With three primary “Green” benefits to implementing cutting-edge field service technology solutions, every company—across any industry—can justify the effort based on the specific priorities that speak to it. In this analysis, we will review each of these benefits, outlining the range of advantages and concrete ROI. Regardless of a company’s priorities, this multi-layer list of benefits makes the decision a clear one.
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Every company offering field service management and automation solutions will impress you with a long checklist of features: schedule boards, dispatching and routing, work order management, automatic billing, and more. How do you compare products and find the differences that should determine your choice? Download this white paper and read up on some of the key issues to explore as you compare products and providers.
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If you spend your day wrestling with the complex logistical challenges of field service management, then you are aware that most companies—small, medium, and especially enterprises—are implementing technologies to relieve the stress, errors, and wasted expenses that had been an accepted aspect of manual scheduling. The core solution is automated routing. Download this paper and get the full story on automated scheduling.
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As the pressure grows to justify information technology (IT) expenditure and tightly manage risk in sophisticated, integrated software implementation projects, those tasked with project management often feel exposed and vulnerable. No one wants to put his or her organization or career at risk over a technology rollout. This paper explores how to deliver software solutions that bring significant business benefits.
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A good business analytics strategy can pay off. Learn how to grow and transform your organization with analytics and business intelligence (BI) in this newsletter, featuring new research from Gartner.
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The common agile processes such as Scrum require some customization to function in a service business, where real-time estimates, hard due dates, and hourly billing are the norm. This case study examines how Vanteon customized its agile process to fit its business model while maintaining the flexibility and transparency normally associated with agile development.
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Asset-intensive industries have a major challenge in adapting to changing business paradigms, while keeping pace with new industry requirements and simultaneously ensuring sustainable operations. See how new technologies such as mobility can help these organizations develop a collaborative partnership with their customers to improve the efficiency of their services, benefiting the customer, the company, and the community at large.
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A common misperception is that implementing and maintaining an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is expensive, time consuming, and too complex for a family business. In reality, dramatic advances in technology in recent years have altered the makeup of ERP systems, with many of the systems easy to implement, to use, and to maintain long-term. This white paper offers a checklist of technology questions family businesses need to consider, as well as tips for selecting an ERP vendor.
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Many benefits accrue from deploying an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Many of these are tangible or quantifiable in nature; you can calculate the savings immediately. However, other benefits may not be quantified so easily, but they are also important. This whitepaper looks at both tangible and intangible benefits of deploying an ERP solution and attempts to give you good justification for the costs involved.
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Global competition, rising regulatory burdens, increasingly demanding customers, and profitability pressures all characterize an impatient business environment with little tolerance for the status quo. In an ongoing race to meet these challenges, manufacturers tie their fates to ERP systems. But selecting an ERP system is no easy feat. Read this white paper and get 10 best practices to consider when selecting an ERP system.
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The successful and timely implementation of a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution is not a process to be taken lightly. A highly-skilled team of application specialists has gathered together in this whitepaper key advice and best practices for your implementation process. Learn how to keep your implementation on time and on budget from specialists who triumph every day on the implementation front lines.
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San Carlos is one of the largest sugar cane plantations and sugar mills in Ecuador and has a number of sister companies, including a distillery, a paper mill, and a recycling plant. San Carlos needed an enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform that could support all of these organizations. San Carlos turned to Technology Evaluation Centers (TEC) for expert help with its ERP selection and with mapping its varied business processes.
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A growing number of organizations are moving toward having more pervasive business intelligence (BI) by turning to evidence-based decision making supported by a range of BI and analytics technology and processes that enable decision makers to have the best possible intelligence about customers, finances, operations, suppliers, and the market. This white paper addresses several questions that BI customers are facing.
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Regardless of the size of the organization, embedding governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) management into all business process is imperative. But most organizations are reactive rather than proactive when it comes to undertaking a risk management initiative. Leading companies identify building a risk-aware culture as a key strategy. Read on to find out more about ways to enable effective access risk management.
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Download this report for an overview of ERP technologies and innovations, the three components of an ERP selection business justification, and the three critical success factors for keeping your business on the right path to ERP selection success.
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A disciplined and comprehensive acquisition process is essential for utilities to get the most out of their Smart Grid investments. Know the practical and flexible methodology proven in industries such as telecommunications, high tech, and financial services that can assist utilities in the selection and acquisition of solutions that address current and future operating states to deliver immediate and long-term benefits.
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Selecting and implementing new enterprise software changes your company, and the business processes that drive it. How you handle these changes can make the difference between implementation failure and success. Download this report to learn the steps to take--and the mistakes to avoid--to ensure a successful project outcome. You'll also learn why it's essential to deal with risk before the implementation phase--when it may be too late.
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This article from Harvard Business Review describes the design and implementation of a system for strategic planning, operational execution, and feedback and learning. It also presents a range of tools that managers can apply at the different stages, and options for integrating them in a system that links the management of strategy and operations.
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Most organisations are sitting on IT equipment that is not supporting the business optimally, yet the received wisdom is to sweat the assets to gain as much perceived lifetime value from them as possible. However, IT assets have inherent value which can change significantly through each asset’s lifecycle—whether this is through its hard resale value or just through its scrap value. By applying a full IT lifecycle management (ITLM) approach to the complete IT platform, a business-optimised platform can be created—one where business value overrides the embedded concept of sweating assets.
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This paper highlights the environmental impact of printing and discusses how a managed print service can support an organization's sustainability goals, while also lowering costs and driving business efficiency.
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Businesses have a variety of strategies to select from when implementing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems across their global organizations. The choice of configuration can have a profound impact on visibility across the organization, as well the cost and complexity of implementing and supporting the solution. This white paper describes the three principal choices.
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With mobile device use fast growing, 2012 seems to be the ‘year of the mobile.’ As companies embrace mobility, a key issue is the mobile versus app debate, and whether there is an argument for producing a mobile application over a mobile site. This white paper looks at the pros and cons of both native apps and mobile Web, and dives into the things that companies should consider before making a choice between mobile app and Web.
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Forecasting is changing from a top-down process to a bottom-up one. High-level targets may be useful starting points, but they must be combined with input from line management and department heads before being rolled up into enterprise-wide financial goals. Some companies find it effective to “embed” members of the finance function within other business units. Read this white paper to find out more.
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To realize a competitive advantage, small-business leaders must address five common obstacles: inefficient operations, inability to support rapid growth or new markets, disjointed business processes, lack of visibility into daily operations, and limited resources. Read this white paper to learn how to overcoming these challenges and gain valuable insights into your business.
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While new technology trends are invading the business intelligence (BI) space, technology shifts and hype do not necessarily equate to the ability to exploit the best tools for enhancing business performance. To select a best-fit BI solution, an organization needs to be able to realistically assess the maturity of its BI infrastructure. This allows them to discover where they are, what their BI requirements are, and how to determine the best BI solution or strategy. Download the full report now.
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Outsourcing of developmental activities is not new. However, the outsourcing of research activities remains relatively unexplored. Recent trends indicate greater research and development (R&D) outsourcing, with customers open to handing over complete product lifecycle responsibilities to vendors. The chief reason for this change is that companies are realizing that the benefits of R&D outsourcing extend beyond cost arbitration. Rather, it facilitates the creation of global collaborative development skills of both the provider’s and buyer’s employees through exposure to new research tools, methodologies and best practices. Learn more now.
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If you're looking for your first enterprise resource planning (ERP) system or looking to upgrade from an existing system, the evaluation, selection, and implementation process is a long-term strategic decision for your organization that requires careful consideration and analysis. To help you through this process, read this white paper from Solarsoft and know eight simple steps for a successful ERP system selection.
