New Apps Are Designed to Improve Productivity for the Mobile Workforce

Further demonstrating its commitment to supporting the mobile workforce, Oracle today announced Oracle’s JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Mobile Requisition Self Service Approval,Oracle’s JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Mobile Purchase Order Approval and Oracle’s JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Mobile Sales Inquiry applications.

The new JD Edwards EnterpriseOne mobile applications deliver personalized services that extend user choice and help improve productivity by delivering management solutions that can be accessed at any time or from anyplace.

With the new mobile applications, JD Edwards EnterpriseOne customers can gain real-time insight into sales orders, item availability and item-based pricing. Customers now also have the ability to easily review and approve requisition self-service orders and purchase orders on mobile devices.

This news was announced at Oracle’s JD Edwards Summit. The event takes place January 31st – February 2nd, 2012 in Broomfield, Colorado with over 600 attendees from 29 countries.

Mobile Apps Allow Users to Access Critical Business Data Anytime, Anywhere

Oracle’s JD Edwards EnterpriseOne is an integrated applications suite of comprehensive enterprise resource planning (ERP) software that combines business value, standards-based technology, and deep industry experience into a business solution with a low total cost of ownership.

The new mobile applications available for JD Edwards EnterpriseOne, include:

• Mobile Requisition Self Service Approval – Provides real-time transaction processing for the review, approval or rejection of requisitions.
• Mobile Purchase Order Approval – Helps enable mobile workers to review and approve purchase orders regardless of physical location.
• Mobile Sales Inquiry – Addresses the needs of sales representatives, service technicians and managers by providing access to sales orders, item availability and item base price on-demand.

“Our customers live in an increasingly mobile world and demand real-time access to important business data, regardless of time or location,” said Lyle Ekdahl, group vice president general manager, Oracle’s JD Edwards. “The new mobile apps for JD Edwards EnterpriseOne are an example of our continued commitment to helping customers access critical business information in the format that best fits their needs. With the mobile apps, users can closely manage approvals, inventory and sales orders in the office, in the factory or on the road.”

“We are definitely seeing a move towards a more mobile workforce,” said Bob Ashford, vice president of information technology and sales & inventory operations planning, Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA. “With the new mobile apps, Oracle has delivered intuitive and easy to use tools for Oracle’s JD Edwards EnterpriseOne which should help increase efficiency and productivity for employees working in the field.”

“Intuitive, easy-to-use mobile applications and services help organizations make faster and better decisions, while giving employees a more flexible work environment,” said Rebecca Wettemann, vice president of research, Nucleus Research. “Organizations need to enable their employees to access and leverage critical business information in real time. Oracle is one of the vendors that is meeting this demand, and with the new JD Edwards EnterpriseOne mobile applications and its broader mobile device support, it is well positioned to help its customers realize the promise of the mobile – and more productive – workforce.”

NetSuite Inc. (NYSE: N), the industry’s leading provider of cloud-based financials / ERP software suites, today announced that NetSuite CEO Zach Nelson will deliver the opening keynote at the 2012 Pacific Crest Emerging Tech Summit at 8:15 a.m. PST on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at the Westin San Francisco Market Street, San Francisco, CA.

An audio webcast of the presentation will be available on NetSuite’s Investor Relations website at www.netsuite.com/investors.

In 2012, it’s not really even up for debate anymore that a significant fiscal issue and challenge facing today’s generation of citizens is the inability at all levels of government to operate efficiently. It doesn’t matter which side of the aisle you sit on politically, the inconvenient truth of the matter is that this inefficiency and rigid organizational structure has put cities, counties, states, agencies and federal entities in a position where they have a hard time reacting to changes in economic conditions. As a result, public balance sheets continue to bleed.

What contributes to this inefficiency? Why does the public sector seem to have a hard time managing the choking hold of bureaucracy? One argument is that they aren’t using enterprise software solutions to their best potential. Among other things these organizations have challenges managing work flow, cost controls, HR, purchasing and procurement, partners and suppliers not to mention the fiscal accountability concerns given the assortment of government outlays. At the same time, they are trying to efficiently deliver guidelines, statistics and financial data to the public in a way that justifies the return on tax dollars for their programs. All of these requirements can be managed through a robust ERP system.

Something I can tell you without blinking from my experience a consultant, who has worked with cities, counties, states and federal agencies on eliminating inefficiencies, is that one of the primary Achilles’ heals of governmental organizations in managing all of the above listed challenges is the use of fragmented and independent technology solutions. Something that I have found is that different divisions and departments operated and continue to operate in silos and over the years and decades have created and maintained their own solution which makes it extremely difficult to streamline operations and drive efficiency which is critical to being able to react to changing economic conditions.

From an operational viewpoint, the best way to reduce bureaucracy, inefficient processes, and to create cost savings within governmental organizations is to embark upon a large scale systems integration initiative. ERP software is the only type of current software that has the ability to perform these functions.

According to a KPMG study of a number of governmental organizations, a properly implemented government ERP system can yield tremendous rewards. It has the potential to deliver significant cost savings, boost productivity and position an organization to build on initial efficiency gains. These are just the things public sector entities are rightly under pressure from tax payers to deliver given huge budget shortfalls.

If you are a concerned taxpayer and want to address the fiscal challenges within the government that is designed to serve you, I challenge you not only to understand what plans your political leadership has to improve their organization through ERP solutions but also to challenge them on what they are doing.

Written by Jason Henritze-Hoye, Senior ERP Consultant at Panorama Consulting Solutions.

Steinwall Inc. received the Plastics News Annual Processor of the Year Award, plus two other customers were recognized for excellence in manufacturing

IQMS, a leader in the design and development of manufacturing ERP software, today announced that last night, three of its clients were recognized for excellence in manufacturing at the Executive Forum in Tampa, Fla. Medical manufacturer, Steinwall Inc., was named Plastics News 2012 Processor of the Year, plus ATEK Plastics and Mar-Bal Inc. were honored with excellence awards. An IQMS customer has received the Processor of the Year award three out of the last four years.

A custom molder in Coon Rapids, Minn., Steinwall Inc. earned strong scores in all seven of Plastics News’ judging criteria, but received outstanding grades in the employee relations and industry/public service categories. With more than 120 employees, Steinwall Inc. had a record fiscal year in 2011 and plans to open a second plant to accommodate growth in 2012. Steinwall Inc. excelled over two other Processor of the Year finalists, Bemis Manufacturing Co. and Rodon Group LLC.

Additionally, two other IQMS clients went home winners last night. ATEK Plastics and Mar-Bal Inc. were honored with two of Plastics News’ three coveted excellence awards. ATEK Plastics, a certified medical manufacturer that predominantly services the cardiac surgery, stem cell therapy and pre-surgical skin preparation markets, was recognized for excellence in the employee relations category. Mar-Bal Inc., a one-source solution provider of thermoset composite products for the electrical and transportation markets, took home the award for excellence in customer relations.

“The competition for Processor of the Year was especially high this year,” said Glenn Nowak, vice president at IQMS. “We are so proud of Steinwall Inc. for rising to the top. Equally impressive were the excellence honors bestowed upon ATEK Plastics and Mar-Bal. IQMS is delighted to be partnering with some of the best manufacturers in the country.”

For more information about the Processor of the Year and excellence awards, please visit: http://www.plasticsnews.com/headlines2.html?id=24373 .

Today is one of the biggest days of the year in the enterprise software industry, as the latest iteration of Panorama’s highly anticipated annual ERP Report is published (download the 2012 ERP Report). The independent study examines the results from a range of organizational sizes and industries ranging from smaller companies to global, multi-billion dollar organizations. The study also looks at ERP implementations from vendors ranging from SAP, Oracle and Microsoft Dynamics to Tier II solutions like Epicor, Infor and a variety of others. This year’s study of nearly 300 ERP implementations across the world demonstrates some of the same themes we’ve seen in years past: most projects not only cost more and take longer than expected but also fail to deliver anticipated business benefits.

However, there is good news in the report as well: the percentage of companies going over budget and taking longer than expected decreased compared to previous years. For example, 56-percent of organizations in this year’s study went over budget, compared to 74-percent in our 2011 ERP Report. In addition, 54-percent of organizations went over schedule, compared to 61-percent in 2011. While the numbers still highlight the challenges and risks that most organizations face, they also show that companies are starting to do some things better than they have in the past.

The bad news, on the other hand, is that of those organizations that go over budget, it is by a significant amount. This year’s study shows that that companies that blow project budgets do so by an average of 25-percent, hardly a immaterial number for most CFOs. In addition, 29-percent of the respondents indicated that they have yet to realize a payback on their ERP investments, another metric likely to make CFOs and other executives think long and hard about how they can better mitigate risk on their ERP implementations going forward. Finally, and perhaps most concerning, is that two out of three organizations indicated significant pain in changing their business processes and organizations to accommodate their new ERP systems; 63-percent said that this aspect of their implementation was either difficult or very difficult, suggesting that ERP projects are still by no means a cakewalk.

So why the change in this year’s numbers over last year’s? First, companies are less bootstrapped with their IT budgets than they were in years past. CFOs and CIOs aren’t forced as often to shave implementation budgets to the bone and cut corners as they were during tougher economic times. With more realistic estimates and expectations, organizations aren’t quite as likely to blow their budgets and project plans. However, as mentioned above, when organizations do go over budget, they do by a significant amount, suggesting more of a dichotomy between those that tightly manage scope and budget and those that don’t. In addition, even though companies are finishing on time and on budget slightly more than they have in years past, they still struggle with business process, organizational changes, and benefits realization, suggesting that they are not getting all they could out of their new ERP systems.

This year’s numbers suggest that there are still significant challenges in the marketplace, but they provide a thread of optimism that more companies are figuring out how to manage their ERP initiatives more effectively. Learn more by downloading our 2012 ERP Report and joining me at our free webinar, Review of Panorama’s 2012 ERP Report tomorrow at 10 a.m. MST.

Deacom, Inc., producer of the DEACOM Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software system for mid-to-large sized batch process manufacturing companies launched its new website today.

The new website, http://www.deacom.com, was designed to communicate Deacom’s overall message of Complexity Made Simple to employees, customers, potential customers and the world at large. The new website outlines the capabilities of the DEACOM ERP software package offerings and explains the philosophies behind its development. Deacom has a unique niche in the ERP software industry and the website highlights what sets it apart from the competition. Along with the website, Deacom also unveiled its new logo and strong positioning statement to clearly define their position in the ERP market.

“We believe that Deacom offers a truly unique business model and software product to batch process manufacturing companies,” explained Jay Deakins, President of Deacom, Inc. “We wanted a website which clearly communicates why we exist and what we have to offer to companies in our market. We are in our eighteenth year of constantly pushing our software to better serve our customers. The new website does a better job of explaining what we think is important in manufacturing ERP software and what people can expect from a business relationship with Deacom.”

With the new website, Deacom sets out to clearly illustrate the solutions offered by DEACOM software and the industries to which it caters. The DEACOM ERP system is a software package that can be configured to meet the needs of its customer without customizations. The software is built for rapid evolution and constantly leverages technology changes to provide opportunities for customers to make their companies ever more efficient.

“The website is our best chance to communicate with the world. We applied our Complexity Made Simple philosophy to the website and hope that the end result will be a powerful tool for people to learn more about Deacom. We want people to experience a clean website that is easy to navigate and that clearly states how our software can streamline their business,” stated Stephanie Eaves, Marketing Communication Specialist at Deacom, Inc.

At Panorama, we have been known to talk ourselves blue in the face about the benefits of business blueprinting. In fact, it’s one of our favorite tasks to perform for a client because the result offers both immediate and long-term rewards. Blueprinting gives organizations the opportunity to design improved processes to not only better business but also to integrate into a new ERP system. Unfortunately, responses analyzed in our forthcoming 2012 ERP Report (to be released Wednesday) show that more than two out of five (41-percent) of respondents changed their business processes to fit their ERP software. While this is OK for areas that are non-differentiating (e.g., human resources, accounting, etc.), processes that provide differentiation should never be changed to fit ERP software. And those processes, as identified in a business blueprint, should be the absolute best you can make them — not necessarily the ones you’re currently using. Additional benefits of blueprinting include:

• Competitive Edge. Blueprinting identifies areas that need to be maintained and protected during ERP implementation to avoid losing processes that give a company its competitive edge. If you select and implement enterprise software without conducting due diligence on your company’s own needs, you run the risk of losing processes that earn revenue and/or expand market share.

• Training Needs. Improving and redesigning processes via a business blueprint provides visibility into training needs that must  be addressed as part of an overall organizational change management strategy. As a result, an organization can be proactive in designing, delivering and addressing training to mitigate the risks rightfully associated with this magnitude of change.

• Organizational Change Management. Any time there are role changes or reduced headcount due to software efficiency gains, it produces fear within an organization. Understanding how processes will change, and the result of those changes, gives an organization time to address the changes appropriately to reduce the fear and negative impact to company morale. This type of forward-thinking management reduces the risk of losing key people and mitigates any organizational distress that could impact the implementation and usage of the ERP system.

Don’t make the mistake of rushing into selection and implementation without taking the time to conduct thorough blueprinting and process-mapping. You and your team are the ones who know your company and understand its needs the best — certainly more than your ERP vendor or whomever came up with the canned “best practices” supposedly used “industry-wide.” For more information on business blueprinting, view our on-demand webinar, Tips on How to Build a Business Blueprint for ERP Systems. And be sure to check this site on Wednesday to download the 2012 ERP Report.

Leading Openbravo Partner, Sysfore Technologies awarded as the Partner of the Year 2011 – India

Sysfore Technologies, a specialist provider of business web solutions and IT Outsourcing services, has been named Partner of the Year 2011 (India) by Openbravo. Openbravo, the agile ERP company, announced the winners of its “Partner of the Year 2011” awards recognized for technical excellence in their geographic region throughout the year and for helping customers achieve low cost, real business results with Openbravo’s ERP platform. The awards recognize implementation partners from Openbravo’s world-wide network of more than 100 partners in 40 countries.

”2011 was Openbravo’s most successful year in company history, and this success is a direct reflection of the dedication and commitment to customer success from our global partner network”, said Andreu Bartolí, VP Channels at Openbravo. “With so many satisfied customers and excellent partners, selecting the ‘Partner of the Year’ was more challenging than ever. We congratulate all the award winners for their contributions and the shared success of our companies and look forward to an exciting 2012.”

