Implementing information technology (IT) governance means using a structure of relationships and processes to direct an organization. Some project portfolio management (PPM) vendors have adopted the IT governance mantra to differentiate their solutions from those offered by the enterprise resource planning (ERP) industry. more…
An enterprise that wants to shift to a global product development strategy must invest in modern product lifecycle management (PLM) technology. Therefore, the PLM software market could be on the edge of a significant growth cycle. more…
IQMS specializes in high-volume manufacturing ERP solutions, especially in made-to-order areas. This Quick Case for IQMS provides a concise background, which is oriented toward organizations considering an IQMS solution. more…
Supply chain planning vendors have moved beyond enterprise planning to solutions that encompass the whole supply chain. Companies like Kinaxis are using enterprise response management to manage events and responses as they occur and align results at the point-of-action. more…
Business process management (BPM) has to integrate existing enterprise applications, Web services, and people in such a way that it can also quickly change, destruct, or construct processes. This is far beyond the realm of traditional enterprise application integration (EAI). more…
Electronic media and corporate governance have complicated records management for enterprises. Properly defining information as corporate records and using a record management system can help enterprises meet regulatory compliance and reduce liability. more…
The customer relationship management (CRM) market is changing. Over half the market is served by small vendors. Fully integrated business suites like NetSuite standalone solutions like salesforce.com, are heeding the demand for software as a service, but they are approaching the market with very different market strategies. more…
Customer relationship management (CRM) functionality can fall into four categories: core functionality; non-core functionality; vertical, industry-specific features; and accounting-related features. When evaluating and selecting a CRM solution, enterprises must be aware of the potential issues associated with functions and features that are not part of core CRM functionality. more…
Many business-to-business (B2B) software companies don’t have a formal positioning process, and it’s costing them time, money, and much more—a marketing message that misses the mark. This article explores the benefits of implementing a business process for positioning. more…
Creating outsourcing centers is a viable option for companies under pressure to develop quality products with tight time and budget restraints. Mid-market companies, however, often do not have this option, but can still benefit from partnering with an outsourcing provider. more…
General enterprise resource planning (ERP) providers that are viable companies with a solid product, typically do not meet the dimensional inventory, chemical, and physical properties requirements that are vital to the metal service industry and material converter businesses. more…
Manufacturing execution systems (MES) can be defined as a collection of business processes providing event-by-event, real time execution of planned production requirements. However, market ambiguity and functional overlap with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems obscure what an MES can bring to an enterprise. more…
While enterprise applications solutions are moving closer to the plant floor, and plant-level systems are moving closer to enterprise planning application functionality, these two will not likely converge anytime soon because they use different technologies and have different user requirements. more…
Your company’s success is not only dependent on sales, but also on your company’s ability to say, “Yes we have that item in stock.” The problem is, inventory control is usually an after thought. more…
Product lifecycle management (PLM) doesn’t work, but it should. Industry’s general approach and attitude to PLM mimics the early days of customer relationship management (CRM) adoption, and lessons from that experience should help when tackling the “ifs” and “hows” of PLM investment. more…
Any manufacturing business is faced with promising accurate delivery dates for customer orders. At the same time, the manufacturer has to ensure that every order taken, is profitable. This article focuses on the issues related to order delivery date promising in view of profitability of orders to the manufacturer. more…
To gain the competitive edge, enterprises are seeking tools to break information silos. Collaborative planning and manufacturing has given plant-level systems a whole new meaning. more…
Production supervisors and plant managers are constantly fighting problems within a plant because they lack visibility in the supply chain and do not have an automated exception-based management system. However, a value-adding processing layer can create transparency and link information to unify company processes. more…
The information technology (IT) environment in manufacturing is facing a dramatic change. Traditional systems must evolve to support near real time, collaborative business models. This is especially prudent at the plant-level. more…
Cooperative markets and clever strategies controlling internal developments and guiding marketing may help Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC) reach revenues of $1 billion (USD) by 2008. However, more impressive is this may make PTC an innovator in product lifecycle management. more…
SAP Best Practices are a series of fixed-scope, pre-defined packages of software and services solutions designed to address the demands of midsize enterprises in multiple industries. Are they right for you? more…
CODA’s savvy accounting and financial offerings include budgeting, forecasting, scorecards, and tools that use Microsoft Excel spreadsheets collaboratively and securely. However, CODA must defend its narrow specialist and best-of-breed approach against larger-scale integrated enterprise system offerings. more…
To meet tough government compliance, more vendors are offering compliance solutions. CODA’s collaborative task modeling tool takes an enterprise’s best practices model, audits business processes, automates data collection, and creates a secure collaborative space to offer checks and balances to simplify compliance monitoring. more…
