Do you member the movie Life of Brian or the Broadway spinoff Spamalot?

I’m referring to the scene of Plague burying their dead, and one collector has an old man on his shoulders declaring “I’m not dead yet!”

That scene reminds me of MS Excel.

I’m not trying to be funny or sarcastic, but I see more and more “C” level Executives simply want reporting done in Excel. You can sugarcoat the reports with all the Enterprise software in the world, whether it’s on premise or in the cloud, and it all comes down to metrics and reporting.

MS Excel is not dead yet.

But I feel “C” level Executives are ready for the next wave of Enterprise software, and that is the social aspect of it.  Instead of people talking to you, you now have data talking to you.  Getting an Excel report of a mission critical metric, and it’s too late.  You want to be able to see it in real time, as it happens. 

I’m not suggesting to trash Excel, but it would be nice to get an alert (i.e. NOT an attachment by email) to a link of a dynamic Excel chart or sheet with a mission critical trigger.  From that alert, you can respond to it appropriately.

Again, MS Excel is still not dead yet.

Below is the IFS study, and the link to Does ERP mean Excel Runs Production is below.

IFS Study reveals ERP could mean Excel Runs Production

While software used in their personal lives gets more attractive and intuitive daily, most business software like enterprise resource planning (ERP) lags behind, prompting many respondents to an IFS North America study of manufacturing executives to say they would use Microsoft Excel and other systems — or even change jobs, rather than use their company’s enterprise software.

According to the study of more than 281 manufacturing executives, 75 percent of study respondents aged 35 and under report using desktop spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel instead of their company’s ERP, customer relationship management (CRM), supply chain management (SCM) or other enterprise software when those enterprise applications get too cumbersome or difficult to use. Among respondents aged 36 to 45, 58 percent said they would use desktop spreadsheet software instead of their company’s designated enterprise applications.

Respondents also said they would consider using a broad array of free and low-cost web-based applications instead of their company’s enterprise applications. Google Docs was cited most frequently, a free, Web-based word processor, spreadsheet, slide show, form, and data storage service offered by Google. Google Docs may be seen as a stand-in for a company’s own document management system, or a way to compensate for ERP or other application environments that lack integrated document management capabilities.

Perhaps most surprisingly though, more than 65 percent of respondents age 35 and younger would be at least somewhat likely to change jobs due to negative experience using their company’s enterprise software.

“Employers invest in attractive offices and other benefits designed to attract and retain young talent, but this study makes it clear that the enterprise software people use every day has a significant impact on the quality of life for today’s professionals,” IFS North America Chief Technology Officer Rick Veague said. “IFS sees ERP usability as essential not only because of this issue, but because when employees work outside of ERP, they are reducing enterprise visibility, increasing enterprise risk and in general diminishing the value their employer is realizing from their investment in enterprise software.”

Study data illustrates the strategic importance of enterprise software usability, particularly in industries IFS serves that are characterized by a high degree of complexity and diversity. According to Veague, the need to ensure IFS Applications streamlines complex processes rather than adding additional complexity has driven IFS to continually invest in usability in order to ensure that IFS Applications leads what he hopes will be a usability revolution in enterprise software.

“A company that is making a product and placing it on the shelf could certainly benefit from a usability-optimized enterprise suite like IFS Applications,” Veague said. “But our customers, complex engineer-to-order manufacturers, project-driven companies, asset-intensive companies, the aerospace and defense sector and the electric generation industry, are faced with daunting complexity. Poorly designed enterprise software represents an additional layer of confusion. As ERP becomes more intuitive, this degree of complexity can be resolved somewhat, and real business efficiencies achieved.”

Download the study, “IFS: Does ERP mean Excel Runs Production,” at:  http://download.ifsworld.com/Excel_Runs_Production.

About IFS

IFS is a public company (OMX STO: IFS) founded in 1983 that develops, supplies, and implements IFS Applications™, a component-based extended ERP suite built on SOA technology. IFS focuses on industries where any of four core processes are strategic: service & asset management, manufacturing, supply chain and projects. The company has 2,000 customers and is present in more than 50 countries with 2,700 employees in total. Net revenue in 2010 was SKr 2.6 billion.

The benefits of conducting an ERP ‘Gap Analysis’ in the new financial year can help define best practice, optimize activity and allow control to be taken over all business processes.

Sydney — Sage, a leading global supplier of business management software, has today launched an ERP Gap Analysis Checklist, to help companies maximize business opportunities in the new financial year.

