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Wednesday, November 12, 2008

One Firm, One Future

hile most of the industry battles a recession, the construction consultancy Davis Langdon is enjoying steady growth. Thanks to a growing number of customers in Eastern Europe and in the Middle East, the U.K. - based company has full order books.
“Our revenues have grown 78% in the last three years,” says Chris Robinson, IT partner at Davis Langdon. Future prestigious projects promise to increase this growth: The firm will oversee, for example, construction of the facilities of the 2012 Olympics in London. In fact, Davis Langdon aims to grow by another 100% over the next five years. And naturally, such ambitious plans called for new ways of doing business.

To transform Davis Langdon from a company of several regional and national subsidiaries into a single global player, a strategy called “One firm, one future” was drafted. Part of that strategy is a complete overhaul of Davis Langdon's IT infrastructure. To support the company's vision of focusing on sectors rather than geography and to enable growth at lower cost, Davis Langdon chose the enterprise resource planning (ERP) software from SAP. It went live in the United Kingdom in March 2008, and the effects were felt immediately, Robinson says.

“We used to have hundreds of fragmented systems, be they on the human resources side, the customer relationship management side, various financial programs, and reporting programs. We brought all those together in one place,” he says. “We now have a system that supports our growth through better customer and opportunity management, and that allows us to avoid a lot of the costs we would have incurred as we continue to grow.”

Putting manpower to work

How SAP helps Davis Langdon

The SAP ERP application:
  • helps turn Davis Langdon into a single firm by streamlining processes and creating unified systems
  • provides Davis Langdon with a platform for growth at lower investment
  • helps identify, bundle, and roll out expertise at the company
  • provides executive partners with greater visibility of the business operation and key performance indicators
  • helps integrate firms that have been merged or acquired
  • can be scaled upward to support the company years down the road
Davis Langdon has over 30 offices throughout the United Kingdom, Europe, and the Middle East, and over 100 worldwide. Mobilizing the many generalists working in these smaller offices for large international projects was a challenge, Robinson says.

The new strategy now banks on specialists (for museums, sports stadiums or office buildings) that can be easily put to work all over the world - no matter where they are located. For this, “we need information on the skills of our people, about the projects they are working on, and when and where they are available,” Robinson says. Davis Langdon is able to efficiently gather exactly that information thanks to the integrated SAP ERP application, he adds.

Davis Langdon chose the SAP ERP application because managers felt it would best support the company not only now, but also in the future. One of the world's leading small and midsize enterprises (SMEs), Davis Langdon plans to grow by acquisitions all over the world. It aims to quickly integrate the acquired firms, and SAP ERP is “a system that has underpinned our ability to do that,” Robinson says.

Award-winning implementation

Choosing a software solution is one thing, implementing it effectively is another. Davis Langdon did so with the help of Axon, the largest global SAP service provider, in only 13 months. The entire process was meticulously planned, and included quality reviews and measures driven by a quality director with previous experience of SAP implementations.

The implementation of the SAP ERP application, Robinson said, was “very comprehensive in terms of its stakeholder engagement, its communications, its impact analysis, and everything else.” So comprehensive, in fact, that the company was granted the SAP Quality Award 2008.

Fit for the future

But Davis Langdon is not willing to rest on its laurels. The company is still rolling out the SAP ERP application in the Middle East and will add more functions down the road. “We are also going live in November 2008 with a reconfiguration of the application, which allows us to do our sector profit and loss accounting,” Robinson says.

Olympic enthusiasm

For Davis Langdon, the future looks bright. It has worked on a number of prestigious projects, including facilities for the Tate Modern Art Gallery, and the Royal Festival Hall in London. In the Middle East, emirates such as Abu Dhabi and Dubai are investing in gigantic construction projects, and at home, Davis Langdon is involved in the most high-profile building project the country has ever seen: the 2012 Olympic Games. Construction for the games includes billion-pound investments not only in stadiums, but also in infrastructure, cultural venues, and parks. It will thus provide “a legacy of change for London and the UK for many years going forward,” Robinson says. “It's very exciting to be involved in that.”

Dell joins hands with Tally

Dell Vostro business PC powered by Tally.ERP 9 subscription is a sales program that Dell and Tally have jointly come up with to create continuous revenue potential for IT resellers.

The Tally.ERP 9 subscription will be free to select Dell Vostro systems for the initial subscription period. The offering will reach the market shortly with a pull from SMB customers.

These Vostro systems will be available only through Dell's partner network and direct sales. The alliance provides partners an opportunity to join Dell's channel program and earn margins on product sales. This aims to help the customers renew the Tally.ERP 9 subscription and earn recurring revenue each quarter. IT resellers must sign-up as Dell and Tally partners to be part of this program.

SAP Tweaks Support Offerings

SAP will extend maintenance for its ERP 6.0 platform and other products until 2017, and in a partial olive branch to angry customers, has sweetened the feature set of its Enterprise Support service, the company said Thursday.

The maintenance announcement, which includes ERP 6.0 and any new core applications from SAP Business Suite, is an expansion of SAP's “5-1-2” plan. That system guaranteed regular maintenance on a product for five years, after which customers could opt to pay another 2 percent for an additional year, and following that another 4 percent for another two years. The new plan boosts the five-year period to seven years and adds an optional two-year extension.