With its short term ownership under Baan all but forgotten, CODA has been doing well, owing to its astute offerings tailored to the preferences of each regional market, coupled with some recent appetizing acquisitions. more…
After 9/11, the analyst community optimistically predicted a sharp rise in the demand for global trade management (GTM) software. While initially vendor shares rose, pre- and post-9/11 barriers have prevented the profitability and ubiquity of GTM software. more…
Major vendors are entering the professional services software market and small niche vendors are repositioning themselves to compete. This changing market is conveying mixed messages; however, users can navigate this space by separating market messages from vendors’ functional capabilities. more…
Technology has advanced supply chain visibility beyond mere track and trace functions. Visibility can be used to manage supply chain uncertainty, thereby preemptively troubleshooting problematic areas and reallocating resources to better meet the demands of an enterprise. more…
Business intelligence (BI) is evolving as it grows in popularity. Within BI, there is a shift from traditional analytics to predictive analytics, and predictive analytics is emerging as a distinct new software sector. more…
Optimizing supply chain management processes to work more closely with trading partners, requires enterprises to act together as interdependent supply networks. The development of service oriented architecture will be crucial in achieving the necessary flexibility characterizing such networked supply chains. more…
The first step in choosing an effectiveness service provider (ESP) that best meets your company’s needs is to develop a requirements definition. When used as a request for proposal, the requirements definition can be a powerful evaluation and negotiation tool. more…
Data collection systems work; however, they require a investment in technology. Before the investment can be justified, we need to understand why a data collection system may be preferable to people with clipboards. more…
The rapid pace of global business places a unique set of challenges on all enterprises looking to improve and automate their operations, and at the same time, remain poised to adapt quickly to change. more…
The whole idea of enterprise application modernization is to renew existing software so that it can satisfy the need for integration and graphical presentation without losing any functionality. IBM is looking towards independent software vendors to help it in this endeavor. more…
Customers value IBM’s AS/400’s reliability, stability, and security. However, despite its impressive performance and use of independent software vendors to broaden its functionality, AS/400 suffers from the perception that its an ancient technology. more…
The new company forged from Lawson and Intentia will have to carefully blend their different corporate cultures, which has traditionally been proud of in-house development spawning a limiting “not invented here” attitude. more…
The Lawson and Intentia merger might create a much-needed, strong statement for the market, and provide the mid-market with more options. It may also decrease the negative momentum both companies have experienced in the frenzied and rapidly consolidating enterprise applications market. more…
Before merging with Lawson, Intentia already had initiated cost-cutting measures on its products, target markets, and sales channels. This, corporate cultural changes, and an infusion of research money help the “new” Intentia become a world class solutions provider to the mid-market. more…
The recent merger of Lawson Software and Intentia, two vendors of similar size, but servicing different markets, will complement each other to become the largest enterprise applications supplier that is dedicated to the mid-market customer segment. more…
Enterprise content management (ECM) is moving beyond web content management. To meet enterprises’ needs, large vendors are introducing scaled down versions, others are integrating ECM with other systems, and all are focusing on key areas. more…
For a customer relationship management implementation to be successful, consulting firms, vendors, and users must pay attention to user training and change management. more…
E-business has prompted a lot of vendors to move towards creating electronic product lifecycle management (e-PLM) suites. However, enterprise resource planning vendors with extensive e-commerce initiatives, development staffs, and renewed interest in PLM, are as likely to lead the way. more…
The need for quick responses to changing business environments has resulted in the growth of business process management (BPM). Vendors are embarking on merger and acquisition strategies to meet the functional requirements of businesses. more…
Retalix, a supply chain software provider is positioning itself to be a segment pack leader through vendor positioning, vertical differentiation, and horizontal influences. It may be poised to oust industry heavyweights including IBM and SAP as the retail food industry software provider. more…
Software vendors strive to be leaders in their areas of expertise and Retalix seems to be no exception. But how do we recognize a segment pack leader and what are the key elements that characterize a supply chain pack leader? more…
Small and medium enterprises (SME) looking for software must understand their needs and articulate their expectations to get what they want and need from software. more…
To meet the needs of a demand driven market, Apptricity is leveraging service oriented architecture to deploy and integrate modules. more…
Why has Infor been successful at tacitly nurturing and growing acquired companies when many more noisy competitors have not? more…
While superficially, Infor’s acquisition strategy may appear to be impulsive, it has actually been calculated to develop a stronger vertical functionality. This may mean that Infor can offer customers more stability while offering niche functionality. more…
Lately demand-driven supply networks (DDSN) are a much talked about topic, yet little is written about SMBs and DDSN. By understanding the basics of DDSN, and through selective implementation, SMBs can experience the agility, adaptability, and alignment of DDSN. more…
In announcing their merger plans, Lawson and Intentia will not only have to grapple with the usual issues, but will have to deal with the nuanced differences in their respective Java application endeavors. more…