Today’s competitive marketplace means many medium sized businesses need to constantly monitor and evaluate their work processes and IT solutions to ensure they meet their business objectives without impeding their own productivity, profitability and growth.

Sage’s ERP ‘Gap Analysis’ will help organizations to highlight the processes and systems that are not performing effectively. These can include: meeting regulatory requirements, streamlining operations to further improve productivity and profitability, improving decision-making capabilities, enhancing collaboration with business partners, adapting and scaling the business, and growing business globally.

“The benefits of conducting an ERP ‘Gap Analysis’ in the new financial year can help define best practice, optimize activity and allow control to be taken over all business processes. Automating these processes can improve the accuracy of the information produced, accelerate data flow and streamline day-to-day activities thereby increasing productivity and profitability,” said Mike Lorge, Managing Director, Sage Business Solutions.

ERP ‘Gap Analysis’ Checklist

Sage’s checklist determines your exiting processes and technology solution’s ability to meet your current requirements. It includes questions about:

1. Do you need to comply with government regulations?

Does your existing technology integrate the capabilities necessary to improve the organization’s regulatory compliance, including the need for: lot traceability; audit trails; digital electronic signatures; quality control; document signatures and security and workflow controls and transparency.

2. Do you need to streamline your operations to improve productivity and profitability?

By automating business processes, which in turn improves accuracy of information and accelerates data flow, an ERP system can help your company streamline day-to-day tasks and free up staff to focus on more complex issues that require more personalized attention. As a result you can improve productivity and dramatically reduce operating and overhead costs. Your ERP should offer benefits that include:

• A fully integrated set of applications: a system that integrates capabilities from front-end customer-relationship management to back-end financial analytics and business intelligence enabling you to focus on decision making and doing business rather than focusing on the IT infrastructure required to keep disparate applications running and communicating.
• A common repository – this is where all the data required by all of your applications and processes is kept giving your employees access to the information they need when they need it making for greater efficiency.
• Process orientation – this enables processes to be evolved naturally over time rather than orientated to discrete tasks.

3. Do you need to enhance your decision-making capabilities?

Implementing ERP software that integrates all your information and processes into one coherent environment is a first and major step towards improved decision making. Does your current ERP offer critical BI capabilities including integrated BI, integrated CRM, enhanced visibility, easy-to-use, reporting, and security?

4. Do you need to collaborate with partners?

As market conditions fluctuate and competitive pressures increase, you may need to team with multiple geographic partners and rely on contract manufacturing and third-party logistics providers. Do your existing IT systems support collaboration with partners? Do they have capabilities that include: a web-native platform, automated workflows, Web 2.0 capabilities and security?

5. Do your processes and systems adapt and scale with your business?

Are your technology solutions flexible? Are they scalable so they support your business today, but can accommodate your needs and requirements in the future. They should have configurable workflows, multi-site support and customization features.

6. Are you planning to grow your business globally?

If you plan to operate your business outside Australia, will your systems support international operations including: global currencies, multiple languages and global regulatory requirements?

“Whilst every business is different, we believe that the Sage Gap Analysis Checklist can help you identify key issues your business may face, and determine whether the systems and technology in place, have the capabilities to meet your current and future needs. It can be performed either by management internally or by hiring an ERP consultant to perform an in-depth evaluation of current workplace systems and IT solutions and their effectiveness in meeting the company’s strategic goals,” said Lorge.

About Sage Business Solutions

Sage Business Solutions is a leader in mid-market business software offering true freedom of choice with an end-to-end suite of world-class ERP and CRM solutions. Designed for businesses of all shapes and sizes, we don’t believe in a one-size fits all kind of business solution. We can provide small, midsized and larger businesses with a comprehensive, integrated and complete solution that is uniquely tailored to their needs and requirements. Sage Business Solutions has offices and representatives in Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland, and more than 140 business partners throughout the Australia / New Zealand / Pacific Island region. For further information, visit: http://www.sagebusiness.com.au

North America Openbravo Deployments Surge 110 Percent in 2010

SAN FRANCISCO  — Openbravo, the leading web-based Open Source ERP provider, today released the next-generation of its flagship open source Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software. Openbravo 3 introduces the concept of ‘Agile ERP’ to a software category known historically for bloat and cost overruns. Openbravo’s Agile ERP approach is a significant departure from mainstream ERP, which forces businesses to over-pay for massive, yet inflexible systems. Unlike today’s conventional ERP, organizations can deploy Openbravo in as little two weeks, then add modular functionality as the needs of their business evolve.