Forrester Research analyst Paul Hamerman said that since ERP 6.0 has already been on the market for a number of years, some customers are starting to be concerned about the 5-1-2 window, and therefore, the extension should be welcome.

SAP is trying to ensure that customers can make long-term plans around ERP 6.0, and the move was not made in the hopes of locking down extended maintenance contracts, said SAP spokesman Bill Wohl.

“I don't think there's any other company in the industry that can give customers this kind of planning horizon,” he said. Wohl added that even after SAP's maintenance windows close, customers on older platforms can contract for support from SAP on a one-off basis.

SAP had already made it clear that ERP 6.0 would be its strategic platform through at least 2010, announcing in 2006 that all new features during that time frame would come through optional, add-on “enhancement packages.” The extended maintenance window for ERP 6.0 could mean the company intends to keep this strategy in place even longer.

“This is where we expect to be for some time,” Wohl said. But the company will continue innovating aggressively through the enhancement packages, he said.

As for the changes to Enterprise Support, SAP is seeking to appease users who have protested loudly since July, when SAP announced that all customers would be transitioned to the richer-featured but more expensive offering.

But SAP is making no concessions on cost. Instead, the company is adding new wrinkles to the support offering, such as up to five days of remote advice from software architects each year regarding the potential value of enhancement packages and how they could be deployed.

But in other instances, the company is merely hoping to provide “additional clarification” on Enterprise Support's richer feature set, which includes “continuous quality checks” and a single point of contact for customers.

SAP has also repeatedly said the service is necessary due to increased complexity in customers' environments, and that it will result in a lower total cost of ownership.

A member survey conducted this year by the SAP User Group Executive Network (SUGEN), a group made up of representatives from SAP user groups around the world, found that 90 percent of respondents “have not yet realized the full extent of the SAP Enterprise Support offering, its value and cost justification,” SAP said in a statement.

SAP and SUGEN are also going to work together to come up with key performance indicators for Enterprise Support.

The two parties will “jointly evaluate the progress of these KPIs against customer expectations on a regular basis and adjust the continued rollout of SAP Enterprise Support until the quality measures are achieved,” SAP said.

SUGEN could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.

One industry observer questioned the effectiveness of SAP's gesture. “Ultimately, this all seems to be shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted,” said China Martens, an analyst with The 451 Group.

In addition Thursday, SAP said it will work with user groups on a migration plan for helping R/3 customers move up to ERP 6.0. Convincing customers to make that shift is a primary goal for SAP today? some 12,800 of its customers are on ERP 6.0, out of a total of 76,000, which includes those gained from acquiring Business Objects.

IT Trends for 2009

As 2009 unfolds, it ’ s clear that enterprises with a forward-thinking approach and a solid grasp of technology trends will have a distinct competitive advantage. The following technologies trends in areas like SaaS, virtualization and project portfolio management, among others, are likely to shape IT and business in the coming year, and they can give your company the advantage it needs to do business in this challenging economic environment.


HP has said it doesn't want to be in the cloud business itself - merely sell gear to cloud makers - but it's lined up with little Salesforce.com rival NetSuite - owned mostly by Larry Ellison - to offer NetSuite's SaaS CRM and ERP applications to SMBs through its 15,000 US resellers.

HP now has a referral program for its channel, which can offer their own value-added management and implementation services alongside the NetSuite widgetry as part of HP's Total Care portfolio.

The yet-to-be-profitable Netsuite, which has organized dedicated marketing resource in support of the HP channel, is counting on the arrangement to accelerate its market penetration and keep the wolf from the door.

It's been having trouble getting contracts signed, spoiling last quarter, a situation it expects will repeat again this quarter.

Resellers will be compensated for any deals that close.

As 2009 unfolds, it ’ s clear that enterprises with a forward-thinking approach and a solid grasp of technology trends will have a distinct competitive advantage. The following technologies trends in areas like SaaS, virtualization and project portfolio management, among others, are likely to shape IT and business in the coming year. They may give your company the technology advantage it needs to do business in this challenging economic environment.

IBM and Sapa Expand Business Agreement

Sapa is the largest provider of aluminium profiles in the world, and part of the Norwegian industrial conglomerate Orkla.
In terms of the new agreement, signed in October 2008, IBM will provide infrastructure services and application maintenance services for an additional 2,500 PC users in the Sapa system, double the number of users as stated in the original contract which was signed in 2007.
The main focus of the overall agreement is on achieving cost efficiencies and improved quality of services. Several applications will be hosted by IBM, including Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). IBM will also host Sapa's e-mail and printing systems.
The agreement is part of the Shared Services Initiative across the entire Orkla Group.
“Sapa choose to expand their co-operation with IBM, because the initial part of the contract was delivered on time and on budget,” said Morten Thorkildsen, Country General Manager, IBM Norway.
“The IBM agreement is an important one for both parties. With the expanded contract, will we have in place a common infrastructure platform which will cover our IT needs in the joint ventures,” said Espen Falla, SVP of Shared Services in Sapa.