Lawson has unveiled a new standards-based business applications platform designed to increase overall application quality and improve the product lifecycle experience for current and future Lawson clients. more…
Epicor is working with Microsoft so that portal adopters can benefit from SharePoint’s models and access to other enterprise data. more…
In August, Epicor announced a revised portal strategy to provide rich portal content through a more secure and standardized portal platform. By leveraging Microsoft .NET across all product families, Epicor Portal will reportedly deliver data exploration, collaboration, and on-line management features. more…
Third-party logistic (3PL) providers are under pressure to keep costs low, expand services and capitalize on evolving supply chain management technology. As customers are becoming more discerning, 3PLs can leverage service oriented architecture to meet customer needs. more…
Product architecture can ensure product scalability, endurance, and the incorporation of emerging technologies. Consequently, LANSA 2005 offers Web Application Modules (WAM), to give developers a shorter learning curve and lower development costs to produce browser-based commercial enterprise applications and even Web services. more…
LANSA offers to rejuvenate legacy systems by empowering developers with simplified programming to use Java services. more…
Understanding the nature and specifics of your product development life cycles, and especially new product design and initiation, can help you realize tangible cost savings and will offset the total cost of ownership of a product lifecycle management system. more…
Deltek Vision and other Deltek enterprise solutions, have been major players with project management-oriented organizations for the past twenty years. Vision a leading product in the professional services automation market and has taken significant strides to maintain this market leading position. more…
Having moved beyond its original role as a standalone presentation layer to become a part of a larger technology stack, the portal is now considered part of a larger offering, be it in collaboration, vertical-specific applications, or application infrastructure and middleware. more…
Companies relying on manual implementation and support for lean and world class methodologies risk losing corporate consciousness. Avoid the pitfalls of lost information and flexibility; place value on performance gaps and create matrixes of tools and applications to prioritize issues. more…
Intense product architecture rejuvenation, functional enhancements cycles, and market consolidation exert pressure on all mid-market vendors offering ERP and warehouse management solutions. Adonix must carefully allot research and development funds and screen its new assets to increase its competitive edge. more…
The area of warehouse management systems and supply chain execution might be the best examples of Adonix’ commitment to provide small and large businesses with the building blocks for supply chain management. more…
IT initiatives driven within silos, where each department maintain its own project management office, inhibits the overall cohesiveness and effectiveness of corporate strategy. This document outlines best practices to centralize and deliver a scalable and robust project management framework strategy. more…
Adonix marks its strategy with two catchwords: “growth” and “independence”. It has carefully assessed and added acquisitions to broaden Adonix X3 suite’s functional scope, licenses and services; and continues nurture internal development with its own resources. more…
Adonix appears to be a force in the Southern European enterprise resource planning and supply chain management market since acquiring Gruppo FORMULA. There might be a greater buzz internationally, but the road to success might not be an easy Mediterranean sail. more…
Catering to existing and prospective customers is problematic. Existing customers often value their legacy systems because they are reliable and prospective customers want the latest technologies and rapid deployment. To cope, independent software vendors offer continual enhancements and offer custom extensions. more…
Analyzing static, detailed financial statements has been the modus operandi for hundreds of years. Because many business management systems can isolate and create graphics of key performance indicators (KPI), businesses should now concentrate on KPIs, which influence profitability. more…
Transforming an enterprise to a lean supply chain requires both enabling technology and discipline. By following some specific guidelines to extend lean methodology, you can proceed through your supply chain transformation to become effectively lean. more…
Most lean manufacturing deployments target production operations, but can also be extended to other supply chain processes. To realize the multiplicative benefits of real time information and reduced inventory, companies must assess their production environment and supply chain activities. more…
What types of vendors’ approaches to the mid-market have emerged from the wave of mergers and consolidations and what characteristics ultimately distinguish the contenders from the pretenders are two questions that are emerging from the consolidation market. more…
The enterprise life cycle is often misunderstood, which can lead to complications during the selection, implementation, and maintenance phases. Knowing what to expect during each phase will allow an enterprise to get better money for value from the solution. more…
Among its promising initiatives, IBS offers flexible rescheduling tools that integrate with existing manufacturing resource planning systems. Its warehousing solution also promises better use of space, and automates reception put-away, etc. However, the vendor still must navigate through some rough competitive terrain. more…
The integration solutions market will be an interesting area of growth. IBS has an attractive offer for companies with complex and expensive business software at the group and headquarters level, wanting to lower costs and quicken implementation in their subsidiaries. more…
IBS may be the first vendor to fully integrate a supply chain operations reference model in its business intelligence solution. Customers receive more efficient measurements and benchmarking across their supply chain regardless of their supply chain and ERP software. more…
IBS, a conservative Swedish enterprise resource planning and supply chain management, seems to be making right moves to remain the leader within its selected segments. However, the road to becoming uniformly globally recognized player will not be smooth. more…