"While Openbravo boasts nearly 2 million downloads, perhaps more noteworthy is that Openbravo now has about 2,800 active deployments in North America alone, a doubling of the active base in just 12 months," said Eric Kraieski, an executive with Transitional Data Services, the Openbravo partner of the year in North America. "We expect Openbravo 3 to provide tremendous appeal to this installed user base and new businesses alike."

The key business benefits of Openbravo’s Agile ERP approach include:

• Business Agility: The modular product architecture of Openbravo 3 provides customers with a strong technology foundation and access to over 275 pre-integrated, commercial and open source modules that add new capabilities based on the individual needs of growing businesses such as internationalization and functional areas specific to departmental requirements or vertical markets.
• Rapid & Sustained ROI: 100% web-based and cloud ready for fast roll-out across geographies, with a business model that eliminates painful contract and maintenance negotiations. Openbravo 3 is the extendable open source ERP platform that delivers complete customer control.
• Increased Productivity: Openbravo 3 introduces a completely redesigned user interface which sets a new standard for ease of use and productivity of web-based enterprise applications. In addition, Openbravo 3 introduces Workspaces, a set of dashboard and visual tools to quickly and easily integrate data from other enterprise applications, such as CRM, BI, or content management, and productivity applications such as email, calendar, Twitter or Facebook.

To learn how Agile ERP from Openbravo can impact your business, please register for the webinar: How to Accelerate Business Results with Agile ERP: Openbravo 3. (see link below under Online Resources)

"Legacy ERP systems can consume as much as 18 percent of revenue from large businesses, and the ‘one size fits all’ approach often leads to expensive customization in addition to expensive software licenses and pricey maintenance contracts. The current state of ERP alienates hundreds of thousands of small companies that can help revive the global economy, but are struggling with software that’s too rigid and expensive for their needs," said Paolo Juvara, CEO of Openbravo. "At Openbravo, our mission is to help small and medium sized businesses improve their agility with an affordable ERP solution so they can respond to shifting business conditions. Openbravo 3 introduces our vision for Agile ERP, which helps make agile business a reality."

Openbravo also announced today that usage of the company’s ERP solution has surged in the North America by 110 percent in 2010 as production deployments increased from over 1,300 to nearly 2,800. The United States has consistently been the second largest consumer of Openbravo ERP technology since the company accepted its first venture capital investment in 2006.

Openbravo 3 is immediately available in two editions, Professional and Community, both of which provide core open source functionality for Finance, Sales, Procurement, Warehousing and Master Data. Thanks to the new Workspace functionality, Openbravo 3 can add business value beyond the traditional back-office role of ERP to become a virtual control center for organizational activity for a broader set of users.

Openbravo Professional Edition is distributed exclusively through Openbravo business partners, and includes advanced functionality, support and full in-app access to all Openbravo modules to incrementally extend the Openbravo capabilities to meet evolving business needs. Downloaded almost 2,000,000 times, Openbravo Community Edition has a broad functional footprint and is ideal for small businesses exploring ERP and is available for free download.

Online Resources

• Register for the webinar: How to Accelerate Business Results with Agile ERP: Openbravo 3.
• Learn more about the Openbravo 3 Professional Edition, including product videos.
• Download the Openbravo 3 Community Edition

About Openbravo

Downloaded nearly two million times, Openbravo is the world’s leading web-based Open Source ERP solution. The Agile ERP company, Openbravo sells its Professional Edition exclusively through a global network of channel partners whose expertise provides rapid, cost-effective implementation services. Openbravo partners also provide deployment expertise for the rapidly growing selection of over 275 Openbravo modules that add localization and rich functionality to the core product. Openbravo has offices in the U.S., Spain, and India.

Gives Customers Choice Between On-Site Version and SaaS Platform

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – OpenERP, the leader in open source ERP and business applications, today announced the launch and availability of OpenERP v6, a major software line upgrade that makes implementation and use of a comprehensive set of business applications (CRM, Purchase Management, Manufacturing, Warehouse Management, Project Management, Accounting, Human Resources…) far easier, more affordable and accessible for companies of all sizes. OpenERP also announced availability of v6 as an on-demand offering that radically reduces the cost and complexity of an ERP deployment.

OpenERP’s major upgrade has been tested and improved by its global community of open source developers who contributed more than 800 suggestions, enhancements and fixes to the software after it was made available as a Release Candidate. Innovations from the OpenERP community played a key role in v6 throughout its development.