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Organizations usually rely on historical data and transactions to determine their pricing strategy. However, this data is typically insufficient to arrive at a competitive price. Moreover, customers these days are well informed about the value of products they want to purchase. That's why organizations need to arrive at their pricing strategy only after taking into consideration external intelligence and competitive data. E-procurement systems and price comparison websites have put customers in the bargaining position with the availability of real-time information. This is the type and speed of data organizations need to obtain. Leveraging such information can help an organization counter the threats of new entrants, competitive rivalry, and substitutes with a strong pricing strategy.
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The Toyota production system has been on one of the most important schools of thought in operations, and has spawned several spin-offs. All these approaches are based on similar principles that are collectively referred to as “lean” ideas. While a lean approach to manufacturing and services is straightforward, applying lean to knowledge work can be challenging. Find out why, and what you can do about it.
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The scope of business process outsourcing (BPO) has moved beyond back-office functions. Outsourcing is increasingly being seen as a partnering tool for the generation of revenue and not just cost savings. In this white paper, Manish Dugar, Senior Vice President, Wipro BPO, talks to Outsourcing Center about how BPOs can transform themselves into revenue enablers and help organizations do business better.
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As a company in the financial sector, you place extremely high demands on your call center. The complicated and sensitive nature of the calls requires an agent who is highly trained and experienced. This leads to a high cost per call. At the same time, sacrificing caller satisfaction is not an option. This creates a tough challenge: How do you decrease the cost per call, while improving the customer experience? Download this white paper to find out.
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The underlying challenge facing financial institutions is serving today’s mobile, security-conscious, and loyalty-reluctant customers. However, many financial institutions are trapped by legacy systems and islands of in-house development. How can they customize their payment platforms quickly, easily, and cost-effectively to unlock the opportunities that new market dynamics offer? Download this report to find out.
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The Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, North Carolina, is the first hotel in the US to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification at the platinum level from the U.S. Green Building Council. Combining luxury with energy efficiency and environmental sustainability, the hotel places the highest priority on guest comfort. The owner's goal is a sustainable, energy-efficient hotel that never compromises guest comfort. Learn more now.
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Most manufacturing businesses have invested in technology to combat some of their challenges, but primarily to increase efficiency and productivity. However, many have not yet discovered the value of a Web presence—or they use the Web in a very limited way. More than simply serving a marketing role, a Web presence can boost internal efficiency, enhance customer service, and increase sales. Download this white paper to learn more.
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As SAP and Oracle step up their efforts to attract midmarket customers, more and more of those customers are including top-tier vendors in their enterprise application evaluation process. Nucleus Research's analysts conducted in-depth interviews with a number of companies that recently went through the ERP decision process and selected EnterpriseOne instead of SAP. This research note focuses on the decision process and factors of those companies. Download the results of this analysis now.
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When you know that a new content management system (CMS) is needed for your organization, how do you decide which one to implement? Do you decide based on size, price, ease of use, or something else? Finding the best CMS for your needs can be a challenging task. In this white paper, you'll get an inside look into the CMS selection process, including an overview of the CMS landscape, the proper approach to selecting a CMS, how to narrow and define your selection process, and additional CMS features to consider.
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Over the past decade, the art of doing business has changed. Companies are re-shaping strategies to innovate and compete globally. “Growth Strategies for 2012 and Beyond”, a survey research by Forbes Insights, in association with Wipro Technologies, analyzes changing growth strategies through an exclusive survey of more than 300 CEOs and other C-level executives at global enterprises. Download now to see the results.
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Mining corporations and their operating units are under constant pressure to improve financial performance. Efforts to become financially healthy are hampered by the operational profitability killers embedded in traditional processes. Find out how technology-supported collaborative decision making drives key efficiencies at all stages of the asset lifecycle, from planning and construction through production and into decommissioning.
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Oil and gas companies have numerous information systems, each churning through vast amounts of data to support business decisions. Successful management of these information systems is not simply a case of keeping the systems running and providing suitable backup mechanisms. It also includes the adoption of professional data management practices. Download this report to learn about effective practices for addressing data management challenges.
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The growing adoption of laptops and other portable devices is changing the foundation of traveling and telecommuting. Laptops have overtaken desktops as the computer of choice for business users. While endpoint protection has been traditionally associated with solutions like antivirus and firewalls, these technologies don’t adequately protect data against theft, loss or unauthorized access. Learn more. Download this white paper now.
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There is an increasing trend among employees toward using their personal mobile device for fulfilment of their work commitments. While this appears to bring many benefits for the employee while, on the face of it, reducing upfront costs for employers, it does introduce significant on-going costs and risks for the organisation. However, with many appealing mobile consumer devices being offered, the trend is likely to increase. Organizations need to work out suitable strategies and policies to manage this complex and hybrid situation in the best interests of both themselves and their employees.
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In this white paper, you’ll learn the ten most important things to consider before you embark on organizational alignment project, how to position HR in the process and what role HR professionals should play and best practices for avoiding common pitfalls, such as planning a multi-tiered rollout to help goals work their way down an organization.
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The perception of most small to midsized business (SMB) executives is that most of the data they need to make decisions is available “in the computer system,” or at least locked away until the moment is right for it to be accessed and used. But what if your enterprise system has not been structured to track and report this information? What if this information or metric is not even defined? Download this TEC report to find out about the three keys to better data-driven decisions—and discover how an integrated enterprise system can help you jump-start a plan for accessing the right information at the right time.
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Freight costs can represent a significant component of your supply chain—often around 5-7 percent of sales for manufacturing, retail, and wholesale/distribution companies. For many firms, this responsibility is not managed as well as it could be. This white paper shares 10 best practices in transportation management, with valuable insights from industry professionals.
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The business models used to develop forecasts at the planning level can be relatively simple. Over time some of your products will exceed expectations, others will fail altogether. By assembling a portfolio of projects you can optimize the overall expected value of your product development process by balancing risk/reward. This white paper reviews some of the business models and analytic processes for better forecasting.
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The right implementation partner can get your enterprise resource planning (ERP) system up and running quickly and smoothly, whereas the wrong partner can result in higher costs and considerable disruption to your business, with lasting and cumulative effects. This white paper addresses five key steps in the ERP selection and implementation process that contribute to ERP success.
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Today’s small and midsize companies are destined to make uninformed decisions on an alarmingly regular basis. Executives simply do not have the relevant information to make the best decisions in a timely manner. Read this paper to know how gaining real-time visibility of the enterprise helps small and midsize companies leverage consistency, accuracy, and timeliness via a single data source to make better, faster decisions.
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How can management communicate the organization’s strategy effectively and assure that the entire organization has bought into it and is aligned with it? Business performance optimization systems are an important tool for success. By using business performance optimization systems, employees are empowered to confidently make timely, strategically-aligned decisions based upon facts, not intuition or corporate politics. See how.
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One of the biggest challenges of business software implementations is their unpredictability. Total costs and deployment time can vary wildly. Read about a new category of solutions that combines preconfigured software, predefined services, and other user-focused enablement content to provide predictable solution deployments in less than 12 weeks and at a fixed price.
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Information technology (IT) projects tend to run late, over-budget, or do not meet planned goals. Implementation risk is a critical factor. Packaged solutions modularize the implementation process into smaller, well-defined units that are easier to manage and less expensive to deploy than traditional methods. This white paper discusses why enterprise software customers should consider packaged solutions.
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This paper from independent analyst SMB Group considers the financial and operational challenges that global medium-sized businesses face, examines the value of achieving real-time financial consolidation, discusses the criteria they can use to evaluate solutions, and provides real-world case studies and research showing how cloud-based systems can provide global visibility and streamline consolidation and reporting needs.