Sysfore, a specialist Openbravo partner, offers both enterprise and SaaS variants of Openbravo ERP, bringing to market a serious, viable and cost effective alternative to mainstream commercial ERPs. In 2011, Sysfore continued to improve its Openbravo offerings and service infrastructure to serve its customers across different industries and regions. In 2012, Sysfore launched its first solution on Openbravo – for Human Resource and Payroll Management on the Openbravo Exchange. For manufacturing industry clusters in South India, Sysfore now offers customizable SaaS variant of Openbravo ERP, raising the benchmark for the industry. Sysfore also embarked on a journey towards Retail industry vertical specialization with the launch of its Integrated Retail Solutions that include core components to manage Store, Merchandise and Ecommerce operations, easily extendable to components to automate Financial Management & Accounting and Human Resources & Payroll.

Finally, Sysfore launched its Middle East office in Abu Dhabi in 2011 offering open source Openbravo ERP implementation services for retail, distribution and discrete manufacturing for small and medium businesses.

Ajith George, Director Projects of Sysfore says, “It’s heartening to receive recognition for our efforts in pushing forward Openbravo ERP as a serious alternative for enterprise software in our regional markets of India and the Middle East. Working with Openbravo has been a pleasure, and their partner friendly approach and support ecosystem has helped us deliver value in the highly competitive ERP space. With the new Openbravo 3 release in early 2011, its rich functional footprint, appealing user interface and compelling advantages in terms of cost-benefit value, we see a rich world of opportunities especially with the small and medium sized enterprises in our markets.”

About Sysfore

Sysfore Technologies Pvt. Ltd. is a specialist IT Outsourcing Services company focusing on Openbravo ERP implementations, Turnkey Cloud Solutions and Microsoft Business Application Outsourcing Services for Small and Medium Businesses globally. Based out of Bangalore, India, Sysfore delivers on IT engagements by providing high quality local engagement, complemented by cost-effective offshore development. At Sysfore, we are committed to our customer’s success. Sysfore has several Openbravo implementations with customers globally in the last year across industries in Retail, Manufacturing and Distribution. Some of the customers who have valued Sysfore’s services and achieved success include Decathlon Sports India, Maison Boutique, ReaMetrix, and Compact Electric Lamps.

A full profile of Sysfore Technologies is available on the web at www.sysfore.com.

Yorktel, an Eatontown, New Jersey-based pioneer and innovator in the audio, video and web collaboration industry, has selected IFS Applications for its enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution.

Yorktel offers total managed conferencing services, consulting, integration and operational services, professional video production and postproduction for visual communication solutions such as videoconferencing, streaming media, video on demand, custom media studio and room design and multimedia network management.

After the conclusion of a thorough ERP software selection process, Yorktel chose IFS Applications and will implement IFS Business Performance, IFS Financials, IFS Distribution, IFS Manufacturing, IFS Engineering/Product Design, IFS Maintenance, IFS Sales and Support, and IFS Human Resources.

“IFS’ project-based solution stood out for its ability to adapt to our changing business needs and market changes, right out of the box,” Yorktel Chief Executive Officer Ron Gaboury said. “We have experienced tremendous business growth over the past few years and we found our current business system wasn’t agile enough to support such growth. So our number one priority is the migration of our current system to a next generation ERP solution like IFS Applications to support the future growth of Yorktel.”

Yorktel also is looking forward to gaining increased visibility into its projects with IFS Applications. Gaboury believes the solution will help Yorktel react faster to customer demands, communicate more complete real-time data regarding customer projects in process and schedule its resources more efficiently.

“IFS Applications is the perfect fit for companies with a complex project-based, service-oriented business model,” IFS North America President and CEO Cindy Jaudon said. “We take pride in our ability to satisfy the needs of complex companies like Yorktel, by giving them the ability to react to changing business markets in a cost effective manner.”

The service industry is one of IFS’ targeted vertical market segments. The company offers a complete and integrated business solution that manages the entire lifecycle of customers, contracts, machines and equipment. With IFS Applications, companies can support and improve business processes by collaborating more closely with customers, suppliers and subcontractors. IFS Applications includes functionality for resource scheduling and optimization, call and case management including SLA, project management, mobile solutions for field workforce, installed base management, spare part management, depot repair and document management, all integrated with financials, procurement, manufacturing and HR. Existing IFS customers in the service industry include Hertel, Debut Services, Holland Company, Mitutoyo America, MicroSeismic, John Deere,  Dalkia, Anticimex, Eltel Networks, Infratek, Gilbarco Autotank, and Tomra.

About Yorktel

Yorktel is a leading global provider of video managed services for large enterprise and federal government customers. Founded in 1985 and headquartered in Eatontown, New Jersey, Yorktel enables customers to successful integrate video into their operations – from video conferencing to streaming, video event production to digital signage. Yorktel designs, integrates and manages enterprise-wide video communications solutions. For more information, visit Yorktel online at www.yorktel.com or email info@yorktel.com.

The manufacturing industry has long used ERP systems to provide order and efficiency to their everyday operations. Though recent signs point to growth in manufacturing in the U.S., most shops are still operating as leanly as possible, which means their ERP software must not only be utilized effectively but also offer a strong ROI. However, there are issues that prevent some manufacturing companies (and indeed all companies) from achieving the returns they need — and expect — from their software. Chief among these are inadequate standardization across different sites, inadequate end-user training and the propensity for workarounds.

Inadequate Standardization Organizations are best equipped to take advantage of the benefits of manufacturing ERP systems when they have as much standardization as possible. While this often proves difficult in companies that have grown through acquisition, it is critical to de define and analyze business processes and create an ERP business blueprint in order to identify areas for standardization prior to ERP implementation. (While this can be done on the back-end, it is best practice to have this process in place prior to ERP software selection in order to find the best match for the “to be” business processes.)

Inadequate end-user training. Manufacturing companies rely on the data in their ERP systems to forecast, plan and schedule as well as track production to ensure quality standards are met. If end-users are not trained well enough to input correct data, or if they don’t understand the implications of entering misinformation, then a wrench is thrown in the whole works. And if those in the back-office have a reason not to trust the data being entered on the floor, then much of their day will be spent confirming information through hand-counts or other manual processes — a clear waste of both time and money.

Propensity for Workarounds. None of the points above are limited to just manufacturing environments, and sadly neither is the propensity for end-users to find any means necessary to avoid full ERP system adoption. Whether it’s pulling data out to manipulate in Excel or some other program, building homegrown systems to supplement what they find lacking in their enterprise software, or simply “not finding the time” to master the system, employees frequently come up with new and unique ways to justify workarounds. It takes determined oversight and constant communication from upper management (strategies for which should be included in an organizational change management plan) to combat this foe.

I don’t mean to be picking on manufacturing companies; as I said, these issues can be found in every industry. Manufacturing, however, has taken some serious economic hits in the past few decades and has much less of a margin for error than other industries. I sincerely believe that if many of these companies took steps to ensure that their manufacturing ERP software was being used to its full capabilities, it would herald a new era in our country’s ability to compete, provide jobs and create wealth. Sure, it may not be that simple . . . but it’s a good place to start.

To learn more, check out recent articles and news related to manufacturing ERP software.

Adds Leading Customer Service Cloud Capabilities to Power Great Customer Experiences

Companies need to deliver a unified, personalized, and relevant customer experience to their customers throughout the marketing, selling, support and service phases of the customer journey to maximize loyalty, advocacy and repeat business.

RightNow’s leading cloud-based Customer Service offering helps organizations deliver exceptional customer experiences across the web, social networks and contact centers, and will be a key component of the Oracle Public Cloud.

The combination of Oracle’s leading marketing, sales, ecommerce, search and business intelligence software with RightNow’s leading service capabilities, helps companies power great customer experiences in a seamless, personalized way across all channels and customer touchpoints: including on the web, in a store, over the phone or via mobile devices.

Customers have overwhelmingly supported the transaction since it was announced. In fact, RightNow just completed the largest subscription booking quarter ever in the company’s history.

Oracle executives will provide more details on the product strategy for the combined Oracle and RightNow offering, during a webcast presentation on January 31 at 9:00am PT. More information on this announcement and the webcast can be found at http://www.oracle.com/rightnow.

Company Continues to Expand, Adds 45 Customers and 41 Employees

Plex Systems Inc., provider of Plex Online, Cloud ERP for manufacturers, today announced its financial results for the year ending Dec. 31, 2011. Plex Systems achieved recurring revenue growth of 32-percent compared to recurring revenue in 2010. Total revenue grew by 30-percent year over year.

Note that as a private company, Plex Systems does not release dollar values for its revenue and profitability figures.

In 2011, the company added 45 customers and 41 employees. The company also appointed S. Craig Huke as chief financial officer, and Edwin J. Gillis joined the board of directors.

“In 2011, a growing number of manufacturers from diverse industries embraced the Cloud ERP model to dramatically improve their operations and lower their costs,” said Mark Symonds, Plex Systems president and CEO. “Our community of Plex Online users improved their profitability, streamlined business processes and reduced waste as they helped drive the continuing evolution of the Plex Online software to meet their manufacturing needs. With their input, we continue to innovate, adding features and modules to Plex Online that are valuable to the entire manufacturing community.”

Awards and Recognitions

In 2011, Plex Systems received 28 awards from industry associations and publications for excellence in technology, business growth and workplace culture. Plex Online users also received 12 awards for their use of Plex Online to achieve strong business results.

Most notable:

2011 CODiE Business Software awards – Plex Online was recognized in all four categories for which it was nominated, including the prestigious “Best Operations Management Solution” Supercategory, which identified Plex Online as the best product among all winners in operations management-related categories.

2011 EuroCloud Award – Plex Online won the 2011 EuroCloud Deutschland Award and was also named a finalist in the European-based 2011 Supply Chain Distinction Awards program.

Detroit Free Press Top Workplaces – Plex Systems was named one of the top three midsize companies to work for in Michigan. This was the third consecutive year that Plex Systems was included in this list.

Food Logistics 100 (FL100) – Plex Systems was named, for the second consecutive year, to the FL100 list of the best technology solutions and services supporting the food processing industry.

Community Giving

Plex Systems employees chose Gleaners Community Food Bank and the St. Clair Butterfly Foundation as the 2011 Plex Systems focus charities. In 2011, the company raised $46,000 in various fundraisers such as wine tasting, beer tasting, silent auctions, breakfasts and bake sales to benefit the less fortunate in the local community.

Year-over-year growth, major acquisitions and a successful national conference contribute to success

ECi Software Solutions, a leader in industry-specific information technology solutions, today announced strong results for 2011, achieving a 25% growth rate over 2010. Continual investment in technology and a commitment to customers and the industries ECi serves fueled the success of 2011. More than 670 new companies joined the ECi family during the year, including the 150 new customers announced by ECi Acsellerate earlier this month.

“Technology is always changing,” says Mike Gibson, SVP of Worldwide Sales and Marketing for ECi. “It can make or break a business. As a technology partner, our role is to keep up with the changing requirements so that our customers can grow their businesses and turn a profit. This focus on technology, commitment to the industries we serve and a dedication to customer service is why people do business with us.”

A major 2011 success for ECi was the Connect Conference, held in Fort Worth, Texas, November 1–3. “Everyone involved in the conference benefitted,” related Ron Books, President and CEO of ECi. “It was such a great learning and networking opportunity. Plans are already in the works for our next national meeting in 2013 as well as our regional meetings for this year.” ECi also made two major acquisitions in 2011: the premier managed print services solution FMAudit and the office equipment solutions provider Digital Gateway, Inc.

For more information on ECi, please visit www.ECiSolutions.com.

Unfortunately, ERP implementations still aren’t any easier than they were 15 years ago when I started in the ERP world. Despite the enterprise software industry’s best intentions to mitigate risk with cloud ERP systems, implementation accelerators, and other tools, ERP failure rates are still high and most projects still take more time and money than expected. For example, our 2012 ERP Report, which will be released next week, shows that nearly half (44-percent) of all ERP implementations fail to deliver at least half of their expected business benefits.

The even more troubling trend we’re seeing at Panorama Consulting is an acceleration of ERP failures and lawsuits. We are seeing a spike in demand for our ERP consultants to provide guidance to implementations that have gotten off track or to attorneys involved in lawsuits related to implementation failures. We have a very solid and exhaustive process for helping clients assess their implementations and create a project recovery roadmap, which clients are taking full advantage of in recent months. While this is good news for us in that there is more demand for our services than ever, it is bad news for the industry and the organizations looking to implement new enterprise software solutions. Whether it’s software from SAP, Oracle, Epicor, Infor, or any other ERP vendor, the reality is that it is still difficult to implement a new system effectively without stepping into a landmine or two along the way.

The good news is that there are ways to get an ERP implementation out of the gutter. As we’re demonstrating with three clients we’re currently working with, there are a number of things you can do to get your project back on track. Here are three tips that are likely to make a difference on your troubled ERP implementation:

1. Look to organizational change management for low-hanging fruit. While it is tempting to blame your vendor or the ERP software itself, we find that most ERP failures result from organizational change management issues. In fact, if you evaluate the organizational change, communications, and training activities that you are and aren’t doing as part of your project, you are likely to find significant deficiencies and opportunities for improvement. It’s usually people that make a project fail, not the software, so more effective organizational change management will help mitigate this challenge. We often look to areas such as organizational impact, job design, process definition, customized training, and targeted employee communications as opportunities to “fix” the people side of the ERP implementation equation. Not only is this “people side” crucially important and often overlooked, but it is typically less costly than buying an entirely new ERP system or customizing to force the software to address the organizational resistance you may be facing.

2. Revisit your implementation plan. Most ERP implementation plans are flawed from the start. Unrealistic expectations, unclearly defined milestones and resource requirements, and missing key activities are some of the common problems we see when clients ask us to get their projects back on track. Organizations too often rely on a project plan provided by their ERP vendor or system integrator, which usually focus too much on the technical components of an implementation on not enough on the business, process, and organizational aspects required to make a project successful. Implementation success is never guaranteed, but failure is guaranteed without a realistic and complete plan.

3. Know when to fold ‘em. Like Kenny Rogers once said, you’ve got to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em. It may be time to hit the reset button on your enterprise software initiative. It may also be time to ditch an attempted ERP implementation and replace it with software that is a better fit for your organization. Or it may be a matter of some of the less drastic changes outlined above. One of the benefits of working with an independent ERP implementation consulting firm such as Panorama is that we help our clients make objective assessments of whether it’s time to head a different direction with the organization’s ERP strategy.

While a troubled ERP implementation is never fun, it is not as bad as an ERP failure and there are always ways to get your project and your team back on track. With the right expertise and toolset, your project can be recovered and even rejuvenated.

Find out more about both ERP failure and ERP success by attending my interactive webinar tomorrow, Lessons Learned from Failed ERP Implementations.