Datascope Consulting Release Version 2 of Their WMS (Warehouse Management System) for SYSPRO

Datascope today announced the release of version 2 of its WMS (Warehouse Management System). This warehousing solution has been specifically built for operation with SYSPRO ERP and therefore is highly integrated into SYSPRO via the standard e.net object layer. WMS fully integrates Barcoding into SYSPRO, allowing users to more efficiently process any tasks.

Port Elizabeth, South Africa (PRWEB) November 12, 2008 -- Datascope today announced the release of version 2 of its WMS (Warehouse Management System). This warehousing solution has been specifically built for operation with SYSPRO ERP and therefore is highly integrated into SYSPRO via the standard e.net object layer. Using radio frequency technology, the scanners act as a real time intelligent layer between the warehouse or factory floor and core SYSPRO.

All transactions within the WMS are security controlled based on named users. Each transaction requires an operator login which authenticates all standard SYSPRO securities and logs the user name against every transaction posted to SYSPRO. Further, the system maintains a detailed operator log file of key security overrides.

The software has been developed in the latest. Net development tools. All grid screens can be dynamically filtered and exported to MS Excel. Click once deployment technology is used for deployment and all software is strictly version controlled. Updates to the software are covered in a standard annual license fee structure.

Datascope has implemented the WMS is many SYSPRO manufacturing, warehousing and distribution industries. These companies have seen huge benefits in the following areas:

* Picking efficiency and accuracy improvements
* Raw materials FIFO control
* WIP tracking visibility
* WIP labour postings
* Optimisation of random bin locations
* Lot traceability improvements
* Improve stock accuracy and visibility
* Reduced stock take time
* Management efficiency reports
* Reduced inventory levels
* Enforced WIP process controls

The WMS inbound module includes purchase receipting, quick scan receipting, LCT receipting, scanner based purchase receipting and supply chain transfers. The WMS work in progress module includes factory floor labour posting, job labeling, job picking and job receipting. The WMS outbound module includes stock reservation management, a host of picking rules, the ability to over and under pick, a picking review screen, a check out audit and basic load planning. The WMS general module includes various scanner based stock movements, a comprehensive stock take module, queries and reports, bin optimization and labeling together with general bar-code labeling. The WMS administration module includes systems settings and features, securities and documentation.

Datascope publishes a free quarterly email newsletter which highlights the latest Datascope WMS enhancements and customer implementations. To become a newsletter subscriber or to request a copy of Datascope's WMS brochure, send an e-mail to newsletter @ datascope.co.za.

Anton Jurgens, Datascope's Managing Director and founder, said, “Identifying the need in the market for a WMS for SYSPRO, we took a strategic decision over three years ago to develop a cutting edge solution. With our knowledge and experience in warehousing and distribution environments and the fact that we have built the product to be highly settings driven, we can now implement a plug and play WMS solution in a very short space of time. For a demo of the product, feel free to e-mail me at support@ datascope.co.za.”

Datascope Consulting is a progressive and growing company focused on the development and implementation of world class supply chain optimization solutions. Since 2001, Datascope has focused on supply chain business consulting, SYSPRO ERP implementations and software development. Standard software developed solutions can be categorized as follows:

* Optimised warehousing (Datascope WMS)
* Specialised SYSPRO ERP optimization modules
* EDI systems to facilitate electronic trading
* Logistics track and track solutions
* Specialist JIS (just in sequence) solutions for the automotive industry

Datascope's business model focuses on building long term partnerships with clients to optimize supply chain efficiencies within their businesses.

ERP Software for IT Solution Providers Has One-Year ROI

VBS Software Releases Version 5 With New, Web-Based Functionality That Furthers the Company's Vision of Being Indispensable to VAR Businesses and Advancing the Integration of IT Channels -- VARs, Distributors and Vendors

the leading ERP application for the growing IT solution provider, today announced the release of VBS version 5, which brings significantly more benefit to its clients with incremental productivity gains, better ease of use and improved system performance, providing accelerated return on investment.
VBS Software's unique order management process, which is designed exclusively for the IT channel partner, moves to a browser-based application in version 5. In addition, VBS customers will find incremental productivity enhancements with single-pane deal management, improved report generation and easier access to information. Ease-of-use improvements are provided with the web interface and an improved look and feel, which shortens the time to train new users and simplifies the application navigation for existing users. Performance improvements result from updated middleware technology.
Steve Sigg, chief executive officer for VBS Software, commented, “This powerful new version of VBS builds on the success we've had in meeting the unique needs of the IT solution provider. In an industry where business processes are so integrally tied to upstream partners, such as distributors and vendors, the order management enhancements in version 5 further differentiate VBS as the premier ERP application for the IT solution provider.”
Business owners who are evaluating systems to help them scale will find the features of an application designed specifically for their industry to provide the best ROI and total cost of ownership on the market. Because VBS knows VARs and the IT channel, the selection, implementation and benefits of the solution occur rapidly, with the system often paying for itself in less than one year.
Current clients cite ROI in revenue growth from improved visibility into their businesses for better, faster decision making. They find reduced cost, both in productivity improvements and reduction in rework that stems from the industry's labor-intensive, manual order management business process. Time-to-cash improvements are common, with auto-invoicing and invoice accuracy, which minimizes customer disputes. Working capital reductions are inherent with our clients' ability to closely manage A/R and A/P spreads. The combination of these benefits and others lend accretive valuation to reseller businesses.
Becky Mulligan, chief financial officer for Software Information Systems, adds, “We've seen a good deal of additional value from version 5. VBS made some enhancements that really matter for VAR businesses. In particular, single-pane deal management has even further streamlined our sales operations and has reinforced our decision to choose VBS for our ERP system. VBS knows the VAR business like no other vendor out there, and that makes all the difference.”
About VBS Software
VBS Software is the only ERP application on the market that is designed exclusively for the IT solution provider. With an inherent workflow for VAR businesses, it is fast and easy to implement, giving the solution provider immediate benefit in both front- and back-office operations. Integration with distributors makes a compelling case for broad adoption across the channel by lowering cost, saving time and creating a much more efficient channel. VBS customers are VARs ranging from $5M to $400M in revenue, totaling over $1B in resale to end users. For more information, visit http://www.abouterp.com