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If you have acquired businesses, added subsidiaries, and entered international markets, you probably have error-prone and time-consuming consolidation processes and poor visibility into performance at the corporate or divisional level. This kit offers strategies for multi-subsidiary and global businesses to run their organizations more efficiently, including case studies, analyst research, and best-practice insights.
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When buying a new business phone system you are faced with a wide variety of phone features to choose from. Before you buy, make sure you don’t overlook these commonly forgotten features. This guide details such features as conferencing, auto attendant, mobile extensions, and many other valuable features.
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Promoting band image, improving overall business performance, and keeping customers happy is a main concern of many businesses. This paper demonstrates how the Extended Enterprise platform can help specific verticals to promote and sell their products to external audiences. Know the value of the Extended Enterprise solution in financial services, insurance, government, retail, manufacturing, healthcare, and associations.
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The administration and management of printing can be time-consuming, often relying on manual processes. Many businesses are rethinking their approach to managing the print environment, by either adopting a managed service or implementing centralized print management tools. This can ensure the high availability, reliability and manageability of printing resources, while leaving IT staff free to focus on core activities.
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Computing infrastructure today though versatile must be used wisely. Intelligent workload management (IWM) allows for efficient consumption of computing resources while ensuring business tasks are supported by all needed resources—and that this is all done securely. IWM tools support the building, management, monitoring, and securing of workloads. See how to run your cloud computing system with leading-edge technology.
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Whether starting a business, setting up new office locations, or supporting employees while on the road, hosted voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) can help each situation by setting up “virtual offices.” This white paper will show examples of how a business can lower costs and increase flexibility with a new hosted VoIP solution by creating a virtual office environment.
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To effectively transform succession planning from a manual, paper-based process to one that is systematic and technology-enabled, CEOs must focus on laying a solid foundation supported by strong executive leadership. Read this CEO guide to get five key tips to jump-start your succession planning efforts to better manage risk and ensure business continuity and to know how a strong succession strategy can impact your company.
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This report focuses on how cloud infrastructures are being used by sales and marketing, finance, and operations in professional service organizations (PSOs). It outlines the benefits of using a cloud infrastructure to manage enterprise resource planning (ERP) and other enterprise systems. With the right solutions in place, globally dispersed project teams have unlimited accessibility to secure and reliable information.
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Successful enterprise resource planning (ERP) deployment demands a focused examination of the professional services provided by your organization, and the most efficient infrastructure required to support them. You must provide your most important asset—your people—with effective tools that can be accessed remotely, securely, and immediately. Professional service organizations that understand this will be in a strong position to determine the best cloud-based solution for their needs.
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Manufacturers have been slow to embrace the cloud. But the proven success of cloud-based solutions, along with the promise of a less expensive and more responsive business solution infrastructure, is prompting many manufacturers to take a closer look. This report explores how manufacturers can use cloud-based solutions to transform how they manage their supply chain and internally improve operations, leveraging the cloud to gain real-time visibility into all information across their company.
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With acceptance of cloud-based strategies growing among manufacturers of all types and sizes, it’s easier than ever to make the business case for transitioning to the cloud. But beyond the cost savings and responsiveness of cloud solutions, this transition also provides new opportunities for the IT department to grow into a key role as strategic business advisor. This report includes advice on how IT can help manufacturers realize the full benefits of cloud-based solutions.
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Investing in a human resource management system (HRMS) can help you tap into the wide range of business intelligence that already resides within your HR department. Read further to find out implementing an HRMS can help you streamline your administrative activities, become more efficient and productive, and find new ways to move your business forward, giving your company a competitive advantage in today’s marketplace.
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As your company grows and faces new challenges, you must continually evaluate whether your work processes and information technology (IT) solutions can address these issues and help grow your business. Read here on how to perform a preliminary gap analysis to determine whether you need to upgrade your IT solutions and business processes to meet your current business requirements as well as adapt to future requirements.
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Total cost of ownership (TCO) remains a significant factor influencing enterprise resource planning (ERP) strategies and decisions. But focusing exclusively on TCO runs the risk of delaying necessary ERP projects. Companies should also consider return on investment (ROI) of such projects. Find out what the average company should expect to pay for ERP and how the business can benefit from a successful implementation.
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In the coming year, many companies will shift focus to business growth. However, continued economic volatility means that they will also need to keep costs in check to maintain healthy margins. Many small to medium businesses (SMBs) are investing in business intelligence (BI) solutions to assist with this effort. Find out what tools are necessary to provide BI and how a suite of BI tools can help SMBs improve efficiency.
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Universities and other higher education establishments have to address the need for savings across the board. One area is expenses from faculty members and other associated with faculty. The complex mix of expense types needs a flexible yet solid means of managing spend as close as possible to the point of expense that encourages the individual to participate in the process without it being seen as an imposition. Know how.
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Balancing employee requests for keeping mobile channels open, while getting the right level of work and commitment from them, should not be left to chance. All organizations need to fully understand their employees’ mobile usage and behaviors to be able to put appropriate policies in place to ensure business requirements are met while acceptable personal use is still enabled. Read this white paper to know how to do this.
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The case company is rolling out new professional service concepts, addressing the customer need for services fitting the information technology infrastructure library (ITIL) framework. A centrally located team needed ITIL service knowledge and certification before training service development, consulting, and sales. Implement applied the Foundation Fasttrack concept—fast-paced, flexible learning in a familiar environment.
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To establish optimal service and support conditions, the case company, Naviair, chose to adapt and implement information technology infrastructure library (ITIL) service support processes. During the process, Implement Consulting Group assisted with facilitation, ITIL input, and lean competences and tools. The existing procedures and instructions were combined with ITIL’s different service support areas.
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The case company decided to carry out an information technology infrastructure library (ITIL) implementation, and in so doing hoped to make production in IT more visible, increase customer satisfaction, and maintain or increase employee satisfaction in IT. Implement Consulting Group facilitated the process selection and design and managed the requirement collection, selection, and implementation phases of the project.
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The case company implemented an information technology services management (ITSM) system to support information technology infrastructure library (ITIL)–inspired processes. Implement Consulting Group had the project management responsibility during the entire process—from the preliminary requirement collection to selection and implementation to testing and go-live.
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This article focuses on the development of strategic agility as a capability that is built into the design of an architecture. The capabilities, the article argues, are matured through six stages that offer different levels of strategic agility. Strategic agility, once capitalized through modular architectures, enables a company to achieve greater speed and flexibility in information technology (IT) deliveries.
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The managed print services (MPS) market continues to evolve as vendors expand their service offerings beyond the office print environment. Today the business agenda is broader, and MPS must provide a route to business transformation as well as cost efficiency. Businesses thus must place their transformational goals on the agenda at the start of an MPS engagement. See what major MPS providers have to offer to your business.
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Leveraging integrated human capital processes to optimize organizational success. Having a complete view of the entire employee lifecycle—enabled with a centralized, integrated HCM platform—provides executives the information and the tools they need to ensure that they have the most efficient teams in place to achieve success.
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Operations executives are closest to the processes along the value chain, and as a result are best positioned to drive operational excellence initiatives. Collaboration with other functions is essential, but ultimately, it is the operations function that needs to be responsible for implementation. Find out what senior executives from around the world think about how to achieve operational excellence.
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Spurred on by the increased availability of high-speed data services and wide array of smartphones, many organizations see mobile applications as a way to improve organizational efficiency, increase collaboration, and raise the speed at which business gets done. To get the most out of mobility, organizations need to rethink the technologies, the people, and the processes involved in creating a truly mobile enterprise.
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IT is feeling the pressure to allow users to access sensitive corporate data via their personal mobile phones. Employees want the flexibility to use applications such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), e-mail and instant messaging not only from within the workplace, but at any time from any device. Yet, with network security and customer privacy at stake, IT has been slow to bow.
