http://whitepapers.technologyevaluation.comTechnology Evaluation Centers - News Analysis and Research. Technology Evaluation Centers Inc. (TEC) is the impartial advocate for end users and purchasers of enterprise software solutions. It has aided IT professionals with software selection since 1993.Copyright 2013 Technologyevaluation.com. All rights reserved.Rapid growth is changing the professional service sector (PS) with increased emphasis on vertical industry knowledge, business process change, and quality execution against a backdrop of skilled workforce shortages. Read about the challenges PS executives face as they continue on their path toward expansion, higher revenue, and profit, and the cloud-based business applications they rely on to transform their operations.http://whitepapers.technologyevaluation.com/view_document/34837/profe4ssional-services-business-process-alignment.html5/21/2013 10:28:00 AM This guide provides a chart that compares 22 enterprise phone systems, in categories such as product and buyer types, pricing, how to purchase the systems, and partner ecosystems, and also gives information about the financials and founding year of each vendor.http://whitepapers.technologyevaluation.com/view_document/34830/comparison-guide-for-enterprise-phone-systems.html5/17/2013 9:52:00 AM To succeed in their tasks, planners and schedulers rely on materials resource planning (MRP) software to make recommendations and send signals. To make meaningful suggestions, MRP requires a steady diet of accurate, relevant, and timely data. This guide breaks down two critical MRP project success factors: 1) tips to select the right MRP software, and 2) best practices to extract meaningful value from MRP solutions.http://whitepapers.technologyevaluation.com/view_document/34828/expert-s-guide-to-successful-mrp-projects.html5/16/2013 5:39:00 PM The U.S. manufacturing industry is more productive than that in many countries, and jobs are growing. But for these trends to continue, U.S. manufacturers will have to keep their edge by investing in technologies that allow them to do what they do better, faster, and more efficiently. One of the key components of enterprise resource planning (ERP) packages is called manufacturing resource planning (MRP-II) or, as it is also known today, sales and operations planning (SOP). Download this paper to find out how MRP-II can help you manage change.http://whitepapers.technologyevaluation.com/view_document/34826/mrp-ii-and-the-u%2es%2e-manufacturing-renaissance.html5/16/2013 5:24:00 PM Somewhat surprisingly, it is generally agreed upon in the enterprise resource planning (ERP) consulting community that failures are rarely caused by the software. Yes, it’s true. Most of the packages on the market today actually do what the vendor claims. Ultimately, what this means is most of the problems that come with an ERP install can be summed up in one word: People. Read this white paper to find out more.http://whitepapers.technologyevaluation.com/view_document/34825/top-5-reasons-erp-implementations-fail-and-what-you-can-do-about-it.html5/16/2013 5:04:00 PM Should your business acquire traditional on-premises enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions? Or should it invest in emerging software-as-a-service (SaaS)–based ERP solutions? Both options have benefits and both have risks. Download this white paper to see how SaaS ERP stacks up again on-premises ERP across eight categories.http://whitepapers.technologyevaluation.com/view_document/34824/saas-versus-on%2dpremise-erp.html5/16/2013 5:01:00 PM Your business is in good company if it is considering big data, mobility, and/or green information technology (IT) solutions. Before making an investment decision, however, it should evaluate its options relative to actual business strategies and operating requirements. Only then will it put itself in a position to make a well-informed investment decision. Download this article to learn more.http://whitepapers.technologyevaluation.com/view_document/34823/big-data-mobility-and-green-it-innovations-for-manufacturers-and-distributors.html5/16/2013 4:53:00 PM Just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing “is not procrastination, but making a commitment once the scales are tipped in the favor of certainty.” How do you keep your company from falling prey to the “deer-in-the-headlights” syndrome and suffering from decision failures? In this guide, experts share their top seven best practices for deftly managing JIT manufacturing.http://whitepapers.technologyevaluation.com/view_document/34822/best-practices-for-managing-just%2din%2dtime-jit-production.html5/16/2013 4:45:00 PM A growing number of businesses are now grappling with the decision to implement new telephone systems based on voice over IP (VoIP) technology. However, while the primary goal is generally saving money, there are a wide variety of features and functions that must also be considered. This report provides a quick guide to the top five most common services that you should expect from a VoIP-based business phone system.http://whitepapers.technologyevaluation.com/view_document/34803/five-must-have-features-for-business-voip.html5/15/2013 1:24:00 PM Many businesses have been successfully using cloud-based applications for years, but following this path for communications is much more recent. For some businesses cloud communications just means VoIP telephony, while others include applications such as video, text, chat, messaging, email, conferencing, etc. This guide addresses five key questions to help you determine how the cloud aligns with your business communications needs—including reasons to use the cloud, who the cloud is best for, whom you should partner with for cloud communications, when moving to the cloud is best, and how your business should deploy cloud communications—along with a frame of reference for identifying the right conditions for cloud adoption. http://whitepapers.technologyevaluation.com/view_document/34802/cloud-communications-services-five-questions-you-need-to-address-for-success.html5/15/2013 12:56:00 PM Whether your company has recently migrated from legacy telephony to VoIP or whether it has been on the VoIP path for some time, consideration of unified communications UC makes sense. While some businesses will be perfectly happy moving over to VoIP, others will want the richer set of benefits that come with UC. Once the decision to go with UC has been made, businesses have to