Manufacturer of Automotive and Structural Steel Tubing Uses the SYSPRO ERP to Automate and Streamline Business Processes

SYSPRO, a global, independent Enterprise Resource Planning software vendor, announces its success in streamlining business functions and improving processes at Atlantic Tube & Steel (AT&S), a manufacturer of automotive and structural steel tubing headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario. The SYSPRO ERP integration has allowed AT&S to fully automate its operations, resulting in increased efficiency and vastly improved reporting, data analysis and quality control. With SYSPRO, the AT&S management team benefits from cost-savings, increased employee productivity and an enhanced decision making process based on highly accurate data.

Prior to the transition to the SYSPRO ERP software, AT&S was running on a system that gave the organization inadequate analysis and reporting capabilities. SYSPRO worked with the AT&S team to create an ERP solution that matched their unique and often complex requirements. With SYSPRO, the manufacturing and warehouse facility has become highly automated, reducing man-hours and eliminating the manual reporting and piles of paperwork that previously plagued the organization. With SYSPRO’s ERP, the entire production process, from input to output, is recorded and reported, increasing efficiency and providing the AT&S team the timely information they need to make sound and proactive business decisions.

“Before the transition [to SYSPRO], we were using a DOS-based program with very limited ability to analyze results,” shares Marvin Bavcevic, Controller at AT&S. “It was a dinosaur, and our management decisions were being made in the absence of sufficient data. In terms of IT, we were barely limping along. Now, with SYSPRO, we’re up and sprinting. We’ve joined the 21st century.”

Of particular importance to AT&S’ success is quality control and the ability to trace products. Their steel products must conform precisely to exact specifications – if they don’t, customer complaints come pouring in. The Lot Traceability component in SYSPRO’s ERP software application was just the solution that AT&S needed. Now, if a complaint comes through, the SYSPRO system enables the AT&S team to quickly and easily identify the production run in question and drill down to the source components, removing the product in question from stock as needed.

“Quality, and the perception of quality, are of paramount importance in our industry,” says Larry Brandon, AT&S’s Sales Manager. “[With SYSPRO], we avoid sending the wrong product to customers, which helps us eliminate, or at least minimize, any negative quality perceptions that might arise in the market. Lot Traceability saves us a lot of time. It also lets us go back to our suppliers in a timely fashion if their product doesn’t meet our specifications.”

About Atlantic Tube and Steel 

Atlantic Tube and Steel (AT&S) started business in 1977 as one of the first in the industry to demand a grade of steel made specifically for use by exhaust system manufacturers and muffler shop benders. Today AT&S is the industry leader in exhaust tube and structural steel products developed to ISO 9001 standards. For more information visit http://www.atlantictube.com

There is no such thing as ERP success without leadership and governance from the executive level. As much as some C-suiters would like to defer involvement in and responsibility for an ERP implementation to their IT department or some other functional area, it is absolutely critical that executive sponsorship is vocal, clear and consistent from day one of the ERP project for without this kind of visible executive buy-in, ERP failure is a very likely outcome.

Some of the key areas of involvement for an executive or executive team before, during and following an ERP system implementation include:

1. Defining success. Executives need to answer what the end goal of the ERP project is and what the benchmarks are that will indicate the project’s health. Success can mean different things to different people (and different end-users), so it is crucial that the executive level take a strong stance on this point or points.

2. Ensuring continued involvement. Rather than taking a hands-off approach and shirking duties to project leads, executives must ensure that they have regularly scheduled meetings to stay abreast of project status. Frequent debriefs allow the top level high visibility into the project and alert them to issues as they arise.

3. Providing oversight. Building on number two (above), executives must not just be aware of project issues but also must be capable of assessing and addressing them in a clear and strategic way. Endless discussion about the vagaries of an ERP system help no one. Instead, the escalation process must be properly defined (and adhered to) so that executive oversight is available when and where it matters most.

4. Knowing roles and responsibilities. Oversight is best provided when the executive level knows exactly who is responsible for what. For instance, who approves changes in scope or budget? Who makes the major operational decisions needed for ERP success? Who is ultimately responsible for decisions related to each business unit? To maintain executive buy-in and involvement, the project charter must define each individual’s roles and responsibilities at each stage of implementation.

5. Developing the ERP team and assessing its performance.  Given that much of an ERP implementation will be enabled by a project team, the executive level must have in place clear expectations, milestones and review processes to assess suitability for the team in the first place and ongoing performance as the project moves along. Getting straight on staff compensation, job functions and measures of success from the beginning will provide a strong foundation for ERP success.

Too often we see executives taking a laissez-faire attitude to an ERP implementation. Whether they’re not interested in the technical aspects, confused by the changes the system will impart, or simply bored by the whole thing, executives who are disinterested and disengaged can be the death knell for an ERP project. What we have found is that much of this behavior is due to the fact that executives are unsure exactly what their role in an implementation should be. Good project planning and documentation can alleviate much of this befuddlement by clearly stating expectations, goals, roles and processes.

To learn more tips for ERP success, please attend our free webinar, Lessons Learned from Failed ERP Implementations on Thursday, January 26 at 10 a.m. MST.

When it comes to cloud ERP, the question on everyone’s mind is “How safe is it . . . really?” The simple answer is that it remains to be seen. With that in mind, many organizations are not yet willing to make the leap of trusting all of their data to a cloud ERP vendor, no matter how many promises are made during the sales cycle. However there is no denying the definite trend towards cloud ERP adoption in varying forms. Some companies have decided to test out the deployment model by storing noncritical items in the cloud but keeping the important data in-house and other companies have taken the leap whole hog. It really comes down to two conjoined points: how comfortable companies are ceding their control to another and how comfortable companies are with the risk that their security might be compromised in some way.

An organization is not completely hamstrung by the dictates of cloud ERP however. Indeed, there are many steps a company can take to increase both the comfort level and the security level of a cloud ERP system:

1. Plan for disaster. A lot of stress in life can be alleviated by having an actionable worst-case scenario plan. Though it might be a little “glass is half-full,” it’s nonetheless crucial to make sure whatever cloud ERP vendor is chosen has the capabilities in place to handle notification and mitigation of a data loss or compromise in the way that you specify. You should also have your own plan  for how you will notify customers of any situation of this type.

2. Know your data. It’s important to get really familiar with what data your organization has — and what impact its loss or compromise might have — before switching to a cloud ERP system. After your organization comes to an agreement about what data is sensitive, what the degree of sensitivity is, and what security protocol must be in place to protect it, you’ll be much more comfortable handing over the reins to a vendor on the nonsensitive elements.

3. Protect your data. As the recent breach at Zappos proved, it’s critical to take steps to minimize the fallout from a disaster, such as following regulations regarding stored data and storing data in different databases. Don’t blindly trust what your cloud ERP provider — or any ERP provider — promises you: follow your own instincts and protocol. Everything can be compromised. Don’t believe anyone who tells you something different.

Of course, there are many, many more steps to take — and issues to hash out — before jumping into the cloud. It’s a complicated pprocess, but one which very well might bring great benefit to your company if handled correctly. For more information, please download our recent white paper, Frequently Asked Questions About Cloud ERP.

An event for mid-sized manufacturing, distribution companies to determine an evaluation “short list” for enterprise resource planning (ERP) software

abas-USA announced today that they will present live product demonstrations to companies in the market for ERP software at the Vendor Shootout(TM) for ERP, February 22-23, 2012 in Miami, FL. The demonstrations will display the robust features, functionalities and benefits of abas-USA’s abas Business Software , including dashboards, mobile solutions, SolidWorks integration document management and business intelligence.

At recent Vendor Shootout for ERP events, abas Business Software received accolades and strong positive response from independent consultants. In fact, after participating in an abas ERP demo in Boston last August, TEC representative PJ Jakovljevic labeled abas ERP, “the best kept secret on the [ERP software] market,” and “ERP’s dark horse.”

abas Business Software has enjoyed 30 years of success, marked by an incredible customer retention rate: 93% of companies who have purchased abas ERP are still customers today. At the Vendor Shootout for ERP, SMB companies in the manufacturing and distribution market undertaking the ERP software selection process will have the opportunity to spend time with abas-USA to learn the many reasons why their customer retention is so high.

The 13th Vendor Shootout for ERP is scheduled for February 22-23, 2012 in Miami, FL. Moderated by Technology Evaluation Centers (TEC) of Montreal, Canada, the event is geared toward organizations in the manufacturing and/or distribution industries who are currently budgeting for an upgrade or replacement of their current Enterprise Software solution. The ability to view multiple software solutions at the Vendor Shootout provides an incredible savings for corporations by eliminating the down time and travel expense associated with individual vendors’ sales teams’ visits. Through this “apples to apples” comparison from top vendors, companies can ultimately walk away with a short list of potential ERP products in just a couple of days.

Unique Low Cost, Rapidly Deployed Business Analytic Solutions

UNIT4, the world’s leading provider of business software for Businesses Living IN Change (BLINC™), today announced plans to disrupt the performance management software market in 2012 with a completely new approach to delivering business analytics tools for the enterprise. UNIT4 Business Analytics Apps promise turnkey, rapidly deployed, business performance solutions available on a pay-as-you-use basis from a dedicated app store.

UNIT4’s new strategy addresses the three most challenging requirements of organizations attempting to improve their business performance via today’s analytic solutions – cost, speed and measurement. While large enterprise software vendors SAP and Oracle have bolted heavy-weight business intelligence tools on top of their already complex enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions, UNIT4 is reinventing the business analytics landscape.

UNIT4 Business Analytics Apps will be a performance-industry game changer. Their simplicity, speed of deployment and pricing model are unique to the market, enabling a business analytics platform and turnkey performance templates for every customer, deployed across any device, on a pay-as-you-use basis from a dedicated app store. They will provide rapid targeted response to business change, emerging risks or new opportunities, and since they are integrated with UNIT4’s Agresso Business World ERP and Coda Financials solutions, a change made in one application automatically flows to the other applications. Customers will also benefit from a built-in social communication tool that enables them to collaborate around reports.

“Today’s enterprise performance management (EPM) or corporate performance management (CPM) solutions have been as costly and complex as legacy ERP,” said Ton Dobbe, Vice president, Product Marketing for UNIT4. “Having spent millions on these systems over numerous years, companies are still struggling to get meaningful information out as their business requirements have changed since installing the ERP system, but the task of making the changes to the system has proven too complex. As a result, their business analytics is too often out of date and lacking any meaningful insight. UNIT4 has led the way in low cost of change ERP and is bringing this much needed foresight to the performance management space.”

Customers will be able to download a pre-built solution from the app store that is virtually ready to use, then choose if they want to add tailoring to the solution themselves — or select a turnkey professional services bundle of five, 10 or 20 days,  depending on their requirements, that guarantees completion. Per user/per month pricing ensures that UNIT4’s approach is low-cost, no-risk, customizable and easy to change. This contrasts with the usual huge up-front investment and months it takes to deploy traditional performance management solutions, plus the financial and time investment required to make subsequent changes.

In March 2012, the first apps will be rolled-out via a selective customer review program. From June, these solutions will be made available globally via the UNIT4 App Store along with apps designed for various service intensive markets such as local government, education, not for profit and professional services. Cloud advancements will ultimately provide a standardized environment for cloud cube analytics.

Industry Analyst Sees ‘Game Changing’ Possibilities

“It has always been easier to get data into ERP than to get actionable information out,” said Cindy Jutras, principal, Mint Jutras. “Much of the value is left on the table with information that is largely untapped.  With broad, deep and multi-purpose applications, most decision-makers simply don’t know where to start.  By creating these bite-size apps that address a specific need, UNIT4 allows knowledge workers and executives to simply download an app, quickly tailor it and satisfy their specific business need. This promises no-risk, potential high-return and a rapid return on investment, and UNIT4 is extending performance management beyond senior management to middle managers and mobile workers, enabling a powerful and low-cost way to re-tool everyday routines to be more efficient.”

Cindy Jutras has published a paper addressing the shortcomings of the performance solutions market and the advantages of UNIT4’s approach titled “Are You Ready to Change the Game In Driving Corporate Performance?”

Ten IQMS Customers at 12 Different Locations Ring in the New Year by Going Live During the First Week of January

IQMS, a leader in the design and development of manufacturing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, today announced that 10 new customers, across 12 different plants, discarded their legacy ERP systems and successfully went live with EnterpriseIQ during the first week of January. An impressive way to kick off 2012, IQMS plans to continue the momentum throughout the year.

IQMS’ newly minted customers encompass a wide range of industries, including food packaging, medical, aerospace, defense, building and construction, as well as transportation, traffic safety and automotive. Creating with plastics, metal, wood, fiberglass and foam, IQMS’ clients are innovative custom manufacturers that specialize in areas such as thermoforming, linear and rotary motion devices, fabrication, structural foam molding and custom assemblies.

“Our in-house ERP implementation team demonstrated its experience and depth with this latest batch of go lives,” said Lee Filbert, IQMS Professional Services Group (PSG) manager. “Customers large and small, across a variety of industries, successfully made the recent switch to IQMS and are now realizing the benefits only a comprehensive manufacturing ERP system can offer.”

As an added bonus, a majority of the new clients benefitted from IQMS’ proven in-house PSG program and implemented under budget. Today, IQMS’ 10 new clients are quickly realizing improved operational efficiencies and greater enterprise-wide control of information for a rapid return on investment. For more IQMS implementation success stories, please visit: http://www.iqms.com/company/erp_success.html.

VAI Invites Attendees to Learn How Organizations Can More Effectively and Efficiently Automate and Integrate Business Processes

VAI (Vormittag Associates, Inc.), a leading ERP software provider, is pleased to announce its participation at NRLA’s 2012 Lumber and Building Material (LBM) Expo, the lumber industry’s largest regional tradeshow. VAI will be showcasing its S2K Retail Management Software at its booth (#825) which has been designed to specifically help retailers and distributors in industries including lumber and building materials meet the challenges of today’s economic environment by automating and integrating business processes across the organization.

What: Attendees are invited to visit the VAI booth to see live demonstrations focused on the benefits of its S2K Retail Management Software, and learn how companies like Robert Weed Plywood have benefited from VAI’s solution. By increasing productivity and streamlining retail operations, VAI provides management teams with the ability to move merchandise more effectively, eliminate costly delays and maximize efficiencies across all levels of business. VAI S2K Retail Management Software is an integrated retail management system that offers a complete solution for the retail industry, including:

• Accounts Payable
• Accounts Receivable
• General Ledger
• Retail Point of Sale
• Sales Analysis / Forecasting
• Inventory Management
• Purchasing
• Customer Orders
• Customer Relationship Management

When: The LBM Expo takes place January 25-27, 2012

Where: MGM Grand at Foxwoods, CT; VAI booth #825

Join VAI for a free webinar on February 2, 2012 at 2:00 PM ET and learn how S2K for Retail Software helps centralize information across the entire organization, helping businesses locate and move items more effectively, eliminate costly delays, and make more informed decisions. For more information and to register, visit http://www.vai.net/events or call 800-824-7776.