Visibility Increases Mobility with Launch of VISIBILITY.net 7.2.1

Visibility Corp. (www.visibility.com), an industry leader in business software solutions designed to provide manufacturers a competitive edge, announced today the additions to its already robust VISIBILITY.net ERP solution with release 7.2.1.

Visibility's Proven Expertise Provides Huge Advantage for Manufacturing Businesses

Leveraging more than 20 years of experience and input from hundreds of clients, Visibility continues to extend the VISIBILITY.net enterprise platform enabling manufacturing enterprises to maximize profit, improve decision making and promote collaboration throughout the enterprise. VISIBILITY.net optimizes business effectiveness both functionally and through the use of its superior technology such as being 100% web based and all client devices only requiring Internet Explorer to access the ERP system. According to Stephen Carson, Executive Vice-President with Visibility Corporation, “Anywhere anytime mobility is a huge advantage for businesses in terms of speed to respond and overall efficiency and is a primary objective we continually improve upon with the VISIBILITY.net enterprise business platform.”

Superior Framework and Architecture
In 2006, Visibility Corporation released its highly touted VISIBILITY.net ERP enterprise platform. The enterprise business solution, focused on To-Order, Mixed-mode and Project-oriented Manufacturers is designed entirely using the Microsoft.NET framework and web services architecture. The VISIBILITY.net platform enables Enterprise Optimization through its comprehensive functionality and extensive use of the latest collaborative technologies.

Cost Efficient/Productivity Friendly
A prime motivation for small and mid-size organizations is to drive costs down while increasing enterprise productivity. VISIBILITY.net has enabled clients to dramatically reduce costs both in time to implement as well as eliminating many traditional in-house support requirements. For example, the only software required on a user's workstation is Internet Explorer. Additionally, new releases are downloadable making upgrades fast and easy to deploy. On the road and out of the office users are also supported as if they were in-house with all remote employees having complete access to the business system via an internet connection from anywhere at anytime.

Release Increases Value Packed Features of Already Comprehensive Product
Strategic (enhancements) across the entire enterprise include Customer Relationship Management, Engineering and Product Lifecycle Management, Operations Management, Material and Production Planning, Financial Management, Business Performance Management, Collaboration, Workflow, Multi-company/currency/language and database choices of either Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle.

VISIBILITY.net Release 7.2.1 effectively extends the existing .net enterprise platform in many areas including:

· Introduction of VisMobile.net module which includes shop floor labor and inventory tracking, thereby eliminating the need for expensive third party Data Collection solutions
· Enhanced Scheduling and Distribution Module which eliminates the need in larger organizations for third-party advanced job scheduling products
· Increased Integration with Microsoft's products including full integration with Microsoft Office, Microsoft Project, Microsoft CRM, and Microsoft Outlook
· Increased Graphical Scheduling and Quality Workbench Capabilities
· Functionality for Variable Dimensional Inventory to allow manufactures to track and plan based upon variable raw materials such as steel, pipe, and sheet
· Increased Business Intelligence and Key Performance Indicator (KPI) capabilities for executives and management

Visibility Corporation (www.visibility.com) is the leading supplier of business software solutions designed for the unique needs of project-based, engineer-to-order and mixed mode manufacturers. Visibility's Enterprise Application solutions help midsize manufacturers of complex products operate their businesses effectively. Visibility has an extensive customer base throughout North America and Europe and has the strongest representation of ERP among manufacturers of complex products.

VISIBILITY.net is an integrated, in-house, ERP solution and more. Offering unparalleled functionality and integrated workflow, this browser-based solution cost effectively delivers the power of .NET-based Web services. Deployable with unprecedented flexibility, conducting business any place, any time is a reality.

Blue sky for cloud computing

The guts of the spiel at Dreamforce 08 is that we are in the end times of on-premises software and that with the dire economic conditions there has never been a better time for companies to rip out their software systems and release their business apps into the cloud, where SaaS providers such as Salesforce will handle customer relationship management, financials, human resources and pretty well everything else except heavy-duty transactional computing.

Benioff a big man at 196cm, worked the stage with the same sort of intensity as his arch nemesis, Steve Ballmer, Microsoft chief executive and in Benioff's eyes the evil overlord of the biggest on-premises software outfit in the world.