Here is how the 6.0 version can be reviewed:

• Demo servers: http://demo.openerp.com
• Free SaaS trial to OpenERP online: http://www.openerp.com/online
• Downloads: http://www.openerp.com/downloads

OpenERP now averages some 1,000 downloads daily from over 50 countries around the world because it removes the major barriers and limitations that prevent most companies from adopting the ERP and business applications they need to automate their businesses. With v6,

OpenERP brings this vision one step further:
– Customers can start an ERP project and see the benefits in only a few
months.
– Users find needed information in just a few clicks, improving software
acceptance.
– More than 100 features have been added, making v6 very comprehensive and
yet so simple.

Deploying an ERP System at Your Own Pace

OpenERP v6 provides the best of both worlds. Customers can start with one application and in just a few minutes add new applications when they feel it’s right for them. "OpenERP v6 is a major breakthrough in ERP simplicity and ease of deployment. For the first time, companies can build an ERP system at their own pace, enjoy the short-term benefits of starting with a single application and then build end-to-end integration as they deploy additional applications over time," said Marc Laporte, Chief Operating Officer of OpenERP. "No other vendor can provide this kind of integration in just a few clicks."

Making ERP Easy for the User

OpenERP v6 overcomes a major barrier to ERP deployment and use by dramatically reducing user complexity. Additionally, a new User Interface makes using OpenERP more intuitive than ever.

In addition, the navigation has been simplified for the user. Each OpenERP application has been designed to allow a user to perform a complete process while remaining in a single application. For instance, a purchasing manager can create a new supplier, send an order form, check the reception of the materials and validate the supplier’s bill in one application. With other solutions, this would require the user to open four applications: one for creating the supplier, one for placing the purchase order, one in logistics for checking the reception of the goods, and one in accounting for validating the supplier’s invoice. In OpenERP V6 all of those can be performed while remaining in the purchasing application.

On-Site or On-Demand: The Customer Chooses

Customers have the freedom to use OpenERP through the on-site version or through the SaaS platform. The new Saas Platform make SaaS much more affordable since customers can use OpenERP v6 for only $39 per user per month. In addition, unlike many other SaaS vendors who only offer an online version of their software, OpenERP provides its SaaS customers the freedom to switch at anytime from SaaS to an onsite version of the software.

"We believe that SaaS and Open Source are an interesting combination. The customers always have an option if for any reason the SaaS platform no longer meets their needs. It is their insurance policy, and it is in line with our no lock-in policy," says Laporte. "Our competitors will never offer such flexibility."

V6 Is a Global Community Effort

The newest version of the OpenERP suite, which is written in Python, is the result of literally thousands of suggestions and improvements that OpenERP has received from its customers and developer community over the past 18 months. Every single application has been improved as a result of this continuous collaborative process. More than a hundred features have been added. Here are just a few examples:

• Extended multi-company functionality
• Marketing campaign management
• Simplified accounting interface
• Tracking of tickets for support and after-sales services
• Push and pulled logistics flows
• Talent acquisition
• Manufacturing scrap management

OpenERP v6 brings a fundamentally different approach to the ERP market. The absence of license fees and vendor lock-in, the flexibility to deploy onsite and online, the capacity to first implement a single application and then extend to others later, and its exceptional ease of use, all make OpenERP v6 unique in the market.

About OpenERP

OpenERP S.A. is a leading Open Source Business Application Suite vendor. The OpenERP strategy is based on a unique ecosystem which combines the resources of the community, its partner’s network and editors. The community, comprised of more than 900 active members, has contributed more than 500 modules to the ongoing enrichment of OpenERP. The network of certified partners, established in 50 countries, deploys the solution locally. The software, with more than 1,000 downloads a day, is one of the most frequently installed business suites worldwide. Venture-funded, OpenERP raised $4 million in February 2010. For more information, see http://www.openerp.com.

CRM and ERP Business Suite Reduces Complexity and Integration Costs, Increases ROI; Early Adopter Community Tapped for Innovative Transformational User Experience

ORLANDO, Fla. — Gartner Symposium ITxpo 2010 — Aplicor, LLC, a global Cloud Based Business Software Company, today announced the beta launch of Aplicor Cloud Suite 7.0, a comprehensive Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) business suite.  Aplicor also announced the extension of the company’s Early Adopter Community (EAC) to partners.  Developed in conjunction with user feedback from Aplicor’s EAC, Aplicor Cloud Suite 7.0 is a significant departure from hard wired, manual, role based user interfaces to a dynamic and engaging end user experience.  Aplicor Cloud Suite 7.0 transforms the user experience by empowering the end-user to create short cuts and dynamic workspaces supported by business processes to more efficiently drive business results.  The new product leverages Microsoft Silverlight technology to provide an extremely fast, highly interactive user experience on any device. 