About NRLA

The Northeastern Retail Lumber Association (NRLA) was established in New York in 1894 by a small group of pioneering lumbermen who recognized the value of cooperation. Today, the NRLA is a 1,150 member association representing independent lumber and building material suppliers and associated businesses in New York and the six New England states. The NRLA is an industry leader in education, legislative and regulatory reform, and member programs and services.

Regional meetings provide intensive software training and networking opportunities

Ecommerce Industries, a leader in industry-specific information technology solutions, today announced the locations and dates for Connect Regional 2012. These meetings will be for users of the Advantage, RockSolid, Britannia, DDMS, M1, TeamDesign, Acsellerate and FMAudit solutions.

The conference locations and dates:

• Los Angeles April 24-26
• Chicago TBA
• Orlando TBA

“Our national Connect Conference last November in Fort Worth set the standard,” said Ron Books, President and CEO of ECi. “The positive feedback was just incredible.”

“This year we are making Connect a regional event to provide user training on a more local level,” said Traci Johnson, SVP of Global Corporate Marketing for ECi. “We will alternate the national and regional events each year.”

“Customers are eagerly looking forward to the next Connect meetings because they gain so much,” Books continued. “It is two days of intensive training on ERP software and a chance to work one-on-one with our experts in the computer lab. Connect meetings also give our customers the opportunity to network with each other, to learn from them and to share knowledge. Learning from peers is probably the biggest benefit of Connect.”

Registration for Connect Regional 2012 will begin soon. For more information, please visit www.ecisolutions.com.

Nearly a decade after the implementation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) at publicly traded US-based companies, the verdict is still out on whether or not the law has had a material impact on fraud, breakdown in internal controls, and other problems that the regulation is intended to address. Regardless, SOX is a reality that impacts many organizations in many ways, including how they implement their enterprise applications. Even in cases where a company is not required to be SOX compliant, there are other regulations and internal controls that ERP systems need to address.

When helping our international client base through their ERP implementations, internal controls and regulatory compliance is one of the necessary evils of ERP success. Processes need to be designed in a way that meets regulatory compliance, systems need to be configured to support those processes, and people need to be trained to execute on those compliant processes. In addition, CIOs and CFOs need to institute a framework to ensure that the implemented solution meets SOX and other regulatory requirements after go-live and on an ongoing basis.

Here are three things to consider during an ERP implementation when it comes to SOX, internal controls, and regulatory requirements:

1. Compliance begins during the business blueprint phase of an ERP implementation. While SOX and regulatory compliance may seem like a mysterious finance, CFO or Internal Audit function, compliance begins when creating the business blueprint for your ERP system. Business processes need to be defined in a way that ensures that the segregation of duties, oversight, and other compliance needs are addressed. The designed business processes need to be validated before the blueprint is finalized and before the technical team begins their software configuration. We’ve seen too many companies treat SOX and regulatory compliance like an afterthought, only to have their internal or external auditors raise red flags too late (e.g., after the system was in production or when they failed their first post-go-live audit). This challenge is further magnified by the fact that most modern ERP systems are very flexible and can perform business functions a number of different ways – some of those processes are going to be compliant with your internal our regulatory compliance needs, while others will not. We build this internal compliance, SOX and regulatory review into our ERP business blueprinting methodology for our clients.

2. Organizational change management solidifies SOX and regulatory compliance. Contrary to popular belief, ERP systems can’t always force compliance. They can make it easier to enforce segregation of duties, financial oversight, and approval workflows, but they can’t close off every possible loophole or process breakdown. Organizational change management and employee training is the key not only to ERP success in general but also to getting an ERP implementation to full compliance. These activities help employees understand the need for compliance, clarify the expected business processes, and hold them accountable for executing against those processes and workflows. All the generic software training in the world won’t help create this understanding, but effective organizational change management will. Our clients have found their business processes to be much more efficient, effective and compliant as a result of the organizational change management framework we provide as part of our ERP implementation methodology, toolset and expertise.

3. Include your internal or external auditors throughout the entire ERP implementation project. Just as your executives and employees need to have buy-in into the project, your internal and external auditors also need to support the changes resulting from your new ERP software. As mentioned above, internal audits and controls should be built in to your implementation during the business blueprint phase, but you should also include a number of touch-points in other phases of the project as well. For example, key regulatory and SOX requirements should be defined during your ERP evaluation and selection to ensure you have chosen a system that addresses your needs. In addition, key process controls should be validated during the system design, software testing, user acceptance, and integration testing phases of the ERP implementation. In addition, a formalized compliance audit should be performed as part of a post-implementation benefits realization audit as well.

While Sarbanes-Oxley and regulatory compliance are often one of the last things on the minds of CIOs and relatively low on the list of reasons why organizations typically choose new ERP systems, it becomes very important when it’s time for that first internal and external audit of your business operations and systems. For this reason, it is important to bake these processes into your entire ERP selection and implementation lifecycle to ensure that your organization gets regulatory issues right the first time. It is typically much less costly to invest the time and resources up front rather than finding out after it’s too late.

To find out more about ERP success (and ERP failure), check out our free on-demand webinar series. Subjects include “Tips for Selecting the Right ERP Software for Your Organization,” “Tips on How to Build a Business Blueprint for ERP Systems,” and “Lessons Learned from Failed ERP Implementations.”

Enhanced Reporting Capabilities to Help San Diego Regional Transportation Network Reduce Energy Costs, Lower Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Increase Renewable Energy Generation

North County Transit District (NCTD), the agency responsible for public transportation in North San Diego County, CA, selected Oracle to support its sustainability reporting goals. A vital part of San Diego’s regional transportation network, NCTD serves more than 12 million passengers annually through a family of transit services, including bus system, commuter rail service, paratransit and light rail.

To meet the requirements of the American Public Transportation Association’s Commitment to Sustainability program, NCTD needed a dedicated system that could automate and streamline the collection and analysis of sustainability metrics including greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption. To automate its sustainability reporting, NCTD selected Oracle Environmental Accounting and Reporting and Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE) to replace its previous manual, time-consuming and expensive process for collecting and calculating environmental metrics.

Through the integration with Oracle’s JD Edwards EnterpriseOne ERP system, NCTD expects the new Oracle system will provide it with actionable data to help reduce energy costs, lower greenhouse gas emissions, decrease waste and increase renewable energy generation.

NCTD is in the process of implementing Oracle Environmental Accounting and Reporting for JD Edwards EnterpriseOne with the help of TeamCain, a Gold level partner in Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN).

North County Transit District’s Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer, Angela Miller, is scheduled to participate in an Oracle webinar on January 26, 2012 to provide details about the implementation. Register for the webinar here.

“North County Transit District is committed to a long-term sustainability plan that will both decrease our environmental impact and reduce our operating expenses,” said Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer, Angela Miller. “We recently signed the American Public Transportation Association’s Commitment to Sustainability and will measure our progress with performance goals like reduced energy costs, lower greenhouse gas emissions and increased renewable energy generation. Our investment in Oracle Environmental Accounting and Reporting will help us determine our current sustainability metrics and find opportunities to exceed our targets.”

“Oracle Enterprise Accounting and Reporting is part of a broad-based set of capabilities that Oracle has developed to address the growing needs of Sustainability,” said Jon Chorley, chief sustainability officer, Oracle. “Organizations such as North County Transit District can use these solutions within the context of their normal operational activities to deliver concrete benefits to their stakeholders, to the environment, and to their own bottom line.”

Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2011 Results to be Released on February 2, 2012 after Market Close

NetSuite Inc. (NYSE: N), the industry’s leading provider of cloud-based financials / ERP software suites, today announced that its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2011 will be released after the market close on Thursday, February 2, 2012. NetSuite will host a conference call to discuss the results at 2:00 p.m. PST (5:00 p.m. EST) on the same day.

Dial-in information for the call and a live webcast will be available at www.netsuite.com/investors. An audio replay will be available for three days following the conclusion of the call (between 5:00 p.m. PST February 2, 2012 and 12:00 a.m. PST February 5, 2011). The replay will also be available as a webcast on NetSuite’s Investor Relations website.

For more information about NetSuite, please visit www.netsuite.com.

At the National Retail Federation’s annual conference today, Microsoft Corp.  announced the upcoming release of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Retail, which will provide midsize and enterprise retailers with an end-to-end solution that includes cross-channel capabilities, social and mobile commerce, enriched point of sale (POS), and powerful enhancements for merchandising. These capabilities are designed to help retailers deliver uniquely consistent, convenient and personalized experiences for shoppers.

Mattress Firm is the largest mattress retailer in the U.S. and an early adopter of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Retail. The company needed a solution to support aggressive growth plans while empowering store and company associates who are passionate about offering best-in-class customer shopping experiences.

“We chose Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Retail because it provides us with a scalable platform to support our future growth and a differentiated customer and sales associate experience at the point of sale,” said Patty Wade, chief information officer and vice president of Strategy and Technology, Mattress Firm. “Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Retail gives us what other solutions could not — ease of use and simplicity in operations, coupled with the ability to scale and reliably deliver on our brand promise.”

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Retail helps retailers do the following:

Connect to customers. Multichannel capabilities enable customers to buy, pick up, return or replace items on their terms. Support for social and mobile commerce means retailers can offer promotions, discounts or coupons targeted to marketplaces or social networks — creating critical new opportunities for customer engagement.

Empower employees. Orders can be created and managed at the POS, offering the sales associate increasing amounts of valuable face-to-face time with customers. Employees can also make highly accurate, timely and consistent decisions because they are armed with relevant details delivered through enhanced Role Centers, dashboards that deliver a succinct set of information relevant to each individual user.

Execute with insight. Integrated multichannel management allows complete insight to help retailers be proactive in anticipating trends. In addition, powerful merchandising functionality puts control into the retailers’ hands with unlimited categories and hierarchies possible for assortment and replenishment to best meet customer demand accurately and efficiently.

Retailers worldwide, including AkzoNobel Decorative Paints, Ashley Furniture Industries, DavidsTea., Kwit-Fit Nederland Groep B.V., Malabar Gold, Mattress Firm, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro Inc., Simon Pearce and Turisme de Barcelona, have chosen Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail during the past year.

Global partners are also a core part of the retail business solution. “Enterprise customers require core retail data and advanced tools to leverage and create value through analytics,” said Janet Hoffmann, managing director of Accenture’s Retail practice. “Accenture, in close collaboration with global Microsoft specialists Avanade, is developing and delivering solutions built on Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Retail, which enable clients to connect better with their customers.”

“Today’s retail paradigm puts increased pressure on retailers to build lasting customer loyalty by keeping up with fast-moving trends and exceeding shopper expectations,” said Michael Griffiths, global product director of retail, Microsoft Business Solutions. “Microsoft is all in when it comes to retail — from our stores and consumer devices to the customers already running Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail in more than 30 countries. We are taking that investment to the next level with Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Retail.”

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 for Retail will be available in more than 25 countries starting Feb. 1, 2012. Retailers interested in learning more about Microsoft Dynamics solutions for the retail industry can visit http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/erp-ax-retail.aspx.

The Microsoft Dynamics ERP team is on Twitter at @MSFTDynamicsERP and at the hashtag #MSDYNERP, as well as on Facebook, YouTube and The Edge Blog.

About Microsoft Dynamics

Microsoft Dynamics CRM and ERP solutions empower your people to be more productive and your systems to last longer and scale as your business grows, while enabling you to derive the insights necessary to respond quickly in an ever-changing world of business.

A good friend of mine recently became CIO of a financial services firm and was given his first major system challenge this month: make the complete accounting, financial and third-party loan provider data and applications available 24/7 on any iPad or Android-based tablet. He’s been given six months to make this happen.

Another CIO of a major A&D manufacturer I know wants vendors to challenge him more to get greater value from his investments with them. He’s also been given the task of revamping accounting and financial systems by October 2012, and they just started last year. He tells me the days of using ERP software to just passively run reports also are numbered.

Considering these two extremes—the young CIO who is just starting out and has been given the challenge of bringing state-of-the-art financial applications to mobile platforms, and the seasoned CIO who must revamp an entire accounting and financial management system in ten months—a series of predictions for 2012 emerge. Instead of playing it safe, I’ve decided to reach on these to make them more interesting, fun and hopefully thought-provoking as well:

Streamlined, intuitive usability of social networks will lead to ERP getting an extreme makeover in 2012 in an effort to drive up system adoption. While strides are being made in this area today, there is still a long way to go until the usability of ERP application suites approaches those of the most popular SaaS-based CRM, supply chain systems and social networks. For CIOs, this is a big win since they can satisfy the wants of many internal departments and customers with a graphical interface upgrade without having to completely replace systems. Look for this to be a major focus area of all ERP vendors in 2012 and a strategy for keeping long-standing systems in place and safely under maintenance for at least a few more years if not more.

Rapid implementations become the new normal. The pressure on the new CIO of a financial services company to deliver a new series of Apple iPad and Android-compatible integrations within six months or less and the pressure to make an entirely new accounting and finance system work in an A&D firm by October 2012 are glimpses into the new normal. Accuracy, speed and quickness with perfect implementations are what the new expectations are based on. ERP implementation timeframes will drastically shrink in 2012, with greater pressure on system integrators and professional services to meet or beat deadlines.

ERP mobility will be a dominant force from the shop floor to each sales call where quotes, orders and contracts deliver real-time order and pricing updates. How a given manufacturer chooses to sell is even more important than what they sell in many industries. Equipping manufacturing, quality assurance, production scheduling, procurement and sales to have immediate data on what’s going on with orders, customers and suppliers is critical. For the sales and service teams, real-time data is the fuel they run on. There’s a chronic time shortage in many, many companies right now, and bringing greater ERP mobility from the shop floor to the sales call will increasingly be seen as a means to lessen the time crunch. 2012 is the year where mobility gets real across the enterprise with solid performance numbers being generated as a result. For companies with large sales forces and service organizations, integrating to key ERP systems to gain real-time data will quickly lead to increased sales and higher gross margins on service and warranty repairs.

Depth and quality of applications, data and legacy integration on mobile devices including tablets will emerge as the new enterprise bling. The iPad is a badge of analytical and executive honor in the financial services industry—the technological equivalent of the corner office with the million-dollar view and mahogany furniture. My good friend who just became a CIO was unsure of just who was a VP or C-level executive during his first staff meeting. He quickly realized the more worn the iPad and case, the more senior the executive. The expectations on him are very high for having real-time updates on a series of benchmarks that the senior management team uses to manage their many businesses on mobile platforms by June.

Cloud-based ERP in the enterprise and highly targeted verticals will flourish and face moderate growth in small and medium businesses (SMBs). Convincing as the arguments are for SMBs to adopt SaaS-based ERP, this will continue to be slower in adoption than enterprises and highly targeted vertical markets. Enterprises will continue to adopt SaaS-based applications to replace legacy, high-maintenance and often marginally effective systems in use today.