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According to The Nielsen Company, some 150 million people in the US will be using smartphones by mid-2011 to view twitter feeds, conduct searches, consult maps and more. People are increasingly using smartphones to get work done too. As long as it’s governed appropriately, workplace use of consumer-oriented smartphones can lower spending, heighten morale and help employees get more done.
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Not too long ago, business support of mobile workers centered on managing the use of a limited number of Windows-based laptops and BlackBerry smartphones. Today mobile phones are ubiquitous for most employees, and IT departments are being asked to provide broad access to networks, databases and critical enterprise applications while they manage, support and figure out how to protect data from theft and security breaches.
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Today’s leading-edge companies are making extensive use of workforce data to drive human capital management (HCM) decisions the way most companies use financial and marketing data to make strategic business decisions. Learn how these companies are making fact-based workforce planning decisions that will help them survive the current recession and position them to quickly ramp up workforce additions when the downturn ends.
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TEC's online software comparison system, TEC Advisor, is designed to help you make sense of the massive amount of information you'll gather during your selection project. One leading enterprise software consulting firm decided to put TEC’s technology to the test, to help a client replace its legacy financials system. The result? An objectively chosen best-fit financials solution—a mere two and a half months after project kick-off.
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Mature sales and operations planning (S&OP) is more than a sales forecasting or tactical planning tool. S&OP is a decision-making mechanism for aligning strategic plans with sales, operational, and financial plans. Download this TEC executive brief for pointers on selecting an S&OP system, information about how mature S&OP processes can help tackle critical business issues, and key S&OP system capabilities to look for.
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Arias Motors is the Dominican Republic’s leading distributor of spare parts for auto wholesalers, retailers, and repair shops. It needed a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system covering all functional areas, from back-end processes to supply chain management. Learn how Arias Motors applied a best-practice approach to software selection, reduced licensing costs by 50 percent, and set a record implementation time.
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Digital Britain is the UK government’s strategic plan for the UK’s digital economy. While social inclusion and rights protection are major themes, the plan will also have a significant impact on businesses—encouraging the distribution and virtualization of business functions, and interconnectivity between companies, customers, suppliers, and employees. Learn how to minimize any harmful impact on your business.
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Business intelligence (BI) tools are now affordable for midsize companies, and accessible to non-technical business users. Managers can use BI to analyze complex information and support their decision-making processes—combining data from many sources into an integrated, up-to-date view. Find out what midsize companies need to know to select the right BI product, the right BI vendor, and the right approach to BI.
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When the economy slows, many businesses react by retrenching and cutting costs. While cost reduction is important, companies often overlook equally critical strategic decisions—opportunities to use business information to strengthen product and service offerings and emerge ahead of the competition. Find out how you can use business intelligence (BI) to avoid the most common mistakes companies make in a down economy.
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For managed services providers (MSPs) aiming to serve small and medium-sized businesses, the ability to capture and retain lasting customer relationships is a determining factor for long-term profitability. Only by clearly and consistently communicating your value to your customer can you hope to attain the role of trusted advisor—a position that will help protect you from losing business to lower-priced competitors. Learn how an integrated, offline reporting solution can help ensure that your customers perceive your value in the ways that matter most to all managers within the customer organization.
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A business' success delivering managed services depends on its ability to improve the delivery of effective and efficient services to its customer base. Learn about ways that managed services providers (MSPs) can develop a higher-value business by improving their ability to attract and retain high-quality customers and provide IT services in an effective manner.
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Service companies that want to thrive need to find a better way to deliver services and run their business. Automating IT services is the answer, and it should be the immediate goal of any company that aims to stay in business as market pressures increase. Looking beyond basic automation, becoming a managed services provider (MSP) should be the long-term goal. Discover ways to ensure your service company's survival in today’s competitive IT services market.
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To improve efficiency and reduce overall workload on financials personnel, California (US)-based utilities company South Coast Water District (SCWD) needed a new financials system with integrated human resources (HR) functionality. Find out how Technology Evaluation Centers (TEC) helped SCWD define its financial and HR requirements, evaluate its short list of solutions, and shorten the software selection process.
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For IT departments drowning in complex and expensive software maintenance chores, the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model can ease the burden. SaaS reduces complexity by outsourcing most of the infrastructure needed to run software applications, and reduces costs by charging only for what is consumed. But you can also adopt a hybrid SaaS model, in which some systems are outsourced and others are kept in-house. Learn more.
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As you begin a customer relationship management (CRM) initiative, software selection is only one facet of a successful project. You may consider implementing your new CRM system with internal resources. But even in providing a simple CRM solution in your company, a number of steps need to take place, including requirements gathering, configuration, and more. Discover the benefits of selecting a CRM implementation partner.
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Most companies want to use customer relationship management (CRM) applications to “supercharge” their sales forces. They want to gain some advantage with customer retention and acquisition, to manage the sales pipeline, and to have better market insight. But few companies realize these goals, often because of the way CRM is implemented. Find out where a CRM implementation can get off track—and how to ensure CRM success.
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Sales at F.J. Westcott began to grow, placing a greater demand on its legacy enterprise resource planning (ERP) system’s inventory capabilities. Unrelieved inventory and other challenges led Westcott to seek a new ERP system—and a software evaluation and comparison methodology within the company’s budget. See how Technology Evaluation Centers’ Software Selection Services provided the resources for a confident decision.
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For a midsized company, finding the right enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is a tall order—but that’s not always a bad thing. Now, big-name vendors are aiming their solutions at small and midsized companies. With a little savvy, you can make this new market dynamic work to your advantage. Leverage the new realities of mid-market ERP by bearing in mind 10 strategies when shopping for an ERP solution. Learn more.
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If you’re considering upgrading your traditional phone system to a premise-based private branch exchange (PBX) system, there are a few things you need to know before you start talking to vendors. Find out whether your company needs just the basic features, or if you need more advanced functions such as programmable routing and scheduling. No matter the features, a premise PBX system can help you save money—learn how.
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No matter how effective your sales staff is, there’s always room to boost efficiency and increase sales. But how you go about doing so may be a point of contention. Sales force automation (SFA) solutions come in many flavors, but they don’t all offer the comprehensive SFA functionality you need. Find out how to avoid the pitfalls of choosing SFA software, and get help matching your needs with the right solution for you.
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The implementation of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to automate business processes is a strategic investment. Buying the right system and choosing the best vendor for you are critical to a successful ERP implementation. As a decision maker, you need to quickly identify your ERP requirements, effectively communicate these needs to vendors, and successfully compare various product alternatives. Learn how.
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When times get tough, some decision makers reduce costs, and cut corners. In some situations, that doesn’t work. An economic downturn may actually be the perfect time to invest in a significant IT expansion—especially in areas where a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and improve competitiveness. Just make sure you choose the right ERP vendor and consultant. Learn more.
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Users implementing enterprise resource planning (ERP) software for the first time are often intimidated by the time and cost, and want to accelerate the go-live date. Acceleration, when done with the right implementation strategy and tools, can be of tremendous benefit, including reduced costs and increased return on investment (ROI). But for some, the question is: to accelerate or not to accelerate? Learn more.
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For midsize firms seeking more value in a shorter period of time, a rapid enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation may be the way to go. If you’re unsure this is the right choice, you need to consider some important factors. The best candidates tend to be ERP solution first-timers. Learn more about how to work closely with ERP partner vendors for a rapid—and successful—ERP implementation.
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The idea that tier-one systems are difficult to maintain and upgrade is based on outdated notions about their complexity and flexibility. Although tier-one systems are more complex internally than tier-two or tier-three systems, tier-one systems are often easier to maintain: for one thing, one enterprise system is easier to maintain than several. Learn more about this and other reasons for upgrading to a tier-one system.