Someone remarked that Dreamforce was the Woodstock of cloud computing, as 1970s soft-rock legend Neil Young took the stage to show off his green machine conversion of a '59 Lincoln Continental. But Benioff's opening keynote was all hard sell.

The former Oracle executive had clearly studied the tent evangelism style of mentor and Oracle boss Larry Ellison.

With his cloud crowd featuring people from all walks of business large and small, Benioff regaled the audience with how democratic Dreamforce was and how other vendors would invite large enterprises to their customer shows and “shake them down”.

“Me included” said Benioff to the crowd, referring to his 13-year career at Oracle. “But I've changed, I've reformed.”

Later, in an one-on-one interview with The Australian, he admitted his keynote speech at Dreamforce was the most important sales opportunity of the year and that months of planning had gone into it.

As his company stretches towards its first $US1 billion revenue year - still just a fraction of the take of on-premises software giants SAP, Oracle and Microsoft - Benioff says the future SaaS world is based on a number of big platforms that support everything else.

He says Salesforce, obviously, will be the business app platform, while Amazon does storage and transaction services, Google does search and desktop apps and social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace provide the social meeting zones.

At Dreamforce, Salesforce rolled out toolkits for its Force.com platform to give Force developers access to the application programming interfaces sitting inside Facebook and Amazon, as well as the Force.com Sites product, which lets users run their websites in the Salesforce environment.

The announcements linking the Force.com platform to Facebook and Amazon appear to have a lot of potential.

What sort of business apps do you see being developed on Force.com that tap into those big social network sites?

We tried to come up with some examples because no one has done this before.

One of the things this conference tries to do is create the future, so the example we gave of using Facebook for viral recruiting (through an embedded employee referral system) was very compelling, as well as moving My Starbucks Ideas (the coffee empire's website customer idea feedback zone) into Facebook and then tapping into the Amazon cloud for storage and burstable compute cycles.

I created the My Starbucks Ideas example, somebody else came up with the employee referral idea.

This technology is only weeks old, so it needs to be given some time to bake.

Where is the main weight of your business these days? Is it in small-to-medium business?

It is evenly distributed one-third small, one-third medium and one-third large enterprise.

Are you happy with that mix?

It's not a question of being happy or sad. It is what it is and it has been that way since we started the company and we can't really explain why.

Because we have a democratic solution, it's just a mirror of the IT industry itself and it just turns out that if you take a mirror to the industry it's a third, a third, a third.

What do you say to business people who need to touch, feel and control their technology infrastructure?

I say, talk to our customers. Talk to people who have used Salesforce and been successful at it and talk to people who have software. One model has a tremendously high level of customer satisfaction and one model doesn't.

You've said there has never been a better time for cloud computing, but given the current economic climate, isn't there a danger the whole market will contract over the next 18 months, making it a bad time for both on-premises and SaaS?

That's not really what we have seen. The issue for SAP is that they said in the last two weeks of the quarter all their transactions just dried up. Why was that? Because the credit market just didn't allow those customers to buy, because SAP only does mega-transactions with the world's biggest companies.

It comes back to your earlier question about whether I'm happy with the one-third, one-third and one-third mix. SAP wishes it had that but it doesn't: it has zero, zero and 100 per cent.

It is stuck. It can only sell huge transactions to huge companies. If there's no credit to do those transactions, plus credit for the hardware to run those transaction on, where do you end up?

Next year would appear to be a very tough year for everybody. Do you see it that way?

I can't give you a forward-looking statement for next year. I am just saying there has never been a better time for cloud computing for three reasons. People need to cut their operating expenses, people need to cut their capital expenses and people need to reduce their risk. Are you going to do that buying enterprise software? Probably not.

Companies still need to operate and manage their information, so this is a great opportunity to move away from the enterprise software model and the enterprise hardware model and the data centre model, where you create it, control it, and deliver it yourself with this new shared model - that's the power.

Given the current climate, have you or will you institute a hiring freeze at Salesforce?

I can't talk about material information around financials. I'm in a quiet period. We'll give our financial results in a controlled environment in three weeks.

You did speak about widening the spread of your data centres outside the US. You are about to open a data centre in Singapore and are considering opening data centres in Japan and Europe. From a customer perspective, are the reasons for building the new sites outside the US technological, psychological or both?

It's neither. It has really been driven by the customer. If the customer is willing to pay for it, we'll deliver it.

We had a customer in Citibank - one of our largest customers in the world - that signed on for one of our largest transactions ever, at 30,000 users, and that wanted to pay for it, so we delivered it. Now other customers can take advantage of it.

Do you always need to build new data centres for Salesforce or can the platform be located in existing data centres?

We have our own architecture and our own technology. It's not very complicated, but it has to be assembled to our specification so we can get the level of performance, scale and security that our customers demand.

We have our own proprietary hardware architecture that mirrors our proprietary software architecture. Those two things together make up the data centre.

Coda, one of the SaaS suppliers on your platform, has developed an enterprise resource planning system. Do you see cloud-style ERP making much of a dent in the traditional ERP market in the near term?

I think so. We need a change in ERP. Many of these systems are one, two or in some cases three decades old in architecture and code base and no one has done a good job of focusing in that area.

And it's time. I hope Coda is very successful in this area. We see other companies building and delivering native ERP as well.