Confused about RFID middleware? RFID middleware has a critical role to play in cleaving together and clarifying the signals and intelligence, bidirectionally from the device layer to the business applications, or out to the communications infrastructure, to the web or satellites. This article explains it all. more…
“Manugistics is not a software company.” This was among many of the interesting statements that Joe Cowan shared in our interview during Manugistics user conference, Envision 2005, in Atlanta, GA. more…
The former CEO and co-founder of PRTM is a keen observer of management cycles and philosophies. As he takes over the helm at i2, Michael McGrath talks about how the company is preparing for the next generation of supply chain. more…
Recognizing that change is a constant is the first step to survival in this new economy. Identifying the changing nature of business partners—customers, suppliers, and service providers—is the second step. Finally, embracing change and developing a sustainable business strategy for a digital economy provides the final impetus for the future. more…
The US Labor Department reported an increase in jobs in June and July … but the manufacturing industry cut jobs for a third month in a row. We are moving from a manufacturing economy to a supply chain economy. This article gives the big picture. more…
In its simplest sense, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems create interactive environments designed to help companies manage and analyze the business processes associated with manufacturing goods, such as inventory control, order taking, accounting, and much more. more…
This article defines process manufacturing; discusses its formulation, packaging, and pricing issues; talks about interfaces; and provides cautions and caveats. more…
The systems dealing with manufacturing, inventory, procurement, and customer order management systems are among the systems that often prove to be the hardest to acquire due to the unique issues of the process enterprise. more…
Leading supply chain execution (SCE) vendor, Manhattan Associates has recently announced its acquisition of Evant, a supply chain planning (SCP) company. Adjusting to a different type of supply chain application, gaining profitability, and maintaining high levels of customer care are some challenges facing the company. more…
The business remains challenging to even the most established vendors, since an intensifying product architecture rejuvenation and functional enhancements cycle, the pressure from the ERP intruders, and continued market consolidation exert fiscal pressure across the sector. more…
The warehouse is no longer merely a static storage facility. It now has to use virtually real-time data to closely match supply to demand, eliminate the need to hold excess inventory, and increase the flow of goods throughout the supply chain. more…
The market place is awash with many kinds of manufacturing scheduling systems. Due to the dynamic nature of the manufacturing shop floor, it is of utmost importance that a manufacturing scheduling system can take care of these dynamic conditions. more…
In the battle between Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS) and the UK-based the Sage Group for the small-to-medium enterprise (SME) market segment, technology choices will be a major factor. more…
There is a clear distinction between the market dynamics within the respective MBS and Sage/Best channels. more…
This is an analysis of the equivalent moves of two superpowers to secure the lower-end of the market, also known as the small-to-medium enterprise (SME) market segment. One is Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS), the other is UK-based the Sage Group. more…
Microsoft announced plans to increase resources and provide new tools and offerings for MBS independent software vendors (ISV) and value-added resellers (VAR). These efforts are designed to accelerate the MBS Group’s partner-driven vertical strategy, providing stronger opportunities for partners to align their services and solutions with their customers’ specific needs. Microsoft has to be in the small business market, which is a springboard or a feeding ground for more scalable products as these businesses grow over time. more…
At the basic level, users want a more intuitive way to “look inside the business”, and they want applications to bring them closer to their operations, such as alerts that can help them handle exceptions or better yet, to act on business events (or even non-events) well before they become exceptions. more…
The two small-to-medium enterprise (SME) market segment leaders seem to have somewhat different strategies going forward (despite inevitable watching over each other’s shoulder), and time will tell who will ultimately win (or maybe both will remain in a stalemate power sharing situation). more…
Advanced planning and optimization makes supply chain systems cost effective. It is the brain of the supply chain because it works on top of all other software tools that plan, monitor, and control supply chain activities and control them. more…
Airlines struggle every day to reduce costs, maintain the level of customer service, and have more efficient processes, and this puts more pressure on line maintenance supervisors and engineers. This is where a maintenance personnel management system can be useful. more…
In the airline industry, aircraft maintenance is an activity that has to be done throughout the day, so maintenance personnel must be available at all times. The complexity of the operation increases the need for a maintenance personnel management system. more…
Despite the logic behind combining customer relationship management (CRM) and business intelligence (BI) elements, the implementation of marketing automation (MA) has been stunted by slow markets, and pessimistic investors. Vendors in CRM and BI are building alliances in order to gain market share and illustrate the value of MA. more…
The new metrics of customer profitability, lifetime value, and wallet share are needed to supplement the traditional metrics of market share and penetration. Typical functional components of marketing automation include customer data cleansing and analysis tools, and campaign management systems. more…
Learn how to avoid the most deadly sin of all marketing—using the same position or a similar one as your competitor, and not knowing it. more…