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Sole-sourcing business intelligence (BI) software from enterprise resource planning (ERP) vendors is an alluring option for many companies. But in addition to the benefits, there are drawbacks. A study of 100 enterprises from the United States and the European Union that have deployed BI and ERP from the same vendor investigates whether customers are experiencing what sole-sourcing promised to deliver. Learn more.
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The small to midsize market for enterprise applications is already growing. Small to midsize businesses (SMBs) are looking for practical solutions that offer full capabilities at a quick return on investment (ROI). Vendors responding to SMB requirements now offer solutions with rapid implementation, Microsoft Office integration, and mobile support. Find out more about what enterprise application vendors are offering—and what you should be looking for.
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Many successful midsized companies reach a point when transitioning to a tier-one enterprise application system is necessary. Transitioning to a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is a challenge—but it may not be as complex as you think. Learn common myths about tier-one ERP systems, as well as how ERP solutions can help you manage regulatory compliance and track performance with key performance indicators.
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Oracle’s Accelerate is a program in which Certified and Certified Advantage partners build industry-specific solutions combining Oracle enterprise applications and rapid-implementation tools with the partners’ own expertise or software. The program aims to reduce the time, complexity, and cost of deploying Oracle solutions, to make them suitable for mid-market companies and governmental organizations. Learn more.
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Extending the capabilities and value of SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse is a concern for users. To improve data use and fact-based decision making, and reduce stranded spreadsheets, SAP users can choose a business intelligence (BI) software solution such as IBM Cognos 8, with budgeting, planning, and forecasting functions. Find out more about how you can improve your business performance management content with BI.
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Continuous change in the retail industry is limiting retailers’ ability to plan, forecast, price, and replenish. Thus, many retailers are facing a dilemma: they need new retail technology to adapt their processes and respond more rapidly to changing markets, but they can’t afford the up-front expenditure or lengthy implementation. But advances in new software-as-a-service (SaaS) retail solutions can help. Learn how.
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You’ll increase your chances of business intelligence (BI) project success and overcome technical and other challenges if you follow a methodology. To begin with, evaluate any BI vendor based on specific features and functionality, service offerings, support structure, and other considerations. Learn more about how to ensure you choose a BI solution that suits your company—and how to ensure a successful implementation.
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The global march toward making products and services more sustainable is gaining breadth and speed. No manufacturer will be left untouched by this phenomenon. To thrive in this new low-carbon world, you need to have a deeper and more sophisticated understanding of your products’ environmental footprint—from raw materials to manufacturing to distribution to end of life. Learn about life cycle methodologies that can help.
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Because today’s IT budgets are under increasing scrutiny and business requirements have become more complex, buyers of business intelligence (BI) solutions must evaluate total cost of ownership (TCO). The BI architecture can be an asset to IT departments, meeting a range of user needs while minimizing the amount of IT maintenance and administration. Learn more about how to do TCO analysis of a BI system—before you buy.
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To reduce time to market and realize the full value of its intellectual property, Cadbury plc needed to ensure compliance with government regulations. The company launched a long-term data management strategy, which included storing all data in a central repository—a product lifecycle management (PLM) system. Find out how Cadbury not only ensured compliance but also improved its response to consumer and customer queries.
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Process manufacturers can no longer rely on purely reactive strategies to product safety. Now, reactive strategies such as lot tracking need to be incorporated into holistic strategies that include proactive measures to assess risk and prevent costly quality assurance (QA) events like product recalls. Learn how you can develop a product safety master plan that reduces risk, protects products, and improves profitability.
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Financial pressures can strain even the most efficient and lean company. So forward-thinking companies should now turn to the chief financial officer (CFO). The strategic CFO is equipped with the tools, plans, and fiscal philosophy that can transform the CFO’s role into a strategic business asset. Discover the processes that allow the CFO to break away from the old paradigm toward better financial and risk management.
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As you look for ways to get the most out of your existing operating assets, enterprise asset management (EAM) and computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) solutions are key. However, when it comes to researching, selecting, and implementing the right EAM/CMMS software, you need to avoid several mistakes. Discover 10 common errors you should avoid if you’re looking for a new or replacement EAM or CMMS solution.
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Every record that fails to meet standards of quality can lead to lost revenue or unnecessary costs. A well-executed data quality initiative isn’t difficult, but it is crucial to getting maximum value out of your data. In small companies, for which every sales lead, order, or potential customer is valuable, poor data quality isn’t an option—implementing a thorough data quality solution is key to your success. Find out how.
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Most document security companies concern themselves solely with the prevention of unauthorized access to content. Online publishers, on the other hand, struggle to find a balance between document security and a satisfactory reader experience. A new approach to document security can give online content publishers the ability to protect their content without adding unnecessary complexity to document access. Learn more.
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Sales and use tax compliance is serious business. To reduce your risk of facing a costly audit, you need to invest time and effort up-front by formulating a transaction tax policy. Responding effectively to audits involves knowing about your company, your operations, and your resources. Find out why a tax policy is important to your organization and how to make it part of your business process and procedures.
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IT departments rarely have the luxury of spare capacity or sufficient knowledge of all the products and technologies that the rest of the organization expects. However, IT is an integral part of most companies, and supporting diverse or specialized technologies and understanding their impact on the business is necessary. Organizations not only need third parties—they need them to be focused and cost-effective. Learn more.
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Too often, manufacturers implement technology for financial reporting, but overlook efficiencies that can generate cash flow and reduce costs on the shop floor. While credit won’t cure the credit crunch manufacturers are facing, automated processes that improve cash flow and keep lenders in the loop can go a long way in convincing lenders that their risk is low. Find out more about how automated systems can help you.
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Companies performing a software evaluation and comparison want assurance that the products they’re evaluating do what the vendors say they do. Solutions certified by Technology Evaluation Centers (TEC) and bearing the TEC Certified logo were analyst-verified for accuracy. Learn about a TEC Certified ERP system for distribution and discrete manufacturing that might offer the modules and functionality you need.
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To survive in today’s ever-changing business environment, you need to make decisions and act quickly. To thrive, you need to do so more quickly than your competitors. Business intelligence (BI) solutions can support your ability to identify business opportunities and challenges, and to address them fast. Learn about a BI product that can help you identify challenges and opportunities and take action to capitalize on them.
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Do you understand the differences between open source and closed source (proprietary) software? To make an informed decision when choosing between them, you need to know the advantages and disadvantages of each. The main issues in the debate include cost, service and support, innovation, usability, and security. Get a closer look at open source and closed source software solutions so you know what’s right for your needs.
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In today’s challenging economic environment, companies require effective IT executive leadership. As part of the executive team, the chief information officer (CIO) develops and executes strategies that create competitive advantages for revenue growth. But knowing which tools to use—and when and how to use them—to protect current assets is key to a CIO coach’s success. Learn more about making better IT decisions.
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Retaining good IT staff for clients is no easy task. They face issues regarding competitive rates, contracts, benefits, liabilities, and more. So how do companies determine if they have the right model of retained staff? Or how much of a firm’s IT should be outsourced? What are the typical billing models used by service providers? Get help with these and other questions, addressed from the service provider’s perspective.
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Currently, India’s population is approximately 1.0009 billion. The middle class is large and still growing; wages were low, but now are some of the best in various industries; many workers are well educated and speak English; and investors are optimistic and local stocks are up. Despite political turmoil, the country presses on with economic reforms. But for potential investors, there’s still cause for worry—find out why.
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The IT field is littered with failed global software integration sagas. The many reasons for these failures include mismatched capabilities, geographical requirements, and project technical management deficiencies. Global software projects should start with in-depth analysis of features and functions, so the software’s capabilities meet corporate requirements. Find out how to avoid a failed software integration project.