It is hard to see someone who has spent a lot of time, effort and expense bedding down an ERP system ripping it out, saying they'll do it in the cloud now.

Obviously you've never run your own ERP system. If you owned one and ran one, then you might think you would go for a better alternative if there was one.

These customers have to upgrade and update and maintain and put in the next version, upgrade their data centres and their hardware and their security models just to put their financial statements out. It's horrible. It's painful.

So you really think people will switch out of an entrenched ERP system?

Customers will want to switch off all on-premises software if they are given a high-quality product to do it, and we are trying to enable that.

We've done it with CRM, and we are trying to enable it now with ERP, but not doing it ourselves, rather enabling partners to do it. You'll see others here a year or two from now.

People used to run ERP on mainframes and then they switched them off to go to client/server because it was cheaper and easier. Now they are going to switch if they are given a viable alternative.

The momentum for cloud computing is clearly building, even with traditional on-premises software suppliers.

The big question is the rate at which the industry moves into the cloud.

What are the constraints on cloud computing at the moment?

Well, we just delivered a 49 per cent growth quarter and before that we delivered two 50 per cent growth quarters.

We are growing very quickly, we are over $1 billion in revenue. This is faster growth than either Microsoft or Oracle after a similar period of time.

Building an enterprise software company with that kind of scale is a lot of work and it takes time. People always overestimate what can be done in a year and underestimate what can be done in a decade.

I'm only done with my first decade at Salesforce and I'm still a relatively young man at 44. As I look forward into the next decade between 44 and 54 I hope to make this the platform.

The last 10 years have been about CRM, the next 10 years will be about CRM and the platform.

We want to build a multibillion-dollar company. At my last earnings call I said we had just crossed the $1 billion revenue run rate.

If you were given a perfect world right now, what bits would you fix to drive the cloud computing momentum harder?

Well, we would have a bigger distribution organisation than we already have. In the cloud computing industry there aren't other Salesforces that we can tap into.

In the PC world there are - there's the value-added reseller channel, the PC seller, and they are very good at selling software as well. But in our world it's up to us and we are masters of our own destiny.

That's our greatest asset and also our greatest weakness, so the bigger I can make the company the more sales people I can hire.

Today, Salesforce has more than 100 people in Australia. Two years ago, maybe we had 10 or 20.

Our job is to get to 1000 employees in Australia. When are we going to get there? I don't know. As fast as I can? Yeah.

The only way I am winning deals and creating success is aligning demand with our ability to meet it and that's that individual, face-to-face meeting. I don't know any other way to sell the product.

What about using the channel?

We leverage the channel in terms of services and systems integrators like Accenture and Fujitsu, but the channel has not really figured out how to sell cloud computing.

Why not?

I don't know why not.

What are they getting wrong or missing?

We have to go in there with them. It's a twin operation. They need a wingman. If they were flying the plane there would be two people in the plane.

That's ideal. I'd love to snap my fingers and have more people. I'm very jealous of Oracle - they have 25,000 sales reps and SAP has 10,000 sales reps.

They are mega-companies. My company only has 3300 employees and I can assure you they are not all in sales, so we are handicapped in our ability to make that sale.

When everybody comes to Dreamforce and I have them in front of me, I figure that keynote is the most important thing. I worked on it for two months.

I'm making my case every year about cloud computing and that keynote is like my closing argument.

Markem-Imaje Pallet Labeling Solution Helps Solve Supply Chain

all-encompassing Pallet Labeling solution. It is designed to establish the unique product identities needed for tracking pallet movement throughout the entire supply chain process. Pallet Labeling incorporates the hardware, software and support services needed to help customers track pallet movement through packing lines, warehousing, inventory control applications, supply chain execution and critical recall processes.
This new complete Pallet Labeling solution set, powered by Markem-Imaje CoLOS (R) software, eliminates errors and down-time by creating unique pallet codes that help facilitate tracking speed, precision and efficiency. The solution handles all of the key variables needed to maintain a continuous flow of pallets, including the identification of product from multiple fill lines, management of the queue, verification of the label, and the handling of partial pallets. A key result is the elimination of the problems caused by mislabeling -- such as retailer fines and product recalls.
This standard solution is scaleable across palletizer lines and will integrate with existing ERP, MES, and WMS systems -- feeding back information into these systems in a seamless manner. The system also interfaces with standard SQL databases and offers compliance with unique pallet codes. Additionally, the Pallet Labeling solution set helps manufacturers comply with all GS1 (UCC-EAN) standards for labeling--barcodes, text and graphics are reliably sharp and clear.
The Markem-Imaje Pallet Labeling solution includes easy-to-use CoLOS software modules? an OPC server allowing for connectivity to PLC, automation controls, scales and conveyers? appropriate Markem-Imaje printers and label applicators? Datamax Desktop printing and CoLOS Enterprise software to help design code and label formats? and finally, a comprehensive implementation methodology that starts with process analysis and continues through to training and service.
Customers already benefiting from this advanced Pallet Labeling solution include ConAgra, DOW, McCain and Pepsi Co. Reported benefits include significantly reduced costs, increased quality, lower inventories, and reduction in operator errors.
To learn more about this exciting new solution set,

Markem-Imaje, a wholly owned subsidiary of the New York-based Dover Group, is a trusted world manufacturer of product identification and traceability solutions, offering a full line of reliable and innovative inkjet, thermal transfer, laser, print and apply label systems and RFID-based systems.
With more than 95 years of experience, Markem-Imaje delivers fully integrated solutions that enable product quality and safety, regulatory and retailer compliance, better product recalls and improved manufacturing processes. Headquartered in Bourg-les-Valence, France, Markem-Imaje employs more than 2,800 people in 33 subsidiaries worldwide and provides more than 30,000 customers with optimal product marking and coding solutions.
Additionally, Markem-Imaje customers are supported by six R&D centers and several equipment repair centers and manufacturing plants strategically located around the globe.