"The neat thing about Aplicor Cloud Suite 7.0 is that it gives each user the flexibility to do a job in ways that make sense for them," said Denis Pombriant, managing principal of Beagle Research.  "Older solutions aim at optimizing for the group, with the hope that the individual can be average," he said.  "In contrast, Aplicor Cloud Suite 7.0 gives every user the chance to be a super star.  In this way it can lift the performance of the whole group."

Aplicor Early Adopter Community: Software Development Gets Social

Traditionally, software has been developed internally and then pushed out to market with little or no communication with the user community during the development process, resulting in overly rigid and complicated user interfaces.  Recently launched in Q3 this year, the Aplicor EAC is a collaborative program, which taps into the power of the community—dramatically changing and expanding, in real-time, the development of Aplicor Cloud Suite 7.0. 

"We’ve been working closely with Aplicor for the last few months as part of their EAC, and I have been impressed with how they have listened and incorporated our feedback into Aplicor Cloud Suite 7.0—making the end product a real game changer," said Steve Florek, managing director IT, SecureAlert.  "Historically, we’ve had various custom and point applications, but it was becoming increasingly complex.  We’ve made the strategic decision to replace all business applications with Aplicor’s Cloud Suite 7.0, which will dramatically reduce the complexity and costs, and increase our bottom line."

Aplicor Cloud Suite 7.0 

The CRM software application benefits companies by improving the overall customer experience, increasing sales win rates, growing customer satisfaction and increasing marketing effectiveness.  The ERP software application automates accounting and back-office processes in order to achieve labor efficiencies, decrease cycle times and provide management with real-time enterprise information visibility.

The combined CRM front office with ERP back office functionality delivers a single, seamless customer centric business management system.  This enables a holistic view of the customer relationship and consolidates front office and back office information for complete real-time business performance visibility. 

"As we see the evolution of applications from tools to store transactions to information resources to help individuals be more productive, usability is key," said Rebecca Wettemann, vice president, Nucleus Research.  "Aplicor provides the ease of access of a cloud application with a user interface that enables users to view the application in the way that suits them best, driving greater adoption and productivity."

"As the Cloud continues to become mission-critical, more organizations are looking for a solution suite to run their business, which will allow them to bypass the complexities of managing and deploying multiple point solutions," said Scott Creighton, CEO, Aplicor.  "With Aplicor Cloud Suite 7.0, organizations not only have a solution that ties their front office and back office capabilities seamlessly together, but one that has been designed from the beginning with feedback from users—delivering a user experience based on real-world business processes."

Aplicor will be demonstrating Aplicor Cloud Suite 7.0 at Gartner Symposium ITxpo 2010 in Orlando, FL from October 18-21 at booth number 222.

Pricing

Aplicor Cloud Suite 7.0 is available for an introductory price of $59/month per user seat. 

About Aplicor

Aplicor is a global Cloud Based Software company which features a full CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) Software Solution for high growth, middle-market and enterprise companies.

Aplicor’s award winning Cloud Based Business Suite is a recognized industry leader in CRM, software availability and industry certifications.

Okay, you’ve ditched that old Exchange server in favor of Google Apps Gmail, as well as starting retraining users for Google Docs for Docs, Spreadsheets, and other business apps.  No one said it would be easy.

You’re probably the IT Hero, but only for a day.

Now what?

The Google Apps Marketplace is now 7 months old with hundreds of great productivity tools.  It would be impossible to list them all, but some really deserve an honorable mention, especially the free ones.

The beauty of not leaving your Gmail window can increase productivity.  Otherwise, click on more for a unified login to these other services on the Apps Marketplace.  Now that is one stop shopping.

I am going to list 7 favorites that I have tried, tested and recommend.  But I know in 6 months time, that 7 might change to 15, and they may not necessarily be the same vendors!  Talk about Darwinism!

A Better Set of Rules (rule based forwarding via email, SMS, voice mail)

Sure, Gmail has forwarding and filters in place.  But the goal is to get you away form email hell.  Enter Awayfind.  You can forward a set of rules to another email or SMS.  A lot of major worldwide carriers are supported, including the ever-expensive Italian telecoms.

Sometimes I am waiting to hear from a very important client, but I don’t want to be constantly checking my Blackberry.  By having the message notify me via SMS, I can respond to the client faster.

