/2007
Smart companies are investigating all possible software support and maintenance (S&M) options. Alternative software S&M is not for all businesses, but it seems a logical option for technologically conservative (and savvy) companies that do not need all the available upgrades.
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The Evolution of Enterprise Resource Planning Includes Service Industries
Neil Stolovitsky 4/9/2007
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) vendors have extended their functionality to service vertical markets in the service industry. As a result, ERP for services has emerged as a viable software category competing with the best-of-breed vendors serving professional services sector industries.
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What Are the Support and Maintenance Options?
P.J. Jakovljevic 4/4/2007
Enterprise software licensees do have a choice when it comes to software support and maintenance (S&M) providers, with several, less expensive options existing for any company that is considering discontinuing S&M for an application product.
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What Is the Value Proposition of Support and Maintenance?
P.J. Jakovljevic 4/2/2007
Mature systems in any enterprise require an approach different from newer implementations to software support—one that focuses on customization, interoperability, and performance support. Yet despite this fact, most vendors continue to offer the same one-size-fits-all models of support.
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Support and Maintenance: No Longer the Software Industry's "Best Kept Secret"?
P.J. Jakovljevic 3/30/2007
Support and maintenance (S&M) contracts mean very different things to vendors and to users. With user enterprises' growing awareness of how these S&M agreements affect their bottom lines, vendors need to reassess their pricing and value proposition strategies.
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Will User Enterprises Ever Get onto an Easy (Support and Maintenance) Street?
P.J. Jakovljevic 3/27/2007
Vendors' traditional pricing strategies aren't going to work much longer. Sooner or later, prices will be determined by what the market is ready to bear rather than be based on what vendors think is a profitable way to deliver solutions.
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The Post-implementation Agility of Enterprise Systems: An Analysis
Olin Thompson,P.J. Jakovljevic 3/26/2007
Very few companies really run standard software applications as "standard" products, since every business changes constantly. In fact, these companies have found that the agility they wish to attain is in direct conflict with the rigidity of their enterprise systems.
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Flexible Customer Data Integration Solution Adapts to Your Business Needs
Lyndsay Wise 3/23/2007
Siperian's master data management and customer data integration (CDI) solutions allow organizations to consolidate, manage, and customize customer-related data. The type of CDI hub implemented depends on the CDI environment's maturity, requirements, and alignment with an organization's internal processes.
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Conviction is the Intangible in a Successful Positioning Process
Lawson Abinanti 3/21/2007
You need conviction to skillfully handle the inevitable criticism during the positioning process. Otherwise, you're likely to try something different every time someone challenges you. This doesn't need to happen. Adopt a positioning process that includes an evaluation criterion.
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A Simplified Approach to Powerful, Flexible Data Visualization
Lyndsay Wise 3/16/2007
Corda's CenterView™ enterprise performance dashboards allow users and software partners to use Corda's dashboards to create the presentation layer of analytics, and to help organizations present and achieve their business goals across the organization.
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Why Database-agnostic Enterprise Applications Are on the Way Out
Dan Matthews,Rick Veague 3/12/2007
Middleware agnosticism is the wave of the future, and the database platform is becoming part of the application. It has therefore become increasingly important that vendors of enterprise applications offer a wider range of middleware choices to organizations.
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The Challenges of Defining and Managing Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance
P.J. Jakovljevic 3/9/2007
A broader, more structured approach is needed to effectively manage governance, risk management, and compliance (GRC). Enterprises will then be better able to guide their people, standardize their processes, and unify technology to embed GRC at all organizational levels.
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ERP Showdown:
Deltek Costpoint vs. Microsoft Dynamics AX vs. Oracle E-Business Suite
Dylan Persaud 3/9/2007
We looked at eight standard ERP modules. To eliminate any chance of bias, and to ensure a level playing field, all 3,600 criteria that make up the modules and submodules in our ERP Evaluation Center were given equal weight and priority. In other words, no area of functionality was treated as being more important than any other.
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Global Trade and the Role of Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance Software
P.J. Jakovljevic 3/7/2007
The growing number of legal and regulatory requirements associated with global trading is one of many reasons enterprises are looking into global trade management applications, and into harnessing the up-and-coming, strategic software category of governance, risk management, and compliance.