Mid-Atlantic Systems Integrator Md2Systems, Inc. Broadens Market Opportunities as Channel Partner of ACOM Solutions, Inc.

a Glen Allen-based systems integrator and I.T consultant that specializes in implementation and support of enterprise resource planning and document management systems across a broad spectrum of business and government agencies, has been named a channel partner by ACOM Solutions, Inc., it was announced today by Founder/CEO Devi Misra and ACOM Senior Vice President James R. Scott.

Md2 Systems operates with a current staff of about 30 technical, sales and administrative personnel. The company is CDIA+ certified as a consultant, providing special expertise in such areas as service-oriented architecture (SOA), .NET, Java and SOA, and enterprise solutions such as J.D. Edwards and SAP. ACOM is a leading developer and marketer of integrated document management solutions that are seamlessly compatible with all computing platforms and software systems.

“The relationship with ACOM provides our company with an excellent new revenue opportunity,” Misra said. “Their products extend the value and capability of ERP systems and initially, we plan to focus on introducing their EZeDocs, EZContentManager and EZConnect EDI-XML solutions to our existing client base and new business prospects. Over time, we will broaden our scope to include the entire ACOM integrated document management product line, including its EZPayManager payment solutions for check printing and ACH payments.”

Misra said that he was attracted to the ACOM partnership by the quality and user-friendliness of the product line, including their ease of integration in any business management/ERP software environment. Additionally, he said, ACOM's channel program provides extensive training and sales support in the initial phases of the relationship, as well as strong direct access to company support personnel once the program is in place and the reseller is functioning independently.

“It is an ideal partnership to support our goals for growth and profitability,” he said. “It will help us maintain a stronger presence with out customer base and allow us to expand our new business efforts in many directions.”

ACOM's Scott noted that the new partner's vision and goals fit well with those of the ACOM channel program. “The company has defined its market and its objectives very well, and we are pleased that ACOM's products will be a part of them. We are looking forward to working closely with Md2 Systems as they energetically enter this new phase of their business

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Epicor launches new ERP solution in Dubai

Businesses in the Middle East are evaluating next-generation technologies with a view to making them the basis of their IT systems, said an expert.

The enterprise resource planning (ERP) technologies include Web 2.0, which is intended to encourage creativity, information sharing and collaboration among users, and service-oriented architecture (SOA), a collection of services that can be accessed without knowledge of the underlying platform.

“The adoption rate of these technologies has increased over the past 12 to 18 months,” said Basil Daniells, Regional Director, Middle East, North Africa and India, of business software company EpicorEpicorLoading…. “These technologies are forming the base of many critical applications.

“A large number or tenders and requests for proposals are based on these technologies. These tenders are from the private, government and quasi-government sectors. They are also typically aligned at verticals like distribution, manufacturing and retail.

“A lot of mid-sized companies are working with third-party consultants to prepare RFPs and evaluate these based on next-generation ERP solutions.”

EpicorEpicorLoading…has 350 customers in the region and most are in the mid-market segment.

Daniells was speaking at the launch of the company's next-generation product Epicor 9, which is expected to be available before the end of the year.

John Hiraoka, Senior Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer of EpicorEpicorLoading…, said: “Vendors have been talking about SOA but there is a huge difference between talking about it and actually seeing it happen. With our new product line customers can benefit economically and on an organisational level from SOA.

“We announced Epicor 9 at our global consumer conference in October and the next stage was to go to all the major countries and markets. We decided to come here first as this market is seen as greater than any other and also a platform for tremendous opportunities.”

The new product is built on a second-generation SOA, Epicor Internet Component Environment (ICE), which the company announced earlier. ICE fuses Web 2.0 technologies with SOA.

The company has conducted beta testing of the new product at two customer sites - one client is in Saudi Arabia and the other is Jordan-based air-conditioning manufacturer Petra Engineering Industries.

EpicorEpicorLoading…has not revealed the name of the Saudi Arabian customer as the testing is at a very early stage but the implementation at Petra will be completed by the end of the year.

Petra Production Manager Omar Ali said: “We decided to go with Epicor 9 based on the many enhancements and features it offers.

“We are currently in the implementation stage and hope to be up and running by the end of the year. EpicorEpicorLoading…has provided us with strong support over the past months and we believe once Epicor 9 is fully implemented it will improve our overall operational efficiency.”