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SuperPharm, a Trinidad-based pharmacy chain, was having a problem with replenishment and risked losing customers. The problem lay in the point of sale (POS) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) for distribution systems—and that users couldn’t easily access the systems’ functionalities. After TEC helped SuperPharm with a software evaluation, SuperPharm realized it already had the best systems for its needs. Find out why.
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Pronto Software—Australian vendor of software meeting the needs of a range of vertical industries such as retail and food and beverage—wants to ensure it sustains profitable growth. To find partnerships with value-added resellers (VARs) in North America and in other markets, Pronto relies on Technology Evaluation Centers’ (TEC’s) software industry programs. Learn about the other ways Pronto benefits from using TEC.
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The debate over climate change is quickly coming to a close and will soon be replaced by a new debate about policy alternatives. These policies will affect business in striking ways, through end-use efficiency standards, increased energy costs, and increased prices of raw materials and components. Take the most important action: analyze and understand your direct and supply chain emissions of greenhouse gases. Learn more.
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You can take two approaches to inventory management: assume it’s a necessary evil and implement an inventory reduction program when cash gets tight, or put an active inventory management process in place, and continually improve the business results. Learn how to view inventory as cash that can be invested in other ways: move from reactive inventory management to lean and active inventory management in six easy steps.
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Automation of human resources (HR) processes and integration across various functions can provide visibility into and analysis of the workforce. Having a single reliable source of information is key to enabling this visibility, which in turn can enable your company to align skills with business objectives. Learn more about how you can optimize your HR systems to meet your current—and future—human capital management needs.
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Strong evidence supports the notion that a well-groomed insider is a key to sustained company performance. In an analysis of 1,800 successions, company performance was significantly better when insiders succeeded to the job of chief executive officer (CEO). Learn why CEO choice matters—and how you can work toward better corporate succession planning by choosing a high-potential executive from within your company.
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The concepts of return on investment (ROI) and total cost of ownership (TCO) have been used for decades in enterprise evaluations of IT investments, including enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. However, with the emergence of important new technological advances, executives are now expanding these traditional formulas to account for new opportunities. Learn more about their new methods for measuring ERP value.
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In today’s challenging economic environment, no company can afford to be rash. But can the “do nothing” approach really pass as sound business strategy? As in the best of times, companies need to understand the nature of the pressures they face and take clear action to address them head-on. Discover how to see clearly, think clearly, and act clearly—focus your energy on developing clarity and transparency in your company.
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To many managers, the words “business process management” (BPM) conjure up images of complexity—months of planning, meetings, and more meetings. While BPM can be complex, it needn’t be. You can move quickly to implement process automation for your company. Learn what to consider and act on as you contemplate how to automate your business processes and increase competitive advantage and customer loyalty.
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Following several acquisitions, Colombia-based ceramics manufacturer Corona found itself with multiple enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to manage. To find a single ERP solution that was suitable for all of its facilities, and would integrate with its existing business software, Corona turned to Technology Evaluation Centers (TEC). Learn how TEC’s selection methodology helped Corona choose the right ERP software.
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Are you preparing to oversee an enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation project? Are you worried about the statistics that report less-than-successful ERP implementations? While there are many reasons a given implementation project may be less than perfect, there are a few steps you and your ERP implementation team can take to increase your chances of success. Learn about the five steps to a positive outcome.
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As time passes, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems drift further and further into misalignment with enterprise goals, strategies, and tactics. Eventually your legacy ERP system begins to interfere with your company’s ability to operate efficiently. Examine ERP evaluation criteria and techniques, and equip yourself with the tools and knowledge you need to measure your current ERP system’s effectiveness.
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Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems offer great value to companies, but choosing the right ERP system can be overwhelming. To choose the system and vendor that can best meet your needs, you need the tools that can help you address the business goals of your enterprise and mitigate the risks involved in a selection project. You can apply these concepts to a variety of ERP selection processes. Learn more.
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Choosing the right sales and product configurator is daunting. Complex products, services, and processes can contain hundreds of thousands of possibilities. To be effective, your sales and product configurator solution needs to have at least four key characteristics, including the flexibility to model your products and processes. Discover how to get the best configurator vendor and how to make the most of implementation.
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Survey data shows that companies want to improve their strategic business partnerships. Reflecting on lessons learned from past business relationships, 60 percent of respondents say that in future they’ll place more emphasis on developing personal relationships and setting expectations with business partners. Find out how these companies are creating collaborative networks that include business partners and consumers.
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IT has long been one of the best ways to address business challenges. Yet significant obstacles at the level of IT infrastructure stand in the way. Siloed IT operations and rigid IT management processes can impede business agility. When IT partners with the business to act less as a technology provider and more as a service provider, business objectives can be achieved more efficiently and cost-effectively. Find out how.
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During a downturn economy, the IT department is often among the first to be hit with senior executives’ cost-cutting initiatives. Yet in some instances, IT investments deliver more value to a company’s top and bottom lines—by creating new efficiencies and increasing revenues—than any savings gained from traditional IT cost-cutting. Discover the other reasons why your IT spending can actually save money in the long run.
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The Meridian Knowledge Solutions product Meridian Global LMS 2011 is now TEC Certified for online evaluation of learning management solutions in the Human Capital Management Evaluation Center. The certification seal is a valuable indicator to help organizations with their software selection projects. Download this report for product highlights, competitive analysis, product analysis, and in-depth analyst commentary.
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Many small to medium businesses (SMBs) do not have experience with software as a service (SaaS), but are looking to adopt SaaS solutions soon. According to studies, 2009 will be the tipping point, with a majority of companies aiming to adopt SaaS this year. But these companies must be cautious, as the old rules for on-premise software analysis and purchase don’t apply. Discover the new rigorous criteria you should use.
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Business process management (BPM) software implementations are now moving into the mainstream. Many early adopters are already using BPM to foster business innovation. You can benefit from the knowledge gained by BPM leaders and innovators, and their prerequisites for BPM success. These findings can serve as best-practice guidelines for your BPM initiative, so you can derive maximum value from your BPM investment.
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For years, utilities have seen a growing need to enable a smarter electric grid, promote cleaner power sources, and replace aging structures. These issues came into sharper focus when US President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). This legislation provides funding for many energy initiatives—however, strict compliance guidelines come with the stimulus plan. Find out more.
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You needn’t be a seer or sage to perceive risk—it’s as predictable and devastating as a Florida hurricane and as far-reaching as a corporate scandal. But you do need to be a visionary to see the underside of the risk coin. This side represents opportunity, competitiveness, and growth. Find out why insight into managing two types of risk, rewarded and unrewarded, can help you explore opportunities for growth and profit.
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The old approaches for collecting, assimilating, and delivering business intelligence (BI) data have not kept pace with today’s increasing demand for rapid decision making. Many companies use static reports and ad hoc queries, but fewer companies use dashboards and portals—which often lack the interactivity required for navigation and visualization of business data. Learn how a next-generation dashboard solution can help.
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Given the dramatic events in the capital markets, everyone is wondering what will happen next—and what the implications are for the wider economy. Learn about the crisis both in the capital markets and the wider economy; explore likely future economic scenarios and the challenges facing companies outside the financial sector—and discover the actions your company should take in order to respond to these challenges.
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Driving sustainable growth requires profitability-focused planning and performance management. Most companies have some type of profitability reporting—but many are investing a lot of effort to produce this information. And the limitations to the information companies currently compile may have a significant impact on decision making. Learn how automating profitability reporting can help your company improve decisions.
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The current global economic instability means firms have to quickly adapt to business conditions. This uncertainty may increase companies’ reliance on business alliances to provide as-needed skills, services, and products. To optimize these alliances, finance should enter the discussion as early as possible. Find out where finance’s true value lies when realigning strategic objectives to include business collaboration.