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Automotive Industry and Food, Safety, and Drug Regulations
P.J. Jakovljevic 3/2/2007
Enterprise application providers wanting to address the distinct regulatory requirements of the automotive, food, safety, and life sciences industries need to offer enterprises industry-oriented enterprise resource planning systems that are sound and compliance-ready.
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Experiencing the Customer Experience: Listening to, Learning from, and Acting on the Voice of the Customer
Bruce Culbert 2/28/2007
To ensure a positive customer experience, companies must first learn what their customer values, and then determine how they are measuring up to those values. Obtaining and taking action on customer feedback is what customer experience management is all about.
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The Sarbanes-Oxley Act May Be Just the Tip of a Compliance Iceberg
P.J. Jakovljevic 2/26/2007
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act is not the only government regulation that enterprises must comply with. Several others make it imperative that appropriate enterprise resource planning and financial management systems provide comprehensive sets of financials and analytics capabilities to ensure compliance.
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Important Sarbanes-Oxley Act Mandates and What They Mean for Supply Chain Management
P.J. Jakovljevic 2/23/2007
Two sections of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) have major implications for supply chain management. Yet enterprises can meet the challenges created by SOX more easily by using software tools developed to simplify the processes for compliance with this law.
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Alice (or Allen) in MobileLand
Paul Greenberg 2/19/2007
Cell phones, smartphones, and similar mobile devices are beginning to play an active role in customer relationship management; many of these handheld devices are capable of handling field service and sales, and can make business intelligence available to users.
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A Positioning Process Helps Product Marketing Managers Do More
Lawson Abinanti 2/12/2007
Because product marketing managers constantly juggle competing priorities, companies should consider implementing a formal positioning process as a way of cloning their product marketing managers. Rationale documents and message strategies become vehicles that transfer product knowledge to marketing and sales.
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Can You Hear Me Now: The True Role of Voice-directed Picking in Warehouse Management
René Jones 2/9/2007
Although voice-directed picking may take distributors to higher logistics levels someday, operations managers should try listening to their warehouse personnel for now. Warehouse workers are the real experts on a company's warehouse, its product, and its customer.
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Challenges and Future Plans of a Product Inventory Disposition Vendor
P.J. Jakovljevic 2/2/2007
Despite FreeFlow's success at helping organizations regain some margin of profitability for excess inventory, the company still strives for expansion and improvement as a product inventory disposition vendor, with the aim of meeting international environmental regulations down the track.
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Zooming into an Inventory Free Flow
P.J. Jakovljevic 1/30/2007
FreeFlow, a provider of business services with a patented technology, aims to help companies improve product life cycle profitability by providing a unique, online auction platform where companies can reduce their at-risk and excess inventory.
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Is There a Smarter Way to Handle Excess Active and Obsolete Inventory?
P.J. Jakovljevic 1/29/2007
Imagine the convenience of a 24x7 intranet marketplace where companies could sell off their inventory to the highest bidder. FreeFlow is one such business service provider, helping companies find buyers to sell their products to and increase inventory asset recovery.
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Let the (Excess) Inventory Flow!
P.J. Jakovljevic 1/26/2007
Because companies focus primarily on new product development and promotion, the problem of excess and obsolete inventory, once addressed, often leads to both the inventory and dollars flying out the door. There should be smarter ways of handling this problem.
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An ERP Vendor, with its Powerful Parent Backing, Tackles Software as a Service
P.J. Jakovljevic 1/24/2007
Glovia hopes to become a manufacturing service platform that will connect and integrate various business systems that user companies currently use. The vendor's software-as-a-service offering is one of the routes it plans to take to get there.
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A Veteran Enterprise Resource Planning Vendor Makes a SaaS-y Statement
P.J. Jakovljevic 1/22/2007
Glovia International has launched the first full-fledged and versatile, manufacturing-oriented solution that is an on-demand, enterprise resource planning software-as-a-service application. Its solution is good news for small and medium businesses in more ways than one.
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Supplier Relationship Management: Benefits and Challenges
Al Bukey 1/19/2007
Properly implemented supplier relationship management solutions can help companies overcome some of today's business challenges by allowing them to restructure their supply chains, align business processes, define and establish company-supplier relationships, and integrate information systems to share information with suppliers.
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