Analytics and Business Intelligence (BI) will become the fuel that drives cultural change away from siloed decisions to more collaborative ones. Given how tight the time schedules are for every IT department I’ve visited and know of, the luxury of allowing one set of dashboards and metrics to just measure a single process or silo are gone (or will be in 2012 completely). Little tolerance or patience on the part of CIOs is now commonplace when it comes to esoteric, single-centered dashboards and metrics. The good news is that dashboards are extremely easy to create now, especially on top of Microsoft-based analytics and databases. That’s also part of the bad news too. Dashboards are proliferating and are often used to define a given department’s agenda without focusing on shared outcomes. In 2012, this will change as dashboards and metrics that measure collaboration become required for continued investment.

Template-driven implementations will become more commonplace in the mid-market. For many enterprises in the mid-tier of the market, there’s going to be much more of a focus on getting up and running quickly and less on tailoring every possible customization option in an ERP module or entirely new system. Template-driven implementations will also become commonplace in cloud-based ERP systems and solution packages sold to vertical market industries. The good news is that implementation timeframes will drop. The bad news is that not so much customization means potentially inflexible systems. Common areas where this strategy will be used are project management and scheduling, business performance management, contract lifecycle management, product lifecycle management, program management, project-based supply chain management and service lifecycle management. These templates will be especially useful in industries where compliance is critical to passing government audits, for example in the pharmaceutical industry.

Value-based measurements of ERP will become more commonplace. Given how much pressure there is on CIOs to show how investments in IT are paying off, value-based measurements will become even more commonplace in 2012 than they are today. The challenge of isolating just which aspect of an enterprise system delivered cost reductions or revenue gains is an area of ongoing debate in many companies. These value-based measurements provide a structure for determining just how much of a contribution ERP investments are making or not.

Highly specialized ERP platforms will accelerate system adoption and value and will transform manufacturers in the process. Look for Microsoft, Oracle, SAP and others to create world-class alliances and partnerships that are focused on creating highly specialized ERP platforms that will disrupt the existing enterprise software product development, selling and service models.

Bottom line: More collaborative use of analytics, adoption of mobile ERP applications primarily in sales and service and shortened implementation timeframes all show just how time-constrained enterprises are right now. Enterprises are in search of systems that will help alleviate the time shortages that nearly every one of them is facing today.

Note: The inclusion of guest posts on the Panorama website does not imply endorsement of any specific product or service. Panorama is, and always will remain, completely independent and vendor-neutral.

If you are interested in guest blogging opportunities, click to read more about our submission guidelines.

Panorama Consulting has been a high-growth company since President Eric Kimberling first opened the doors seven years ago. In 2011, Panorama joined The Prescott Group and successfully integrated a corporate restructure that included bringing on new members to its leadership team and expanding service offerings. And like many high-growth companies, PCS started feeling the pinch of an operations framework that couldn’t keep up. Excel spreadsheet, anyone? It soon became clear that the ERP consultants needed a new ERP system themselves.

We knew the drill.

We followed our own proven ERP software selection methodology that began with identifying our business practices and future needs. After careful review of several impressive systems, we chose a best of breed solution that would provide greater insight into our consulting practice, and integrate our in-house operations seamlessly. Our phased communication and training plan included a combination of vendor and in-house multi-media instruction and hands-on practice in a planning environment.  The ROI metrics were evident from the input of the very first project.

We live and breathe our espoused principles on a daily basis. So why did I find myself on the phone talking one of our ERP consultants down from the ledge?

Business begins with people.

ERP systems are designed to support a corporate offering, to enhance the ability of a company to maximize the impact of their industry differentiators and to enable sustainable growth. We stress that a successful ERP implementation begins with the fundamental understanding that the software must fit the business . . . and business begins with people.

In this case, the consultant was absolutely sold on the value of the new system. She was enthusiastic and optimistic in regards to the benefits to be reaped both personally and at the corporate level. But when the system inexplicably blocked her input and she viewed data that made no sense, frustration set in quickly. Another factor of her distress was the fact that she was working remotely and we had a hard initial deadline for financial input. Where other employees could call me over to their desks for some brief guidance, she was trying to sort out her confusion independently – and it wasn’t working. Once we sorted out the issues together, her unease immediately abated and her buy-in returned. The hope is that when the next “crisis” arises — as it inevitably will — she’ll have enough confidence both in the ERP system and the in-house support structure to avoid panic.

Training must be an on-going process.

In the last days before going live, the implementation team put our new system through the ringer. As we uncovered real and perceived kinks in the system, (and bonded with our ERP vendor’s training personnel), we developed and documented strategies for consistency and success moving forward. So thankfully, we were prepared and able to reassure the consultant and sort out her issues easily.

Adult education is predicated on the understanding that adults learn best when their learning is experiential. Working in a production environment on real projects definitely provided further opportunities for learning both for our consultants and our implementation team. In our experience, anytime users can train with “real data,” their comprehension rises exponentially.

As we all know, learning anything new takes time. The point is to keep the training and support going until (and even after) end-users feel absolutely comfortable in the system. For more organizational change management tips to increase user buy-in, download A Guide to Increasing User Acceptance of ERP Systems in our resource center.

Written by Laura Florence, Senior ERP Consultant at Panorama Consulting Solutions.

UNIT4, the world’s leading provider of business software for Businesses Living IN Change (BLINC™), today announced that it has secured a new contract with Addis Ababa Water and Sewerage Authority to implement Agresso Business World, worth €3 million (approx. $3.9 million) in software and services over two years.

Addis Ababa Water is responsible for maintaining and improving the water supply in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and is undertaking an ambitious project to modernize the systems it has in place to achieve its objectives and better meet demand for clean drinking water. Sponsored by World Bank, the project involves implementation of new hardware, software and networks and Agresso was selected over competitive offerings from Oracle and Microsoft to manage finances and project planning.

“Developing countries are subject to ongoing change and significant environmental factors and implementing software that will support change is key to Addis Ababa Water,” said a spokesperson from the organization. “This is an ambitious and much needed improvement initiative for Ethiopia and a flexible system like Agresso that will account for changes in our structure and requirements as our work develops is important. Supported by a better system infrastructure, we continue our drive to give more people access to clean drinking water and an improved quality of life.”

The systems implementation project is expected to take two years, run in collaboration with UNIT4’s African partner ERP Software Technologies, which has operations in Addis Ababa. UNIT4 already works with the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation and the Ethiopian Insurance Corporation.

When most people think of ERP systems, they think of a single system. The common thinking behind enterprise software is that executives are generally looking for a single solution to integrate their entire business operations, processes and technologies. They want their entire employee base on a single system, a single source of truth for customer and financial information, and a seamlessly integrated technology to bring the organization together. Most organizations don’t explore options from SAP, Oracle or Microsoft Dynamics with the intent of deploying multiple systems – they instead look to these large solutions to consolidate their systems.

The reality, however, is that a single system isn’t always the most pragmatic way to address an organization’s business, technological and organizational needs. Businesses are becoming more complex, are evolving more quickly than ever, and are working hard to carve out unique niches to differentiate themselves from competitors. These competing priorities are often not conducive to a single ERP system from a single ERP vendor. In addition, best-of-breed solutions provide systems that are built with the depth to address one specific functional area, delivering potentially stronger functionality in that area than a single ERP system that addresses the breadth of an entire organization. In these cases, a best-of-breed enterprise software solution may make more sense. There are a number of solutions that fit this category: Salesforce for CRM, Workday for HR, Plex Systems for manufacturing, and Kinaxis for Supply Chain Management are just a few common examples of best-of-breed ERP systems.

The problem here is that opening the door to a potential best-of-breed solution can be like opening a can of worms. There are already nearly 200 ERP software solutions in the marketplace, but when you throw potential point solutions into the mix – such as CRM software, HR systems, or accounting software – the number of options and combinations grows exponentially. Organizations without much experience selecting and implementing ERP solutions find it difficult enough to find and implement the right ERP software as it is, but these inherent challenges are magnified when considering a best-of-breed solution.

So how is a CFO or CIO to make sense of the plethora of variables to consider when evaluating a single ERP system versus a best of breed option? Below are five things to consider as part of an ERP selection and implementation:

1. Business requirements are especially important with best-of-breed ERP systems. While it’s true that business process and requirements definition is important for any ERP selection process, it is especially true for multi-system initiatives. Before becoming overwhelmed with all of the available options for your functional point solutions for your CRM, HR, manufacturing and accounting systems, you will want to clearly define your business processes, pain points and requirements. This is important for two reasons: first, it will help you define what criteria will be most important to selecting the right software solutions, and second, it will help better define the scope of what systems you are looking for.

2. Understand your competitive advantages versus your non-differentiators. The difference between single system and best-of-breed ERP software often comes down to competitive advantages and differentiators. When working with clients that are not well-suited for a single system solution, we often help them determine their competitive advantages so that they can better define what to house in their “core” ERP system versus their outlying best-of-breed systems. One of the key benefits of taking a best-of-breed approach is that organizations can benefit from a solution that was designed with depth in a specific functional area, providing potentially strong functionality than a single ERP system that is trying to address the breadth of an entire organization. For example, when working with aerospace and defense companies, most accounting and HR processes and functions might be considered non-differentiators, while engineering and product configuration might be viewed as competitive differentiators. In this example, HR and accounting functions might be more feasible to house in the core ERP system, while engineering and product configuration might be more effective with a best of breed solution.

3. Business process and technological integration is crucial. When exploring best-of-breed solutions, it puts more pressure on your internal IT group to manage the technical complexity of integrating multiple systems with potentially disparate data standards integration tools. In addition, functionality and system user interfaces can be materially different between the various systems, creating even more of a need to ensure smooth and integrated business processes. This requires better organizational change management and business process clarity to ensure processes and people are aligned with the systems, along with adequate time for integration, testing, and data conversion to ensure that the systems function well together before go-live.

4. Trade-off between user acceptance and technical complexity. Another variable that comes into play is the balance between user acceptance and technical complexity. A single ERP system is often less technically complex in that it doesn’t require a great deal of integration or disparate data structures. However, the fact that best-of-breed solutions often provide more powerful capabilities within their functional areas of focus can increase user acceptance and make it easier for end-users to learn. In either case, an effective organizational change management and training program is critical to your project’s success, but this need can be amplified in a single ERP system environment.

 5. Your longer-term ERP software strategy. In today’s economic climate with strained IT budgets, it is not uncommon for organizations to choose point solutions that will give them the most immediate return on investment rather than committing to a full-blow ERP implementation. However, it is important not to make this decision in a vacuum without first understanding your longer-term enterprise software strategy. For example, we recently worked with a large manufacturing company that couldn’t commit resources to a full ERP system, but they knew they could get an immediate ROI from a more robust CRM system such as Salesforce or Sage CRM. We encouraged them to define their overall enterprise-wide ERP requirements so they at least knew where they were headed in the long-term before making the shorter-term decision. This recommendation helped ensure that they didn’t back themselves into a corner later on when they chose to address their other ERP software needs.

At the end of the day, either route involves a tradeoff. If you choose a single ERP system, you are usually giving up some best-of-breed functionality or depth in exchange for a more tightly integrated system that can be easier and more cost effective to manage. If you go the best-of-breed route, you are giving up this tight integration for more depth and capabilities within specific functions. As with most decisions related to ERP systems, there is no single one-size-fits-all answer  – instead, it depends on the specific business needs, priorities, competencies and risk tolerance of your organization. Discover more tips and techniques to ensure ERP implementation success by attending tomorrow’s free webinar, Lessons Learned From Best-in-Class ERP Implementations.

ECi Software Solutions, a leader in industry-specific information technology solutions, today announced that Ben Battle has been named Chief Technology Officer. As CTO, Mr. Battle will be responsible for product development across the ECi family of companies and he will lead strategic initiatives addressing ECi’s next generation product offerings, common technologies and platforms, and development processes and standards.

“ECi’s phenomenal growth, their deep experience in the industries served by their growing product portfolio, and their long-term commitment to their customers and products make this a very exciting time to join the ECi team,” said Mr. Battle.

Mr. Battle brings to ECi more than 28 years of software product development experience. He has served as a senior technology executive with companies such as Quest Software, ScriptLogic, Digital Paper and Visual Networks. During his tenures at those companies, he drove the delivery of innovative,awarding-winning solutions in systems management, asset management, service desk and supply chain interaction for small- and medium-sized businesses as well as the Fortune 1000.

“We are thrilled to have Ben on board,” said Trevor Gruenewald, COO of ECi. “He brings a wealth of development experience with him and is a great addition to help fuel the continual development of our solutions. Keeping our customers on the leading edge of technology, to make their day-to-day tasks more efficient and ultimately improve their profitability is the number one priority of ECi.”

To learn more about ECi Software Solutions, please visit www.ECiSolutions.com.

Industry leading automotive company selects a reliable, single-source partner for all its global enterprise needs

IQMS, a leader in the design and development of manufacturing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, today announced that it has been selected by Gill Industries, Inc., a global supplier of high precision engineered assemblies and metal stampings for the automotive and consumer products industries. As a comprehensive, industry-specific manufacturing ERP software provider, IQMS satisfies Gill Industries’ need for quick access to reliable, one-source information for continued business growth. IQMS surpassed three other final vendors, Microsoft Dynamics AX, Plex and QAD, to partner with Gill Industries.

Gill Industries’ legacy system, MAPICS from Infor, was disjointed, highly customized and lacking in integrated functionality. Relevant data necessary to support critical business decisions was cumbersome to extract and as a result, employees were forced to develop disjointed spreadsheets and workarounds. Additionally, Gill Industries’ plant in Mexico was on a separate ERP system, further contributing to the islands of information and multiple data entry points.

After reviewing its legacy software, Gill Industries determined that support and customization was not adequate enough and even with upgrades and a significant investment in third party applications, the systems would not be streamlined or effective enough for its needs. Gill Industries established six critical criteria when searching for a new ERP solution: total cost of ownership, ease of use, industry fit, product viability, technology architecture and service and support. Not only did IQMS score very high in each criteria category, but it also offered the highest level of integration between modules relevant to Gill’s industry.

“I had worked with IQMS software at a previous employer, but I wanted our core implementation team to come to a decision on the ERP product that best fit Gill’s criteria and needs without any bias,” said Christine Bartholmey, Director of Information Technology. “It was great that Gill recognized the same value and vision of the IQMS software as I had experienced in the past. We are midway through our first facility implementation and the process is moving along very well.”

“Gill Industries is a progressive manufacturing enterprise with an exciting global future,” said Randy Flamm, president and founder of IQMS. “IQMS is thrilled to be able to offer them a long-term, comprehensive solution that continues to foster a lean, competitive environment in any of its operations around the world.”