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Once you decide it’s time to upgrade the enterprise resource planning (ERP) for accounting system, the next question is: “How much does it cost?” However, many variables factor into the total project price—and software is only a fraction of that. Discover 16 insider tips that can help you save money, as well as 30 specific questions to ask your software vendor, so you can avoid hidden costs and understand the total quote.
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Do you know what evaluation criteria you should consider when making a customer relationship management (CRM) purchase? Before embarking on the process of making this critical business decision, learn more about the 10 fundamental functional areas to consider, including acquiring new sales, improving customer satisfaction, getting a consistent view of the customer, and improving renewal, up-sell, and cross-sell.
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Sustaining profitability in a landscape of volatile prices and exchange rates is difficult for even the best-run companies. One key challenge is to understand the real economic costs in your business and of your products so you can make accurate decisions about sourcing, substitutions, pricing, and logistics. Find out how to use the right costing methodology and have the right information—and the right analytical tools.
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Growth—whether organic or acquisitive—is challenging executives today from a strategic as well as an operational perspective. Studies estimate that 50 to 80 percent of deals fail to reach their projected results. Discover the challenges inherent in three common growth models, and find out how to implement a solid, flexible, and adaptive foundation that can support your company’s corporate growth strategies.
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Making a list and checking it twice is a particularly good practice when picking a finance and accounting software solution. If you don’t find the right product for your company, you’ll just pay for the mistakes on the back end. But first you need to know which features your small to midsize business must have and which you don’t want. Get some tips that will help you create your finance and accounting checklist.
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Often, enterprise applications such as document management software (DMS) don’t gain wide use within a company or provide full return on investment. For these elements to be realized, you must complete the puzzle by integrating with third-party applications such as accounting, personnel management, or other software products. Discover some integration points and the value-add of integrating business applications with DMS.
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Many business intelligence (BI) tools are designed for professional analysts and not business users. As a result, executives find they still don’t have the information they need to make decisions quickly and effectively. In order to maximize your potential in BI, you must embed it into the daily routine of your entire company. Find out about a BI solution that can help you, with functionality like interactive reporting.
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The key to enterprise performance management is to identity a company’s value drivers, focus on them, and align the company to drive results. But there are many management methodologies—such as the balanced scorecard, performance prism, and five forces. What is the right framework for your business? Find out about six management processes and the tools that can help you asses which metrics framework will work for you.
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Companies are recognizing the value of an enterprise data warehouse (EDW) that provides a single 360-degree view of the business. But to ensure that your EDW performs and scales well, you need to get three things right: the hardware configuration, the data model, and the data loading process. Learn how designing these three things correctly can help you scale your EDW without constantly tuning or tweaking the system.
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IT spending is often an issue for companies, but in difficult economic times it’s even more important to see what benefit IT can bring to the business. But IT investments are most effective when they improve business performance. Find out the degree to which organizations in the United Kingdom (UK) understand what IT is doing for their businesses, and in particular how some companies measure this and benefit from it.
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Monitoring, measuring, and reporting on the financial health of a company is a basic need that requires effective tools and processes to optimize the end result. Underpinning this is the requirement for planning capabilities, using scenario and what-if analysis with simulations and other forward-looking capabilities. The new primary research presented in this report shows that most organizations still have much to do.
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The automation of traditional paper-based processes with technology can lead to unnecessary complexity. This leads to increased costs and other challenges which can be avoided if solutions are simple and fit closely to the business task in hand.
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Project portfolio management (PPM) software can provide a dynamic decision-making process for assessing projects such as portfolios, prioritizing projects, and allocating limited resources to meet key organizational objectives. Using PPM can also help you better align and manage your people, projects, and processes—giving you the ability to react quickly to change and minimize risk in the current declining market.
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There are two basic approaches available for organizations to offer their team members collaboration, communication, and intranet functionality: the in-house model (also known as “on premise”), and the outsourced model (also known as “on demand”). Learn more about these approaches, with a particular focus on their cost considerations, with a comparison of collaboration tools from HyperOffice and Microsoft Exchange.
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Historically, growing companies have been prevented from leveraging communications and collaboration technologies, as many collaboration solutions were crafted with big business—and big budgets—in mind. Compare HyperOffice with Microsoft Exchange to examine how their functionalities can meet your needs, and which collaboration system will cost you more—both in terms of licensing costs and long-term maintenance.
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In our new “wired” world, software is no less important than other products and services in our everyday lives. But people are generally more used to buying other products and services than software. In many ways, however, selecting software is similar to selecting other products and services. Find out the key factors and criteria you should include—and what you should leave out—when you’re in the market for a new software solution.
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As global economies become more uncertain, companies face increasing pressure to remain competitive. While an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system can help, it’s only as effective as the effort placed in the implementation. By being aware of the reasons implementations fail and knowing what best practices to use to help ensure success, you can save valuable time and money—and have a higher return on investment (ROI).
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For a company that has grown to the point where an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is the logical next step, there are enormous benefits to be realized, such as centralizing key business data. ERP helps to alleviate pressures on the company by integrating all data and processes. Find out about the critical components of selecting and implementing an ERP system, so you can get the data management tools you need.
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When implementing a new business management system, you need to consider many factors. With advances in Web technologies and growth in broadband across the Internet, alternative deployment methods have emerged. Nowadays, you often must include the question of whether to implement the solution on premise or on demand. Find out more about these options and how your choice can impact the overall success of your solution.
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In hard economic times, IT organizations can maintain operational excellence and sustain service quality while still reducing costs. Achieving this objective involves at least three aspects of application management: managing change, managing technical performance, and managing user performance. Learn more about managing the change process in your PeopleSoft environment, and the value of an integrated change solution.
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Enterprise resource planning (ERP) should provide all employees with information that helps them perform their jobs. But process manufacturing is very complicated, so your ERP software must be robust enough to support your information needs. While no packaged ERP can meet everyone’s needs perfectly, finding the best fit for your needs is key. Learn seven things not to do during your ERP software selection project.
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Automating finance processes—such as closing the books, reporting, and other labor-intensive processes—reduces finance costs. By streamlining financial processes, you can spend more time on higher-value responsibilities and help ensure your company has a competitive advantage. Find out about the financial solutions many financial managers are implementing to automate their financial processes and financial transactions.
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In 2005, Nu-West Construction Products was executing a rapid expansion plan that included three new distribution facilities in Western Canada. Believing it had outgrown its existing solutions, Nu-West conducted a comprehensive enterprise resource planning (ERP) software evaluation project to find a replacement. Learn how the chosen solution, TGI’s Enterprise 21 ERP, helped Nu-West meet its unique distribution needs.
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There are three types of web security solutions: software-based, appliance-based, and managed services. Each needs to be evaluated against several key buying criteria, including the accuracy of threat protection, ease of installation and use, and total cost of ownership (TCO). Learn about the benefits of each category, and how they deal with all manner of web-borne security threats, including inappropriate use of the Web.
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As you evaluate systems to manage your distribution operations, you’ll want to know everything you can to make the search process better. It’s a small project to evaluate, select, and implement a warehouse management system (WMS). These tasks require diligence, time, and an understanding of your business goals. Uncover five secrets you should know before you purchase a WMS—for long-term success and competitive advantage.
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Despite the consensus that warehouse management systems (WMS) offer many benefits, getting approval for a new system is challenging. You need to get key decision makers in operations, IT, and finance—as well as the executive team and the board of directors—to see value in the proposed WMS. But how can you improve your chances of getting management approval? Discover five strategies for information-gathering and approval.