CRM

The handsdown winner is Zoho for a rock solid CRM.  From within Google Apps mail, you can access Zoho without leaving the window.  Conversely, you can send mail from the main Zoho window.

For a small company of 3 users, I don’t know why people still buy off the shelf software for a CRM.  Especially when it’s free.

If you need a CRM with specific functionality, consider myERP.com (CRM and Sales Inventory), Batchbook Social CRM, or Insightly (CRM and Project Management).

Travel Organizer

TripIt is like having a travel agent on staff.  Except it’s free.  I love the automation where you simply email them your itinerary, making sure it’s from the same email on file.  (It can even scour your Google Apps Gmail inbox and auto-load your itineraries.

By having your entire organization on TripIt, you know exactly where everyone is. You can even create other groups, such as family, or even your softball team.

I do have one wishlist… to consolidate the reporting of my multiple airline points such as AwardWallet.com or MilePort.com, which are free.  The TripIt Pro version costs $49/year.

AwardWallet.com and MilePort.com also notifies you if your miles are about to expire or lose status.  This makes a great excuse to be a travel runner and fly before Dec 15th, just for the points!  Admit it, we’ve all done that once?

Email Marketing and AutoResponders

Vertical Response was my old favorite but my new preference is now MailChimp because they offer a free account for up to 1000 subscribers.  Free is good.

If you have a previous opt-in list, you have one chance to add those users to your new list.  Aweber forces you to have them re-opt-in, and you know what that means.  Less than 50% will re-opt-in again, if you are lucky.

Email marketing is the best way to reinforce your company’s brand, as well as notify your loyal readers on upcoming products and seminars.

Content Management and Cloud Storage

Box.net has integration with Google Apps, as well as synchronizing desktop files.  But you’ll need to shell out $45 per month first (3 x $15/user/mo for the business version for 3 x 15Gb).  Box.net does have a free version without the Google Apps integration.

There is Salesforce.com integration, but only for the Enterprise edition, which also includes encrypted storage and transfer.  You’ll have to call them to find out how much it is.

Dropbox is another popular Content Management and Cloud Storage with users.  Free accounts start at 2GB and a paid version of $9.95 for 50GB.  But it lacks integration with Google Apps (and Salesforce.com), at least for now.  Watch out in 2011.

Invoicing

Like CRM, Zoho Invoice  is free until you start needing more volume and functionality.  At $8/mo, it’s a steal compared to other off-the-shelf software when you don’t need a full blown accounting system.

Project management

There are a lot to choose from, and Smartsheet was the early winner.  New Project management and Scheduling apps are being added every week.

JustFoodERP (www.JustFoodERP.com) includes ERP business software for the food industry. This industry specific solution also provides support for other key requirements including food safety software, product lifecycle management, reporting software, and CRM software for food industry. JustFoodERP is food management software and food service software which offers the necessary tools in order to improve business practices. By using this food industry software companies are better able to save time and improve the quality of products and services.

JustFoodERP is featured in the current issue of International Food Safety and Quality Network. The article is titled, "The Wal-Mart Impact on the Food Business.” In the feature author Thomas R. Cutler described how mass merchandisers like Wal-Mart, Target, and Costco have had the most significant impact on the retail business in a generation. Their relentless focus on supply chain efficiency, quality control and measuring vendor performance has put many of their competitors and former suppliers out of business. These retailers are now front and center in the food business.

According to analyst firms like Retail Forward, Wal-Mart alone represents a 35% share of the grocery market in the United States. Working with these giants is already having a significant impact on how food processors and distributors run their businesses. Dan Rowe, Product Manager at JustFoodERP suggests, “With greater revenues increasingly coming from fewer customers, food companies need to embrace the same emphasis on supply chain efficiency, quality control and measuring vendor performance. If not, the consequences could be dire. Many food processors and distributors, however, lack the technology to do so. They rely on disparate systems made up of a hodge-podge of Excel spreadsheets, Access databases and accounting packages that lack the functionality needed to help their company achieve success in working with mass merchandisers such as Wal-Mart through tightened controls and improved visibility.”

The article discusses fully:

• The Shift to Large Customers Like Wal-Mart
• The Shift to Large Food Retailers Impacts the Nature of the Business
• Business Processes
• Demand Planning & Sales Forecasting
• Product Development and the Private Label Product
• Sales Order Processing & Integrated Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
• P.C.R.Q. (Pricing, Costing, Rebates, Quoting)
• Production Planning
• Order Fulfillment and Logistics Planning

JustFoodERP software offers an integrated solution which can be easily accessed by different departments. Food inventory software, food processing software, food production software helps department managers to access the information needed to improve the bottom line. The ERP software for food industry lowers inventory costs, improves food safety, and manages customer compliance.