About Gill Industries, Inc.

Gill Industries, Inc. is a global, full service supplier of platform critical, high precision engineered assemblies and metal stampings for the automotive, furniture and multi-use vehicles markets. Gill Industries provides world class manufacturing, prototyping, product design, engineering, testing and analysis from its TS16949, QS9000 and ISO 14001 certified facilities. From design, through launch and build, Gill works in a lean TPS environment. Gill has manufacturing facilities in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Trenton, Georgia; Naucalpan, Mexico along with Asian partners in Korea and China. Gill also has sales offices in Munich, Germany and Grand Rapids and Wixom, Michigan as well as in Tokyo and Seoul.

“Manufacturing stores more data than any other sector — close to 2 exabytes of new data stored in 2010,” according to McKinsey’s report on big data. Given that the manufacturing sector continues to show increasing productivity, it follows that the increased use of data is a major contributor to that productivity growth. The report speculates that even though manufacturers’ increasing accumulation of big data is partially a result of the proliferation of automation and SCADA in the plant, benefits extend beyond the factory. Specifically mentioned was the exchange of information for collaboration with customers on product design, collaborative forecasting and planning, availability of demand data (point-of-sale) for more precise production and replenishment. We’ve seen other benefits including PLC integration, sensors and analytics, and other applications that support increased productivity and supply chain efficiency.

The Human Side of the Equation

One impediment in all this is on the human side of the equation. As long as workers continue to rely on spreadsheets, white boards at their workstations, and the backs of envelopes to keep track of schedules and manage workflow, companies will not be able to gain full benefits of big data.

Education and on-the-job training will certainly help. Indeed, the next generation of manufacturing workers and managers will have grown up in a world of omnipresent data and will more readily accept and exploit big data’s benefits.

Further Linkages

But they will also demand more.

Today’s digital world is awash in so-called social networks and applications consisting primarily of unstructured data that is very different from the tracking provided by today’s manufacturing systems. Traditional data is tightly controlled – think defined data fields, alphanumeric or numeric, of certain length and content. Social network data is more likely to be plain text of indeterminate length with uncontrolled spelling and abbreviation, video, photos, and other “objects.”

While modern databases are certainly capable of storing and managing objects, applications have limited capability to parse them and use the information. How do you do math on videos or sort and analyze unlabeled photos?

Enterprise-Wide Collaboration

Big data has had and is continuing to have an important impact on manufacturing and supply chain operations and there is nearly unlimited potential for additional benefits ahead. As an example, manufacturers can now create a collaborative work environment and facilitate communication by integrating Salesforce Chatter features with cloud ERP systems.

This data integration helps manufacturers improve inventory management, customer service, maintenance management, production control scheduling and more. The functionality shows how collaboration adds strength to all processes and programs.

As applications adapt to exploit unstructured social information, new realms of collaboration and coordination will become apparent. The hardest part may be trying to keep up with all the new capabilities that big data will deliver to our laptops, tablets, phones and media players.

Note: The inclusion of guest posts on the Panorama website does not imply endorsement of any specific product or service. Panorama is, and always will remain, completely independent and vendor-neutral.

If you are interested in guest blogging opportunities, click to read more about our submission guidelines.

Noted Authority on Implementation Failures Describes New SYSPRO Architecture As “Elevating the role of implementation and customer process change to a strategic level”

SYSPRO, a developer of best-of-breed, award-winning ERP software for on-premise and cloud-based utilization, today announced that SYSPRO’s Quantum Architecture is prominently featured in a new report by Michael Krigsman, CEO of Asuret, Inc., a consulting company dedicated to reducing technology implementation failures. Titled Predicting 2012: Rapid Implementation in Focus, the report notes, “As we enter 2012, there is evidence of enterprise software vendors taking steps to help customers run more successful projects.” He cites SYSPRO as one of three vendors that is concentrating on rapid implementation work.

Says Krigsman in highlighting SYSPRO’s recently announced Quantum Architecture, “The company [SYSPRO] is unusual in focusing so intently on implementation as an integral part of the product experience. By elevating the role of implementation and customer process change to a strategic level, SYSPRO has created a point of differentiation in the crowded ERP market.”

Krigsman includes several charts in his comprehensive coverage of SYSPRO Quantum Architecture, which is available at: http://sysprousa.com/mst_request/?id=3.

About Michael Krigsman

Michael Krigsman is CEO of Asuret, Inc., a consulting company dedicated to reducing technology implementation failures. Asuret’s suite of software tools improves the success rate of enterprise software deployments by quantifying and measuring governance issues that cause most project failures. Michael led the research effort underlying Asuret’s model of collective intelligence and its practical application to reducing IT failures in consulting environments. He is a recognized authority on the causes and prevention of IT failures and is frequently quoted in the press on IT project and related CIO issues. He is considered an enterprise software industry “influencer” and provides advice to technology buyers, vendors, and services firms.

In today’s environmentally conscious world, every business must make efforts to ensure that its impact on the earth is as minimally damaging as possible. From encouraging office-wide recycling to buying fluorescent bulbs to streamlining supply chains, there are big and small ways an organization can lessen its effects. And one of the biggest, at least to those of us in the tech world, may just be choosing a cloud deployment option for its ERP system rather than opting for on-premise hosting. Though nearly all successful ERP implementations have the environmentally sound result of reducing paper usage among users, there are a number of “green advantages” to cloud ERP software that traditional enterprise solutions do not offer. Top benefits include:

• Reduced building size and overall infrastructure. Because cloud ERP solutions are hosted off-site, businesses do not have to maintain large server rooms in their own buildings. This minimizes the organization’s “footprint” both literally and figuratively.

• Reduced power usage. Similar to the above point, organizations that deploy in the cloud use much less electricity on-site because they don’t have to cool and power their own servers. Although a similar amount of electricity may be being used at the site where the servers are housed, this impact is off the organization’s shoulders, so to speak.

• PR opportunities. Lest we forget, nothing an organization does that helps amplify its “green profile” must go untrumpeted. Choosing an ERP system that also helps the business meet its sustainability goals can be promoted in a number of ways both internally and externally. This angle might even help some staff members achieve greater buy-in and should, if possible, be included in your organizational change management plan.

There’s no question that as competition in the ERP market grows, both traditional and cloud ERP vendors will pay more and more attention to not only implementing green policies themselves but helping clients reach their sustainability goals. SAP, for instance, cut its emissions by 15-percent in 2009 and is selling analytical ERP software to aid companies in monitoring usage and increasing efficiency. In fact, SAP estimated in 2011 that the market for “sustainability software” would reach $7 billion in the next five years. As this trend continues to mature, it will be interesting to watch how ERP vendors and ERP users react and respond. Stay tuned!

Communications Systems, Inc. (CSI), provider of physical connectivity infrastructure and services for global deployments of broadband networks, has selected IFS Applications Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution to replace its legacy enterprise systems.

IFS Applications will be rolled out first at CSI’s Minnetonka location.  Additional locations include Hector, MN, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, China, Costa Rica and the United Kingdom.

CSI will implement a broad suite of IFS Applications modules including IFS Business Performance, IFS Financials, IFS Distribution, IFS Manufacturing, IFS Engineering/Product Design, IFS Maintenance, IFS Call Center, IFS Service Management, IFS Human Resources, IFS Sales & Marketing, and IFS Business Intelligence.

CSI decided to select a new ERP solution to automate and standardize processes throughout the organization, increase visibility for decision making and become a platform for growth going forward.

IFS Applications was chosen because it was the best functional software fit and there was a good cultural fit between CSI and IFS. CSI is confident that IFS Applications will help improve business knowledge availability, automate processes and improve manufacturing flexibility.

“Following extensive requirements development and vendor comparisons, our selection team determined that IFS was the best choice for CSI.  We are looking forward to the improved capabilities and tools that IFS Applications offers,” CSI Vice President of Information Services Mike Skucius said. “Benefits for us will include a better informed field sales staff, improved data analysis and reporting tools, a higher level of integration across multiple international business units, improved data sharing with our customers, improved communication and workflow, traceability on software revisions, and complete product lifecycle management.”

“As a mixed-mode manufacturer, CSI needs an ERP solution that is agile and robust enough to run in multiple manufacturing environments, while improving overall company visibility and SOX reporting capabilities,” IFS Vice President of Sales Mike Lorbiecki said. “IFS Applications is the best functional fit for CSI and other engineer-to-order, configure-to-order and make-to-order manufacturers looking for a reliable ERP solution.”

Industrial manufacturing is one of IFS’ targeted markets. IFS has a broad customer base in the industry, focusing on medium-sized to large manufacturers that need support for complex order-driven and mixed-mode manufacturing across the extended enterprise. With strong support for project management, engineering, advanced scheduling, product configuration, and after-sales support, IFS’ component-based business solutions are designed to help companies improve quality, contain costs, and improve their competitive position in manufacturing industry segments such as machinery, defense, fabricated metal products, and plastics. Industrial manufacturing companies also benefit from IFS’ lifecycle management solution, which goes beyond product lifecycle management (PLM) to provide better integration and management of three critical business areas—products, customers, and resources—throughout their lifecycles.

IFS Industrial Manufacturing customers include Chief Industries, Colfax Corporation, Kongskilde, Nolato Group, Bombardier, GEA Pharma Systems, PartnerTech, Stolle Machinery, Völkl, and Johnson Pump.

7-Eleven Mexico has selected Oracle Retail Merchandising to create a platform for improving retail operations and driving growth across its 1400 stores throughout the country.7-Eleven Mexico will use the Oracle Retail Merchandising suite of applications to leverage operational data, establish best practices throughout its retail operations and help develop new merchandising and inventory strategies.

Oracle Retail Merchandising help retailers determine the inventory requirements at the item and location level, which results in an inventory replenishment that optimizes the supply across all locations.7-Eleven Mexico expects to use Oracle Retail to track its perpetual inventory to increase availability of items, reduce inventory and optimize its supply chain.

“We will use Oracle Retail to better serve the changing needs of our convenience customers by offering the best assortment by store and fresher products every day. Also to establish best practices and create a platform for growth,” said Eduardo Trujillo, Business Transformation Director, 7-Eleven Mexico. “We have operational data from across the business. Oracle will help us to gain insight from that data and shape our merchandising and inventory strategies accordingly.”

“Oracle Retail is ideally suited to helping retailers like 7-Eleven Mexico create the ideal customer experience,” said Mike Webster, senior vice president and general manager, Oracle Retail. “By investing in Oracle Retail’s experience platform, 7-Eleven Mexico can infuse science into its business processes to drive execution and growth.”

As we outlined in our ERP predictions for 2012 and our look back at the ERP industry in 2011, one of the major issues that CFOs, CIOs, and other c-level executives are and will continue to focus on is how to reign in ERP costs. Unfortunately, despite their best intentions and their relatively low risk tolerance given the current economic climate, most organizations still see their ERP implementations take longer and cost more than expected. As a result, executives are watching their ERP budgets like hawks and looking for ways to control costs.

The problem these executives face is that there is a fine line between cutting costs and undermining the success and effectiveness of an implementation. Too often, cuts to ERP budgets that look good on paper can have disastrous consequences in the long-term (e.g., cutting organizational change management and training budgets), so it is important to understand where it makes sense to pragmatically minimize costs versus taking the slash and burn approach that could create a “throwing the baby out with the bathwater” situation.

Here are a few tips to help executives and project managers control and maintain costs within their ERP budgets:

1. Begin with realistic expectations. This is often the root of budgetary issues and cost overruns. More often than not, ERP vendors and their system integrators mismanage expectations on what total costs will look like, leading organizations to cut corners down the line when they realize that they never had the right budget to begin with and find that their management team isn’t willing to increase the required funds. It may be more painful to have clear, realistic expectations up front, but it is much less painful than losing your job because you can’t manage to the budget, or worse yet, losing your job because the implementation was botched due to lack of resources. Panorama’s ERP software selection and implementation planning methodologies help clients define (and budget for) these more realistic expectations from the start.

2. Detail each of the critical cost components of an ERP implementation. You can’t have realistic expectations without a realistic view of what each of the budgetary cost components will need. This includes hidden costs: hardware upgrades, internal resources, external consulting support, customization, and a host of other budgetary items that executives and project managers often overlook or underestimate. Once you have identified all of the major cost components, you can then benchmark these line items to actual costs for companies and industries similar to yours — not unrealistic “back of the envelope” low-ball guesses that your vendor or system integrator might provide during their sales cycles. Panorama’s 2011 ERP Report and other independent research can be good starting points for these more realistic benchmarks.

 3. Understand the “untouchables” of your ERP budget. There are certain, critical elements of an ERP implementation that should never even be considered for the chopping block: organizational change management and project management expertise, for example. Just like any investment portfolio that your company pursues, you will want to identify the areas of the project that you are willing to invest heavily in and those that you are willing to spend less on if push comes to shove. For example, customization is one area that many companies decide not to spend money on, and rightfully so. And here’s a hint: if you want your implementation project to be successful, then you will want your budget to reflect a heavier focus on the business and organizational aspects of the project rather than the technical aspects, which are typically not only the easiest parts of an implementation but also the areas the system integrators and vendors tend to over-emphasize.

Setting an ERP budget that is aggressive while at the same time realistic is easier said than done. You have to have extensive experience with ERP implementations, be objective and independent when defining the budget, and understand the full spectrum of costs outside of the direct vendor-related technical costs. At Panorama, we help our clients define a realistic budget, along with appropriate areas of focus, as part of our ERP implementation planning service offering and PERFECT Path methodology. Without this focus and understanding, organizations are walking into a black hole of uncertainty and risk. Find out more about ERP implementation success by attending our January 12th webinar, Lessons Learned From Best-in-Class ERP Implementations.

The 2011 Gartner “Magic Quadrant for E-commerce” places Oracle ATG in the Leaders Quadrant. Gartner Magic Quadrants position vendors within a particular market segment based on their completeness of vision and their ability to execute on that vision.

According to Gartner, “The Leaders quadrant contains technology providers that demonstrate the optimal blend of insight, innovation, execution and the ability to “see around the corner.” These providers lead the market in e-commerce by consistently demonstrating their understanding of emerging technologies, such as social and mobile capabilities, combined with an understanding of globalization. These technology providers offer products that cover core e-commerce capabilities as well as innovative capabilities, and are consistently on clients’ “longlists” and shortlists of e-commerce evaluations. Leaders have a record of winning these accounts and delivering customer satisfaction, strong support and professional services, leading to the implementation of a successful e-commerce site. These Leaders also have demonstrated longevity in the e-commerce market, as well as a commitment to new product innovations for Internet sales. In addition, they represent technology providers with the strongest capability to meet Internet B2B and B2C selling requirements.”