choose between retaining their premise-based environment for communications applications and adopting cloud-based UC. This guide will help you to evaluate these options, and give a review of the market landscape of UC providers.http://whitepapers.technologyevaluation.com/view_document/34801/unified-communications-guide-staying-on%2dpremise-or-going-to-the-cloud.html5/15/2013 11:38:00 AM VoIP uses internet protocol data packets to transfer voice, fax, and other data over the shared network, rather than the traditional public switched telephone network (PSTN), which is based on copper wires carrying analog voice data over the dedicated circuits. VoIP, in contrast to PSTN, uses what is called packet-switched telephony, whereby the voice information travels to its destination in individual network packets across the Internet that are assembled and then converted to voice. Learn the basics of VoIP by reading this white paper, which includes explanations of coding and protocol for VoIP, and a look at quality and myths about VoIP.http://whitepapers.technologyevaluation.com/view_document/34795/voip-introduction.html5/14/2013 4:36:00 PM The appeal of VoIP is straightforward: By converging voice and data into a single, unified network, businesses can lower costs and increase productivity, as the scaled-down VoIP infrastructure is easier and less expensive to maintain. Read this white paper to gain a competitive advantage with VoIP’s four “secret weapons”: rich media, mobility, unified communications, and virtual workplaces.http://whitepapers.technologyevaluation.com/view_document/34794/the-hidden-benefits-of-voip-revealed.html5/14/2013 4:29:00 PM Cutting-edge technologies such as LTE and 4G networks are transforming the way employees communicate, and VoIP services are being adopted by an increasing number of organizations. The challenge for companies today is finding a VoIP solution that best meets business needs, budgetary constraints, and technical requirements. This report can help companies narrow down their options quickly and efficiently, through four simple steps.http://whitepapers.technologyevaluation.com/view_document/34793/4-simple-steps-to-voip-vendor-selection.html5/14/2013 3:57:00 PM One of the most important trends these days in unified communications (UC) is extending these capabilities to the contact center. Generally in the past, UC deployments have been focused on employee communications, but contact center agents utilize many UC features and a strong business case can be made for implementing UC in your contact center. This guide addresses the main considerations to support this business case for companies of all sizes.http://whitepapers.technologyevaluation.com/view_document/34792/unified-communications-guide-the-business-case-for-unified-communications-in-the-contact-center.html5/14/2013 3:09:00 PM For many companies, total cost of ownership (TCO) of business intelligence (BI) solutions is out of control. And the problem is growing, fueled by ever-increasing demands from the user community, massive new sources for data, new capabilities, shadow it landscapes, and the cost of keeping people abreast of all the changes. This paper focuses on developing a framework for monitoring and managing the TCO of BI.http://whitepapers.technologyevaluation.com/view_document/34732/managing-the-total-cost-of-ownership-of-business-intelligence-a-360%2ddegree-perspective.html4/24/2013 4:51:00 PM When managing fixed assets, you must follow Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) for financial statement reporting, and you must follow the IRS tax codes and regulations for income tax reporting. Each has its own set of rules and requirements. This e-book explains the differences between GAAP principles and IRS regulations for fixed assets management, and provides a list of best practices to follow.http://whitepapers.technologyevaluation.com/view_document/34726/fixed-assets-management-what-you-need-to-know.html4/22/2013 2:29:00 PM In the world of accounting, the savings potential of improved fixed asset management is often overlooked. Yet assets like land, buildings, transportation, and manufacturing equipment represent among the largest investments most companies make. Sub-optimal fixed asset practices can threaten the accuracy of financial reports and negatively impact your bottom line. This white paper outlines best practices for fixed asset management and suggests tips for implementation, including establishing an accurate baseline of fixed assets, selecting the right asset management tools, staying up to date with legislative changes, and producing targeted financial reports.http://whitepapers.technologyevaluation.com/view_document/34724/best-practices-for-fixed-asset-managers.html4/22/2013 2:14:00 PM Spreadsheets have become one of the most prevalent software applications used in businesses today, for everything from simple calculations to impromptu databases for tracking a wide range of information, including employee hours, expense reports, and fixed assets. And while spreadsheets are inherently useful in business, they are constantly being used for tasks in which they are ill-suited. Many companies use spreadsheets for financial tracking and reporting, but the negative aspects of using spreadsheets for tracking and depreciating fixed assets are substantial. This white paper describes fourteen ways that spreadsheets can fall short, and gives recommendations for implementing a dedicated asset inventory and asset accounting solution.http://whitepapers.technologyevaluation.com/view_document/34723/the-cost-of-spreadsheets-in-fixed-asset-management.html4/22/2013 12:50:00 PM Companies that fail to manage fixed assets can have difficulty complying with reporting regulations and complex, changing tax laws, and thus run the risk of misstating financial information and making mistakes in tax filings. A complete fixed asset management software solution should have tracking, depreciation, and inventory features, and should also provide the ability to conduct physical inventories of assets easily and reconcile the results to the fixed asset schedule. Finally, it should include easy, functional reporting to aid compliance, auditing, and preparation of financial reports and tax filings. This white paper looks at the potential ROI of fixed asset management software.http://whitepapers.technologyevaluation.com/view_document/34716/getting-your-money-s-worth-from-fixed-assets-software.html4/19/2013 2:54:00 PM