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Server-based computing has been seen at best as a way to provide those within highly task-based environments with a controlled desktop environment. However, changes in software, hardware, security, and management systems are driving the shift toward server-based computing being suitable for a larger proportion of a company’s user base. Learn how client-side computing can be more tightly controlled yet provide flexibility.
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Network-centric operations (NCO) provide the ability to leverage information networks to generate a more dynamic and agile decision-making space. A fundamental enabler is service-orientated architecture (SOA). The use of industry-standard IT architectures helps ensure that systems can be provisioned rapidly, shared as appropriate, and give the flexibility and response times needed within such challenging environments.
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Given today’s economic climate, companies are looking to create more value by reducing risk and saving costs. As companies increasingly rely on data networks encompassing an ever-growing range and number of internet protocol (IP)-enabled devices and applications, they need to more effectively administer and manage these assets—they can no longer take the management of their IP networks for granted.
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Requirements management (RM) is about bringing products to market faster, improving team efficiency, and catching requirements defects earlier. But you need to dig deeper into the return on investment (ROI). What’s the tangible cost savings an RM solution can deliver to your company? What’s the difference if you just use spreadsheets to manage requirements? Get answers to these and other questions with this ROI analysis.
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The question constantly being asked by Microsoft® customers is, “How can Microsoft® help our company save money?” Customers want an integrated, adaptable business management solution that works well with, and is similar to, familiar Microsoft® software. Find out about the solutions Microsoft® believes are the best for helping its customers save money, to gain a competitive advantage and fuel business productivity.
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Data center electrical efficiency is rarely planned or managed. The unfortunate result is that most data centers waste substantial amounts of electricity. Today, it is both possible and prudent to plan and measure data center efficiency. In addition to reducing electrical consumption, efficiency improvements can bring higher IT power densities. Learn how to describe, measure, and evaluate data center efficiency.
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Business intelligence (BI) and business performance management (BPM) are two disciplines that become critical as companies progress through the midsize stage. BI and BPM provide key capabilities that every midsize company should have, to answer fundamental questions about performance, now and in the future. Learn how your operations are affected by specific challenges—and how a BI/BPM solution can help address them.
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Most companies are facing a number of pressures, thanks to a stormy economic climate. To help control costs and resources, many small to medium businesses (SMBs) are looking at implementing an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. But you also need to control the costs and the time frame of your ERP implementation. Discover how partnering with a value-added reseller (VAR) can help you with your ERP selection process.
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Getting the right content management system (CMS) to fit your needs is essential to the successful delivery of online communications and information management. Sadly, companies often find themselves with a CMS product that fails to meet objectives set for it. Don’t lose your way during the CMS solution procurement process—discover the seven cardinal sins of choosing CMS software and how to avoid committing them.
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In today’s Web-connected era of business, the quest for new ideas that boost competitive edge and deliver new sources of profitability is no longer a solitary activity. The Web has become a source of breakthrough innovation—enterprises no longer have to invest in expensive tools and skills to spark and manage innovation. Get tips on how you can best deploy the Web for better innovation management and profit enhancement.
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Swiss financial services company Global Refund needed to replace its antiquated customer relationship management (CRM) system. To find a mobile-enabled, user-friendly solution that could handle the company’s 15 million yearly transactions, Global Refund turned to TEC. Learn how TEC helped Global Refund turn its long-list of 40 vendors into a short-list of four, and shave two months off the selection process.
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Today’s rigorous reporting requirements suggest there’s a crisis of trust among companies’ stakeholders. But scrambling reactively to implement one-off responses to each new set of compliance regulations won’t rebuild stakeholder trust—such short-sighted solutions just cost a lot of money. An integrated approach to governance, risk management, and compliance (GRC) offers a path to better decision making. Learn how.
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Chief financial officers (CFOs) are under greater pressure, scrutiny, and accountability at companies large and small. An ideal CFO is a steward of decision-support information, cost controller, and more. With data supplied by some of the world’s most successful CFOs, get insight into what CFO responsibilities should be today to achieve extraordinary results, and how they should change to meet future challenges.
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Decision making is at the core of all business activity, as executives set strategy and manage operations by weighing a vast array of factors to arrive at the desired balance of risk and reward. But enormous growth in a company’s size and operations adds complexity to decision-making processes. Learn about the five ingredients of good decision making, according to the responses of 154 executives in a global survey.
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To replace its 15-year-old, custom-developed enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, The International Group chose the Microsoft® Dynamics-NAV-based Tectura Process Manufacturing solution as a replacement system. Find out how this solution helped The International Group increase margins and profitability, boost employee productivity, make more timely decisions, and gain real-time visibility into critical business data.
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Office supplies manufacturer Esselte Corporation was the first company to implement Microsoft® Dynamics AX across four continents. About a third of the way through the implementation, the company had already begun seeing a high return on investment (ROI). Find out how Esselte and its global implementation partner, Tectura, managed this large-scale and complex, global enterprise resource planning (ERP) project.
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Because sustaining a strong relationship with customers is essential for future growth, the most successful companies work hard to ensure that their customers don’t feel shortchanged. But the benefits of customer satisfaction extend beyond gaining more business with a single account. Find out how to get a better understanding of your customer information, such as customer spending, for more reliable sales growth.
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To select a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, Katy Independent School District (Katy ISD) turned to Gibson Consulting Group to manage the project’s complexities. Gibson partnered with TEC, taking advantage of the eBestMatch decision support system (DSS). Find out how TEC and Gibson helped Katy ISD reduce the cost and duration of the selection project, and deliver a compelling business case to stakeholders.
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Best practices in technology can help manufacturers of complex products and equipment get their offerings to market more quickly and profitably by enabling them to become more cost effective and efficient. But there are still challenges to be overcome, due to product life cycle complexity. Discover the best practices that can help you make the product and make it right, on time, and within budget—while making a profit.
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Business intelligence (BI) is not a new concept. What’s new is that BI tools are now accessible for midsize companies. Managers can use BI to analyze complex information to support their decision-making processes, combining data from a variety of sources to get an integrated, 360-degree view of the company. Find out how to select the right BI software, the right vendor, and the right approach to implementing BI.
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The wave of e-sourcing that began a decade ago resembled a “crash diet:” it had an immediate and noticeable effect on enterprises. Today’s challenge is to develop new programs that can sustain the benefits of e-sourcing and “keep the weight off.” Find out how employing advanced sourcing strategies can help you positively impact product development cycles, build stronger supplier relationships, and make better decisions.
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Because business processes are often communicated in an ad hoc and unregulated manner, it can be difficult to standardize processes across organizations, particularly larger ones. TEC analyst PJ Jakovljevic takes you on a guided tour through workflow automation—or business process management (BPM)—and shows how these solutions can help ensure standardized adoption of processes, with highlights on several key BPM vendors.
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In the corporate world, the word “excellence” is used a lot, but what does it really mean? One way to answer that question is to examine what companies that are considered to be excellent have in common. Learn the common characteristics that allow excellent companies to lead in their markets while continuing to innovate, and find out how your company can measure, achieve, and sustain organizational excellence.
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Choosing a solution for vulnerability management (VM) is a critical step toward protecting your organization’s network and data. Without proven, automated technology for precise detection and remediation, no network can withstand the daily deluge of new vulnerabilities that threaten security. This 12-point short list of considerations can help you determine what solutions will work best for your organization.
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Virtualization software reduces total cost of ownership (TCO) in server environments and provides almost immediate return on investment (ROI). TCO analysis should take a holistic view of all software and hardware costs, giving a better view of technology purchases and where new efficiencies can be made. Learn how to apply a TCO model to virtualization projects, and reduce the costs of operating a server environment.
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In today's market, companies need to make investments that really count. In this webcast, you will learn why investing in the right technologies and gaining more value out of IT assets already in place should be an important focus for small and midsized companies.
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