The report continues, “technology providers in the Leaders quadrant have demonstrated consistent, extensive and durable execution in delivering e-commerce websites at the enterprise level. In addition, the maturity of this market demands that leaders maintain a strong vision regarding the key points that have emerged during the past year, including globalization, mobile e-commerce, social commerce, multiple deployment options and multisite management; the capability to support B2C, B2B and B2B2C selling models; integration with multiple points of interaction, such as mobile, call centers and stores; and support for overall sales, service and marketing in an e-commerce context.”

Oracle ATG Web Commerce Suite offers a comprehensive and scalable commerce software platform that helps deliver a personalized customer buying experience across multiple customer touchpoints, including the web, contact center, mobile devices, social media, and physical stores.

“As customers engage via mobile, online and in-store environments, Oracle’s solutions help consumer-facing businesses to deliver a fluid, personalized customer experience across all channels,” said Mike Webster, senior vice president and general manager, Oracle Retail. “We believe Gartner’s recognition of Oracle ATG in the Leaders Quadrant underscores our achievements in providing an easy-to-use commerce platform that accommodates an array of channels while enabling the highest performance and scalability for the most demanding consumer and B2B environments.”

Partner Days to be a highlight of event

Sage will be hosting over 120 Sage ERP X3 partners from around the world at its Partner Days on 11-12 January 2012, during its annual Sage ERP X3 Global Sales Convention taking place in Paris. Oracle is a confirmed Gold sponsor, while Microsoft Corporation, BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions and Preactor are Silver sponsors. During the Partner Days, attendees will hear from Sage executives including Christophe Letellier, Sage ERP X3′s CEO and Christophe Vanackère, Sage ERP X3′s Chief Operating Officer. A featured speaker from Gartner will also be presenting on mid-market strategies and an awards ceremony will be held to recognize in country and global partner achievement within the Sage ecosystem.

Christophe Letellier, CEO Sage ERP X3, commented, “Our partners are an integral part of our success in increasing our business globally. We have recently announced our Global Partner Program, which is designed to formalize our partner relationships and provide real benefits to our partner community. The Partner Days are taking place during our Global Sales Convention and aim to bring Sage ERP X3 sales teams and partners together. This event will be the start of a series of events dedicated to educating, informing and recognizing the importance of our partners in Sage ERP X3 as we continue to grow.”

“We are excited to sponsor the Sage ERP X3 Global Sales Convention and Partner Days. Our participation in this event signifies the valued relationship we have with Sage,” said Lydia Smyers, Group Vice President, Worldwide Alliances and Channels Programs for Oracle. “It is also a reflection of our commitment to working together to deliver innovative product offerings that give new and existing customers greater efficiency, flexibility and cost savings to impact their business.”

Sage is a Gold level member in the Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN).

For more information about the Partner Days during Sage ERP X3 Global Sales Convention, go to http://www.sageerpx3.com/gsc.

Deacom, Inc., producer of the DEACOM Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software system for mid-to-large sized batch process manufacturing companies, offers an integrated warehouse management system (WMS) with real-time capabilities.

DEACOM’s WMS takes inventory management to the next level by using handheld computers to record real-time purchase order receipts, inventory moves, production job finishes, raw material usage and sales order picking. The unique real-time capability means that any warehouse question can be answered instantly by the system. “Real-time inventory is something every one of our customers desires. DEACOM does this as part of their base solution making the solution simple to implement and easy to use,” explains Paul Heinmiller, Senior Implementation Specialist.

The WMS is fully-integrated with the DEACOM ERP software system to provide clients with increased efficiency, productivity and accuracy while reducing pick-time and costs. The simplicity of the WMS solution also decreases amount of training required for warehouse employees.

In the newest version of DEACOM, the WMS will gain three new functionalities: Master Lots, Lot Locations and Containers. The master lot functionality allows multiple lots to be grouped into one unit, ensuring that inventory operations will either act on all the lots simultaneously or not at all. The new Lot Locations scheme is designed to control data entry by providing a list of known locations from which a user can choose. The location types allow the list of locations to be filtered for locations in which it makes sense to store a particular item, providing more control for a warehouse manager. Containers are another means of grouping inventory that allow for more intuitive reports, which will more accurately reflect how the inventory is actually stored in the warehouse.

“Deacom’s unique approach to software development is to constantly evolve to meet the needs rapidly changing technology landscape. The new WMS adheres to this concept by continuing to adapt over time with improved functionalities for our customers,” states Scott Deakins, Software Operations Manager.

As CFO, regulatory compliance is an issue that you deal with every day. But regulatory compliance for “the cloud”, that is new territory. If you are considering cloud ERP software, the cloud provider that you choose should have a track record with customers that share the same compliance issues as your organization. Check with those customers to make sure that the provider has been responsive to audit requests and passed all requirements. And ask these three helpful compliance questions about ERP software in the cloud:

 1. What is SAS 70? The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) developed the Statement on Auditing Standards No. 70 (SAS 70) certification to validate that a company has been through an in-depth audit of their control processes. SAS 70 Type II is a detailed audit that shows prospective and current customers that the organization has been thoroughly checked and deemed to have satisfactory controls and safeguards in place either when hosting or processing information. Public companies that are required to maintain SOX certification will be given access to the SAS 70 Audited reports as part of their annual SOX compliancy requirements.

 2. Can we be Sarbanes-Oxley compliant with an ERP system in the cloud? Absolutely. In many cases, the policies that the ERP cloud provider has in place are far more stringent than even SOX requires. Your cloud provider should be able to provide a description of each control activity surrounding data processing activities, including input, processing, output, and security to assure SOX compliance for your ERP system.

3. Is cloud ERP a good choice if we are thinking about going public someday? Cloud ERP is the choice of many start-up companies that hope to go public over time. A big part of being IPO-ready includes understanding SOX requirements for public companies and establishing company guidelines, processes, systems and procedures to keep these requirements in mind as the company grows. Make sure your ERP cloud provider can assure your compliance from the start.

Want to know more about ERP software in the cloud? You can get the answers to more questions in Panorama’s Frequently Asked Questions About Cloud ERP or the white paper 35 Questions Every CFO Needs to Ask about Cloud ERP Software. Doing your research ahead of time, making sure you are comfortable with all the terminology, will lead to better decisions.

Note: The inclusion of guest posts on the Panorama website does not imply endorsement of any specific product or service. Panorama is, and always will remain, completely independent and vendor-neutral.

If you are interested in guest blogging opportunities, click to read more about our submission guidelines.

With another year quickly drawing to an end and our predictions for ERP in 2012 already in place, we thought it would be worth taking a look back at the past year in the ERP industry. As we reflect on the major milestones of 2011, it reminds us of the large spectrum of positive and negative industry incidents. For example, on one hand, Panorama Consulting continued its growth and success by merging with The Prescott Group while, on the other hand, several high-profile organizations failed miserably in their attempts to implement ERP systems.

Here is a look back at three of the major milestones of 2011:

Proliferation of ERP failures and lawsuits. Even with the economy still in the dumps and CFOs and CIOs more risk-averse than ever, lawsuits, fraud and project failures continued to grab headlines. For instance, Lumber Liquidators, CareSource Management Group, Tesco Bank, Whaley Foodservice Repairs, and the City of New York all reported failed or troubled ERP implementations in 2012, reminding us all how awry ERP projects can go if they are not managed well. Case in point: the CityTime payroll system implementation, which had an initial budget of $63 million and rapidly grew to $760 million in actual costs, along with allegations of kickbacks amongst the project’s system integrators and sub-contractors. While our firm will undoubtedly provide ERP expert witness testimony in several high-profile lawsuits in the coming year, we would much rather be earning our revenue by helping companies do ERP right the first time. Hopefully, these examples serve as reminders of the value of independent ERP consulting experts to help select and implement enterprise software effectively.

Industry growth and consolidation. Despite the accelerating rate of ERP failures, the industry as a whole showed continued signs of life in a tough economy. Panorama expanded its reach into new industries, service areas, and geographies by merging with The Prescott Group to form Panorama Consulting Solutions, while Infor continued its march toward becoming a viable Tier I ERP vendor by acquiring Lawson. In addition to these and several other high profile merger and acquisition deals in the enterprise software space, other ERP vendors demonstrated aggressive growth by expanding their footprints of new customers, embracing software as a service (SaaS) and cloud delivery models, and focusing on emerging markets such as China. SAP, for example, continued to push its Business By Design SaaS offering and indicated that China is its number one geographical growth priority in 2012 and beyond.

The cloud is for real. 2011 appears to have been a turning point for cloud ERP software and SaaS solutions, with it becoming more clear that the movement is not a flash in the pan. SaaS ERP vendors such as Salesforce, Workday, Kinaxis, and Netsuite all exhibited strong software license growth in the last year, while traditional on-premise vendors such as SAP, Oracle, and Epicor demonstrated stronger commitments to their SaaS and cloud offerings. While the heaviest rate of adoption is still very concentrated among smaller organizations, the adoption rates in these segments of the market illustrate that the cloud is here to stay. The next step for SaaS ERP vendors is to prove that they can crack the code and concerns of the enterprise software needs for larger organizations.

While 2011 may have been a mixed bag, it left us with enough positive news and opportunity to get us ready for an exciting 2012 with optimistic prospects. On behalf of everyone at Panorama Consulting Solutions: happy new year to our current clients, future clients and industry peers. Here’s to a successful 2012 and we look forward to working with you.

Sage, a global leader in enterprise management solutions, is now offering Sage ERP X3, its international ERP solution for mid-market enterprises, in Belgium. Sage’s flagship global ERP solutionis easyto use, rapid to deploy and cost-effective and 3,300 businesses, representing over 165,000 users in 55 countries are Sage ERP X3 customers. Sage has now developed a localized solution for the Belgian market.

The Sage Group plc announces today the launch of Sage ERP X3 in Belgium. In a bid to help Belgian mid-sized and large companies drive their growth, Sage is now marketing its global ERP solution for the Belgian mid-market.

Such companies, including local Belgian subsidiaries of major international groups, can now leverage the extended functionality of Sage ERP X3 for their international business requirements. Sage ERP X3 will also help them respond to complex needs, from data analytics, reporting and financial accounting through to management control and operational management (production, purchasing, sales, inventory management, etc).

“With 60% of the GDP in export, companies based in Belgium have demanding international requirements,” explains Christophe Letellier, CEO of Sage ERP X3. “Thanks to its unique ability to factor in the international aspects of companies’ business, especially by supporting a broad array of different legislative systems with just a single database, Sage ERP X3 delivers unique value for Belgian businesses. Furthermore, the solution was natively developed for the mid-market and is designed to meet the specific needs facing such companies, for example, a simple and intuitive interface with a low Total Cost of Owernship.”

“Sage develops bespoke solutions, because experience has taught us that software needs vary according to the size of the company,”adds Philippe Tailleur, CEO of Sage in Belgium. “We are delighted at the Sage Group’s decision to focus on the mid-market in Belgium and thereby deliver support to all types of local businesses in driving their expansion and scaling up their business model.”

Sage ERP X3 is an international solution that adapts to the legislative framework applicable in the countries concerned. In Belgium’s case, the localized Sage ERP X3 solution is a vendor-proprietary version that features support for local tax regulations, such as the format for bank files and intra-EU VAT checks.

“Localizing Sage ERP X3 to suit Belgian requirements and breaking into this new market are not only driven by Sage’s expertise and its intimate knowledge of local tax law, but also by customers that are already set up in project mode through our partners,” adds Christophe Letellier. “This excellent springboard means that we can confidently go about meeting our objectives.”

About The Sage Group plc

Sage is a leading global supplier of business management software and services for small and midsized businesses.  The Sage Group plc, formed in 1981, was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and now employs more than 12,300 people and supports more than 6 million customers worldwide.For further information please visit http://www.sage.com. In Belgium and Luxembourg, Sage has over 30,000 active customers, including close to 3,000 trust companies, thanks to its accounting and sales management solutions*. Supported by a network of over 150 active partners throughout Belgium and Luxembourg, Sage delivers management and CRM solutions to all businesses.

About Sage ERP X3 (http://www.sageerpx3.com)Sage ERP X3 is a dedicated solution for mid-market and larger companies with international demands enables its clients to transform and perform through technologies. 3,300 customers representing 165,000 users worldwide already chose Sage ERP X3 because it is easy to use, fast to deploy and cost effective. For more than 10 years Sage ERP X3 has been a proven and comprehensive ERP solution addressing mid-market company’s specific requirements and challenges in various industries from manufacturing, services to distribution and many more. Sage ERP X3 is present in 55 countries and counts a network of more than 1,500 Sage professionals and 200 partners in its ecosystem.

Guam DOE selects Tyler’s Munis^® ERP solution to support financial management goals

Tyler Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: TYL) has signed an agreement with the Guam Department of Education (GDOE) to provide its Munis enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution. The contract, valued at approximately $3.4 million, includes software licenses, related professional services, maintenance and support.

The GDOE, a single, unified school district serving more than 30,000 students in its 40 schools, is using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFFS) to pay for Munis applications, including financial management, project and grant management, vendor and employee self service, human capital management and content management. The GDOE has also invested in Tyler’s change management services to engineer best business practices and manage the implementation of new processes and applications across the district.

“After a competitive request-for-proposal process, we selected Tyler’s Munis solution because it provides up-to-date information and will allow us to make better-informed decisions across all departments,” said Taling Taitano, interim superintendent at the Guam Department of Education. “In addition, GDOE vendors and employees will benefit from Munis by using online self service portals to obtain information that directly relates to them. We also expect that Munis will deliver improved workflow processes throughout the department and make the GDOE’s reporting to funding sources easier and more accurate.”

Tyler Technologies will have dedicated staff in Guam during the Munis implementation and deployment. Guam, located in the western Pacific Ocean, is an unincorporated territory of the United States.

“The Guam Department of Education’s selection of Munis requires zero customization to aid in tracking and managing federal and grant funding, while benefiting from Tyler’s expertise in industry best practices and meeting generally accepted accounting principles,” said John S. Marr Jr., Tyler’s president and chief executive officer. “Tyler is committed to the GDOE and our dedicated, on-island team is already working hard to help ensure that this new relationship is highly successful.”

Oracle Communications Billing and Customer Management Solutions Well Positioned for the Communications Industry

Gartner, Inc.’s 2011 “Magic Quadrant for Integrated Revenue and Customer Management for CSPs” report positions Oracle in the Leaders Quadrant. Gartner Magic Quadrants position vendors within a particular segment based on their completeness of vision and ability to execute on that vision. The report evaluates the capabilities of vendors that offer comprehensive, end-to-end solutions globally for billing, charging, mediation and policy management – referred to in the report as integrated revenue and customer management (IRCM).