JustFoodERP software maintains food safety standards because it has built-in quality procedures that enforce quality audits at various stages after receiving through to shipping. Whether viewing inventory levels or production capacity, companies need the latest technology food management software.

JustFoodERP is a vertically focused software company providing software and services powered by the Microsoft Dynamics platform. The company has joined the prestigious 2010 Inner Circle for Microsoft Dynamics, an elite group of the most strategic Microsoft Dynamics partners from across the globe whose sales achievements rank them in the highest echelon of the Microsoft Dynamics global network of partners. Members of the Microsoft Dynamics Inner Circle have performed to a high standard of excellence by delivering valuable solutions that help organizations achieve increased success.

JustFoodERP is recognized by Microsoft as one of the most successful business partners, deployed by over 150 customers in North America.

McObject®, innovator in embedded database technology, announced that coresystems AG, an SAP Gold Partner and a leading provider of value-added software for the SAP environment, has deployed McObject’s Perst™ for .NET embedded database, running in Microsoft’s Silverlight Web application framework, as a key component in its cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) for mobile workers.
The application, called coresuite mobile client, enhances field workforce productivity by mobilizing SAP Business One enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications on users’ laptop computers. Within the coresuite mobile client, Perst leverages Silverlight’s out-of-browser capability to deliver fast, reliable local sorting, queries and storage, and is synchronized with master data that resides in the coresuite cloud. coresystems hosts SAP Business One applications in this cloud, and makes the coresuite mobile client available for a monthly fee of $14.90 per user.

Using the coresuite mobile client, field sales and service personnel access information about customers and accounts, monitor service queries, record work times and activities, and find directions using the geolocation feature on service maps. Integrated dashboards prominently display user-designated key data – such as sales totals, call lists or stock-on-hand – to round off the range of functions in this mobile ERP system. coresystems offers a demo of the coresuite mobile client with Perst at https://www.coresuite.com/client (click on “Use the demo account”).

“We chose Silverlight for the coresuite mobile client application because of its compatibility across a range of browsers and platforms, its superior performance compared to alternatives such as Javascript, and because its out-of-browser capability provides our users with the convenience of saving and working with data off-line,” said Yves Senn, head of coresuite cloud for coresystems.

To store this persistent client-side data, the coresystems team chose Perst, and thereby gained additional DBMS features including ACID transactions, support for diverse database indexes (B-tree, R-tree, KD-tree, etc.), a flexible and easy-to-use API, garbage collection, full-text search and more.
While other database systems claim compatibility with Silverlight, coresystems liked the fact that “there is a company, McObject, behind Perst, with professional support and services," Senn said.

coresystems’ developers also appreciated the ample available material demonstrating Perst’s use with Silverlight, particularly the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) demo hosted on McObject’s Web site, Senn said. The demo runs in the user’s browser, stores records locally, and takes full advantage of Perst features such as indexes and native full text search to sort, retrieve and write records to the database. Users can launch the application from McObject’s site, and download its source code as well as an in-depth Silverlight Demo Article that documents how Perst’s features are used in the application.
Perst and Perst Lite are part of McObject’s family of powerful small footprint, high performance embedded database software products. The eXtremeDB® in-memory embedded database from McObject is used widely in devices including MP3 players, WiMAX base stations, digital TVs, telecom/network communications equipment and military/aerospace technology. Perst is available for Java and .NET, including Java ME, Android, .NET Compact Framework, Silverlight and Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 (WP7) smartphone platform.

About coresystems

With more than 4000 customers, coresystems AG is not only the world’s leading provider of add-on solutions for SAP Business One, but is now also a SAP Gold Partner (SSP). Among coresystems’ customers are many small- and medium-sized enterprises as well as large corporations with smaller branches that are looking for a standardized and fully integrated ERP solution. The company’s sales and consulting network includes more than 300 SAP partners. coresystems’ headquarters are in Windisch, Switzerland, with offices in London and New York, and a support center in Galway, Ireland. Information about the company is available at www.coresystems.ch.

About SAP Business One

SAP Business One is SAP’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) application suite targeting small- and medium-sized businesses. It integrates core business functions across a company, including financials, sales, customer relationship management, inventory, and operations. As a single application, SAP Business One provides simplicity by eliminating the need for separate installations and complex integration of multiple modules.