For completeness of vision, Gartner Magic Quadrants evaluate “IRCM vendors on their ability to convincingly communicate their current and future market direction, innovation, customer needs and competitive forces, and on how well those statements map to Gartner research positions.”

Regarding ability to execute, Gartner Magic Quadrants evaluate “IRCM vendors on the quality and efficiency of the processes, systems, methods or procedures that enable their performance to be competitive, efficient and effective and to positively affect revenue, retention and reputation.”

Gartner notes that “Leaders are vendors that would normally be included in shortlists for IRCM solutions for large and midsize CSPs (communications service providers) worldwide. They perform profitably, grow their revenue and have a presence in all major markets. Their functionality is above average, and their technology and scalability are leading edge. Leaders also engage in innovative projects and activities, carefully listening to their customer base. They are also engaged in understanding the underlying and emerging patterns/trends in revenue and customer management activities, and direct their R&D resources and investments accordingly.”

The full report is available at Magic Quadrant for Integrated Revenue and Customer Management for CSPs.

“Next-generation network technologies are providing communications service providers with new business opportunities and an ability to deliver innovative services to consumers. But to take full advantage of these opportunities, CSPs require sophisticated and fully-integrated charging and customer management solutions. We believe that our inclusion in the Leaders Quadrant in this Gartner Magic Quadrant report recognizes Oracle’s commitment to providing open, integrated solutions for billing and customer relationship management that enable CSPs to thrive as mobile technology continues to evolve,” said Liam Maxwell, vice president, products, Oracle Communications.

Finally. You are done with implementation and your ERP system is up and running.  You were able to navigate through the grueling and critically important process of figuring out which ERP software package you are going to count on to run the business. You were able to procure the software within budget and faster than expected. The data from the old system was cleaned and dumped into the new system without any major loss of information. Training was conducted with all the future users. The implementation was not without its stressors and minor problems but you got through it with a culmination of efforts. It’s up, it’s running, you’re done . . . life is good, next . . . right?

WRONG. Just getting an ERP system up and running without a major hiccup doesn’t mean that the project can actually be considered a success. As a consultant for Panorama I have seen time and again that organizations that don’t take the time to address key organizational change issues prior to, during and after an ERP implementation often end up with problematic user adoption rates. Regardless of whether you’re about to embark on an implementation or are trying to assess a previously implemented software’s overall suitability for the organization, here are some of the tell-tale signs of poor ERP system usage and understanding:

• Executive ownership: Does the executive team really understand what the ERP system does for the organization? Do they know what units of the business the software touches? Do they have direct ownership of the ERP implementation? If there is not an executive whose performance is based upon the operation of the system then what incentive do the people who make decisions have to allocate, time, money and resources to maintain or better the system? In order to ensure that the organization can react to changing business conditions – and realize the maximum business benefits possible from its ERP system – there has to be executive ownership and vertical alignment from the top-down.

• Process documentation: When you ask a user of an ERP system how long it would take to train someone else to do his or her job and the user says, “Oh well you know, it might take me six months to a year . . .” it’s time to panic. If it takes someone that long to learn a job function then much of the business information is likely being passed along without documentation of all of the business processes that job entails. A lack of business process documentation presents a number of sobering possibilities: what would happen if the knowledge “owner” was hit by a bus? What will happen when the baby boomer generation retires and takes its knowledge with it? In order to properly create a succession plan for an ERP system – and a business department – there must be process documentation. And in order to have process documentation, the executive team has to ensure that your staff members know understand its importance and are given the time to get it done.

• Differing Data: Wait a second, didn’t the intro state that the historical data was cleaned and dumped into the system without any major problems and that the system is up and running? Yes, but what wasn’t considered was the lack of process documentation driven by executive ownership. If a business doesn’t have defined and documented processes for ERP system usage that can be measured and managed by the executive team, then it’s inevitable that each department and user is going to use the data a bit differently. For instance, a user at site A might pull the data out of the system and manipulate it in another program while someone at site B might pull the data out of the system and manipulate it in yet another program. If this occurs, you run the risk of having the two users coming to different conclusions rather than the one version of truth necessary.

These are just a few of the tell-tale signs that every ERP project manager or lead should take into consideration. If you do notice that your project is showing one of these signs, it’s time for a new organizational change management plan. Schedule an hourly ERP consultation to find out more strategies and tactics to increase user acceptance.

Written by Jason Henritze-Hoye, Senior ERP Consultant at Panorama Consulting Solutions.

Columbia Nutritional Service, Inc., a fast growing nutraceutical company in Vancouver, WA, selected ProcessPro Premier ERP software. Columbia Nutritional offers a full range of nutraceutical services including customized formulation, contract dietary supplement manufacturing and packaging, and analytical laboratory capabilities to domestic and foreign customers.

Columbia Nutritional Service is an FDA registered facility, and complies with 21 CFR, NSF, and Kosher certification regulations and guidelines.

“ProcessPro Premier ERP provides companies with the tools to adhere to FDA, cGMP, and NSF regulations as well as the 21 CFR part 111 regulations specific to contract dietary supplement manufacturers,” says Jake Halverson, ProcessPro Business Development Representative. “Compliance capability was a key component to this partnership.”

Additionally, Columbia Nutritional Service, Inc. needed an ERP solution that could grow along with them.  It was also important that Columbia Nutritional improve lot tracking, and simplify and increase the speed of the manufacturing process and lead times, along with increased visibility and accuracy in their warehouse and inventory management.

“Columbia Nutritional Service chose ProcessPro Premier due to our track record and proven performance in the nutraceutical industry,” says Halverson. “We’ve established a foundation for a long-term, successful relationship and business growth.”

ProcessPro Premier is a fully integrated, real time ERP that offers a complete system from beginning sales order entry through the manufacturing and accounting process. ProcessPro software is the leading ERP solution among food manufacturers because of its FDA compliance features including security audit trails, electronic signatures, and validation services. Any company that must adhere to FDA and cGMP regulations will be able to maintain compliance regularly as well as be prepared for a product recall.

For more information about ProcessPro Premier and how it can meet your specific process manufacturing needs, visit www.ProcessProERP.com.

Meggitt (Maryland) Inc., a Germantown, MD-based division of Meggitt Sensing Systems, has selected IFS Applications as its enterprise resource planning (ERP) system of record.

Meggitt (Maryland) Inc. produces the industry-leading Wilcoxon Research line of accelerometers, vibration sensors, and accessories for industrial predictive maintenance applications. These sensors are essential to vibration monitoring programs that save money, reduce downtime, and enable maintenance to be planned before equipment failure. The company is based in Germantown, Maryland and operates as a division of Meggitt Sensing Systems, which has nine manufacturing sites across the United States and Europe.

According to Meggitt (Maryland) president Derek Carbin, IFS Applications was selected from large field of ERP systems for its ability to meet the diverse needs of the company, which manufactures both industrial/commercial products and highly engineered products for leading edge applications.

Meggitt (Maryland) will implement a broad spectrum of IFS Applications with functionality including IFS Business Performance, IFS Financials, IFS Distribution, IFS Manufacturing, IFS Engineering/Product Design, IFS Maintenance, IFS Sales and Support, and IFS Human Resources.

“IFS Applications was the best fit to handle our diverse needs without sacrificing flexibility, ease of navigation or agility,” Dr. Carbin said. “Our organization will be in a much better position for growth with this move to IFS Applications and our customers will benefit as we will be able to provide much more timely and detailed reporting and automated order placement with immediate email acknowledgement. It will provide us with greater visibility of inventory and enable us to manage it much better than today.”

“IFS Applications is an excellent fit for companies like Meggitt (Maryland), with its complex business model,” IFS North America President and CEO Cindy Jaudon said. “As an organization, IFS is committed to serving companies that need highly advanced functionality that can be easily adopted by middle market companies.”

The high-tech industry is one of IFS’ targeted vertical markets. IFS offers industry-specific solutions for companies in the electronic equipment, electronic component and semiconductor industries. These solutions support all business processes from design and mixed-mode manufacturing to after-sales support and warranty management. IFS’ high-tech customers include NEC, QuadTech, PartnerTech, Brightpoint, Kitron, maxon motor, Beijer Electronics, and Olympus Keymed.

While this year has been full of mixed news, with economic weakness, business volatility, and ERP failures and lawsuits taking more than their share of headlines, there is much to look forward to in the New Year. IT and finance executives in the C-suite are becoming smarter, more strategic, more flexible, and more adept with dealing with uncertainty, and we should expect no less from our ERP implementations.

With the holidays upon us and thoughts of how to spend new budgets in the New Year, we thought it might be helpful to share some of the “gifts” that every CIO and CFO should ask for before jumping in to a ERP software initiative in 2012 and beyond. For that discerning executive in your life, here are 12 gift ideas that are likely to trump any “world’s best boss” coffee mug or Christmas sweater:

1. The right ERP software for your business. It may seem like an easy process on the surface, but evaluating and selecting the right ERP software for your organization is a complex and challenging task. Many of our competitors provide “cheap” alternatives to software selection via automated checklists and over-simplified views of your business, but navigating through the many good options in the marketplace to find the right software for your organization requires a hands-on understanding of your business, true technology independence (both in theory and in fact), and recognition as the world’s leading experts in ERP software.

2. A competent project manager. While the “do it yourself” option may sound appealing at first, and you certainly will always want an internal project manager to manage the many internal activities that need to happen during an implementation, external project management support can be a perfect way to augment the internal competencies of your project management team. More importantly, external experts that manage ERP implementations every day will help you implement faster, less expensively, and more effectively than you would have otherwise.

3. A shiny new project plan. There is a reason that a majority of ERP implementations take longer than expected: the project plans were never realistic to begin with. Most project plans we see created by organizations and their ERP vendors or system integrators are woefully inadequate, missing or inadequately addressing key critical success factors, such as time for data conversion, conference room pilots, organizational change management, business process and workflow design, and user acceptance. In order for your implementation to get off on the right foot, you might consider benchmarking your plan against best-in-class and technology-agnostic implementation plans, which will highlight gaps in the business, people, and organizational aspects that are so crucial to any successful implementation.

4. More money for your ERP budget. Research presented in our 2011 ERP Report shows that a majority of ERP implementations go over budget, primarily because companies either mismanage their projects, or, even more commonly, under-estimate their budgets to begin with. Your direct ERP vendor, software license, and system integrator costs will actually be a minority of your total cost of ownership, so you should budget accordingly. A good rule of thumb to see if your budget is in the right ballpark or not is that your software license costs are likely to be just approximately 20-25% of your total implementation cost. In other words, take your license costs and multiply by four or five to arrive at your ballpark implementation figure. Anything less is too little and will require you to cut corners later on.

5. Well defined and re-engineered business processes. I can’t think of anything that saves more time and money in an ERP implementation than well-defined and documented business processes. Without this component, the software vendor or system integrator will show up with their checklists or transactional-based workflows, expect answers on how to configure the software, and spin their wheels (and billable hours) helping you make decisions on how you want to run your business. Since most ERP software is very flexible, the concept of software “best practices” is a farce, and business process re-engineering takes time, you need to have a clear vision for how you would like your operational model will look before you begin implementing your selected software.

6. More organizational change management. Whether your project succeeds or fails will be largely dependent on how you manage the organizational and “people” aspects of your enterprise software deployment. Basic generic vendor training materials won’t cut it, so you’ll need an approach that is more tailored to your business, including process-based training, organizational impact assessments, targeted employee communications, and clearly defined roles and responsibilities in the new business and systems environment. Our organizational readiness assessments help clients clearly see the areas of resistance and organizational risk that need to be addressed as part of an effective organizational change management plan.

7. More resources. Organizations are notorious for implementing (or trying to implement) with inadequate internal and external resources. No matter how talented your internal team is, chances are that they are not experienced enough to implement without outside help that can bring expertise and business methodologies to help your team implement faster and more inexpensively than they would otherwise. In addition, most executives could use more ERP staffing support to help them assemble a world-class team with the right balance of internal and external resources.

8. A Better educated team. Unrealistic expectations and lack of experience are two of the hardest things to change with a client that is about to embark on what is likely to be their biggest business transformation project in at least the last decade or two. For example, is your team armed with the knowledge that most implementation teams over-customize their software and do they know what to do to keep that from happening with their project? Do they know how to keep the project on track and identify warning signs along the way? Clients often ask us to conduct an on-site ERP Boot Camp as a way to educate and arm their teams for battle heading into their ERP initiatives. You can even start educating your team now by visiting our ERP resource center to view our on-demand ERP webinars, listen to ERP podcasts, or read our extensive ERP research and white papers, all free of charge.

9. Tangible business benefits and ROI. Your executive team is not going to be happy with your implementation unless it delivers tangible business benefits that they can see, feel, and touch on their profit and loss statements. We all know that simply implementing the software is not going to deliver business benefits, so you’ll need to go one step further by establishing a benefits realization framework that translates some of the expected business benefits into measurable metrics that can be used throughout the organization. In addition, this benefits realization plan will call for a post-implementation audit to help optimize results after go-live.

10. An ERP project that never ends. This may look like a typo or sound like a cruel White Elephant gift for that executive that has been a little too difficult to work for over the last year, but it is in fact one of the best things you can do for your organization in the long-term. A key problem with ERP projects is that they are treated like sprints to a go-live finish line, when they should instead be treated like a marathon of continuous improvements and adjustments to account for business and technology changes over time. In fact, we find that most organizations that come to us for help finding a new software solution to replace their old ones could have extended their ERP lifespans by 50% or more if they would have simply kept the software and business operations better aligned over time.

11. A resounding ERP success. Unfortunately, most executives go into ERP implementations with the low expectation of simply not failing or not bringing the organization to its knees. This is hardly the best-case result one should expect after making a risky, multi-million dollar investment in the business. The good news is that we have proven with our clients that ERP implementations can be resounding successes that do more than avoid failure – they offer relatively smooth go-lives, more efficient business processes that deliver tangible business results, and an organization that is well-aligned with the new business processes and software. The question should be not whether or not you will be successful in your ERP initiative, but how successful will you be?

12. An independent advisor to help along the way. All of the above Christmas and New Year gifts are very realistic and available to your executive team with the guidance and support from an outside consulting and services firm that does this type of thing for a living every day. We are well-known as the world’s leading independent thought leaders in the ERP industry not just because we talk a good talk and are quoted by hundreds of journalists and bloggers as such, but because we have hands-on experience making our clients successful, whether it’s helping them select the right software, implement their chosen software, or get more out of their existing ERP investments.

Panorama Consulting is happy to help you provide any one or more of these gifts to your CIO or CFO. Learn more about our ERP consulting services as you plan for your ERP project in the new year. And don’t forget to visit our ERP resource center to educate you and your team with the knowledge required to make your ERP implementation successful.

Here’s wishing you all a Happy Holidays and even Happier New Year. Best of luck in 2012!