About McObject

Founded by embedded database and real-time systems experts, McObject offers proven data management technology that makes applications and devices smarter, more reliable and more cost-effective to develop and maintain. McObject counts among its customers industry leaders such BAE Systems, Siemens, Phillips, EADS, JVC, Tyco Thermal Controls, F5 Networks, CA, Motorola and Boeing. McObject, based in Issaquah, WA, is committed to providing innovative technology and first-rate services to customers and partners. The company can be reached at +1-425-888-8505, or visit http://www.mcobject.com.

One of the caveats about Chatter 2 is that it’s reportedly an internal collaboration tool.  In some regard, Microsoft SharePoint is the same.  I’ll elaborate more in a minute.

The success of Social Media relies on everyone being on line. And I mean everyone. 

That includes your closest friends, business associates, family relatives (who sometimes call to borrow money), and of course people you’ve connected to and have no idea who they are!

Chatter, at the moment, is an internal collaboration tool… sort of.

User, users Everywhere

In my last major implementation of Microsoft SharePoint and SAP (“major” as being defined as a 28 Billion dollar company in a vertical market), the collaboration component of SharePoint went beyond the boundaries.  Beyond, meaning non-employees of the company.

I am referring to outsourced parties such as your legal team, press contacts, ad agency, HR recruiting companies, web designer companies.  People who you communicate with daily but are not on your payroll (only as expenses!)

Normally with an on-premise Enterprise software and presumable a site license, you simply create users after they have signed the NDA.  You can even create email aliases, too, if you have a Global Address List and a nice Sysadmin.

With Salesforce, Chatter is included free whether you have the Group, Professional, or Enterprise license.   Otherwise, Chatter costs $15 per user per month for non Salesforce users.

So what happens if you have an ad agency create a PowerPoint presentation for you?  Conventional methods includes attaching the 20Mb attachment via email which will fail and make all your MS Exchange Sysadmins cringe.

Other clunky methods include YouSendIt or the latest craze, DropBox.  I am old school and I still remember using FTP!  It still worked the last time I checked.

Or, you could sign up these users on a non-Salesforce Chatter-only license. 

These users would be able to participate in the Chatter feeds.  You may have to tweak some permissions or deal with rights issues as currently they would be read-only.  They would not be able to edit documents.

As you can see, document management, version control, and ownership changing hands sometimes lies outside your organization.

And that herein lies the challenges with the cloud and Social Media where everyone is connected.  Well, almost everyone.

The moral of the story:  Collaboration relies on internal and external employees.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — ORACLE OPENWORLD

News Facts

• Oracle welcomed more than 40,000 attendees to Oracle OpenWorld San Francisco 2010.
• The industry’s largest event for Oracle technologists, business users and partners will feature five days of education and insight into Oracle’s strategy and roadmap on the software and hardware built to optimize business from end to end.
• In addition, the JavaOne and Oracle Develop conferences, running concurrently, will host a variety of sessions and events focused on Oracle’s software and hardware offerings.

Event Highlights

• Conference attendees will have the opportunity to participate in:
  • 1,800 educational sessions;
  • 450 partner exhibits;
  • Almost 400 Oracle product demonstrations; and
  • Networking activities, including the Oracle Appreciation Event.
• This year’s event will also feature:
  • Keynotes from industry leaders from Oracle, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Infosys and Rally Software, detailing what’s on the horizon for the technology industry;
  • Server and Storage Systems Sessions and Tracks that offer customers and partners the opportunity to attend more than 80 sessions, on topics including Sun Flash technologies and innovations in Oracle Solaris and Oracle Linux, virtualization solutions for both Sun SPARC and Sun x86 platforms;
  • More than 17 industry-specific sessions with Oracle product experts and industry leaders, who will discuss Oracle’s roadmap to business strategies; and
  • The Zone — the area including San Francisco’s Hotel Nikko, Hilton San Francisco, and Parc 55 hotels will be dedicated to unparalleled education, practical hands-on sessions and engaging activities geared toward the developer community.

Supporting Quote

• "This year’s Oracle OpenWorld is jam packed with five days of education and insights into Oracle’s complete technology stack from application to disk," said Tania Weidick, vice president of marketing, Oracle. "Customers, partners, business users and developers will be given the opportunity to share and build their knowledge and expertise in a wide range of Oracle and partner-based solutions that can further innovation and enhance your business position in the marketplace."

About Oracle
Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) is the world’s most complete, open, and integrated business software and hardware systems company. For more information about Oracle, visit oracle.com.

Trademarks
Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Contact Info
Kimberly Pineda
Oracle
+1.650.506.8831