By Nancy Sudheer

ERP won't solve your organisational problems

when change is introduced into a business, there will naturally be a period during which people must adapt to the new processes and procedures. In this period, work outputs and efforts may drop dramatically. The focus of change management is to minimise the length of this decline and introduce the new processes into the standard operating procedures and culture of the business, so that optimal performance levels can be quickly realised.

No matter what the size of a business, changing its processes is a challenging task, Fenner says. Since processes need to be as repetitive as possible to ensure constant quality and delivery times to customers, these business processes tend to be difficult to change. In this era of mass customisation, flexibility is a key issue and change management should therefore take the desired level of flexibility into account.

“Change has become an ongoing phenomenon and business process re-engineering has become a necessity for the survival of businesses today. One of the innovative ways to manage change in the implementation of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is to adopt a comprehensive change management methodology.”

The key drivers of opting for an ERP system are the introduction of industry-standard processes which are embedded in the application, integration across business functions leading to transparency, access to real-time information, analytical reporting for business decisions, and adoption of state-of-the-art technology providing security and scalability. The objectives of embarking on an ERP implementation are to align business objectives with technology solutions, evolve the organisational value chain by enhancing customer confidence and stakeholder commitment, and achieve better organisational resource and asset utilisation.

In the lead up to large-scale change brought about by business system implementations, there are multiple complex influences at play that impact perceptions that the organisation might not be ready for the change effort. These influences manifest in uncertainty, ambiguity in roles and responsibilities and in many cases, information overload. Organisational change management is often considered to be one of the most important success factors for enterprise system implementations and has even be referred to as a critical success factor.

It is interesting to note that most implementation failures are concerned with organisational, not technical issues, Fenner says. “In order to mitigate the risks of these failures, businesses must recognise that change management is critical to the success of the project. By focusing the ERP implementation on change management, an organisation is better positioned to understand, ahead of time, the risks to project success and make appropriate adjustments to the business processes to combat failure.”

He defines change management as managing modifications to an organisation's culture, hierarchy, and business processes in order to achieve a desired outcome. Therefore, change management should be seen as a continual process or method rather than a series of tools or exercises. What is important to consider is that change management must be maintained throughout each stage of the ERP implementation, from pre-adoption through implementation, to post implementation.

“One way to ensure success is to understand from the outset that an ERP system is a means and not an end. Merely implementing an ERP system will not increase the efficiency of the business - it is a tool and a process for improving operations. So, expecting the ERP system to solve all the organisational problems is like adopting performance measures but never checking on the progress of the measures. Certain factors cannot be compromised when considering adoption. One of these is that staff must actively manage the implementation of the ERP system and know what the greatest project risks are,” Fenner concludes.

Softline Accpac

Softline Accpac is a global provider of business management solutions including financial, distribution, service management, retail, warehouse management, manufacturing and CRM to the mid-range market. Its solutions are delivered to 130 countries exclusively through its global network of solution providers including over 150 throughout Africa. Softline Accpac's product line includes: Accpac ERP, Accpac CRM, Accpac RMS, Accpac Warehouse Management System and Accpac Insight.

Softline

Softline is a leading provider of accounting, payroll, CRM and ERP software solutions to small, medium-sized and large companies. Founded in 1988 by Ivan Epstein, Alan Osrin and Steven Cohen, Softline was established during the formative years of the software industry and listed on the JSE Securities Exchange South Africa in February 1997. Softline expanded to establish a strong position within its area of focus in South Africa and Australia. Focused on the development of accounting, payroll, CRM and ERP software solutions, Softline has a 20-year track record as a market leader. The group has a broad range of products offering users a variety of software solutions to run its businesses efficiently. Softline's leading brands include Softline Accpac, Softline Enterprise, Softline Pastel (Accounting and Payroll) and Softline VIP. The combination of the group's product offerings provide Softline customers with comprehensive, well-branded accounting, payroll, CRM and ERP software solutions. In November 2003, Softline was acquired by the Sage Group plc, a FTSE 100 company. The software group includes market-leading businesses throughout the United Kingdom, Europe, North America, South Africa and Australia, supplying business software to the small, medium-sized and large business community. Softline has a solid track record of profitability and cash generation. The group delivers quality accounting, payroll, CRM and ERP software solutions that improve the efficiencies of businesses around the world.

US: Brandix opts for Lawson ERP solution

Software and service solutions provider Lawson Software has struck a deal with Sri Lankan garment manufacturer Brandix.

It has successfully implemented Lawson Fashion, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution that is part of the Lawson M3 Enterprise Management System.

Brandix initially went live on the Lawson M3 Finance Management Suite in 2007, following an implementation that took less than five months, a statement said.

Since founding in 1965, Brandix has grown into a US$350m group of companies producing primarily casual pants, intimates and active wear.

Brandix owns and operates three mills that produce cotton fabrics, woven products, knits and finishes for apparel brands.

The Lawson Fashion solution replaced Brandix's in-house ERP system used to track customer order processing, manufacturing, warehousing, distribution and procurement across different divisions.

“We initially had to decide whether to build our own ERP product against the products that were currently available in the market,” said Lalith Withana, executive vice president for Brandix. “After evaluating different vendors, we felt that the Lawson solution was much more suitable for our type of business. We found there was a fit, because of the functionality geared specifically for the fashion industry.”

SoftBrands Rolls Out ERP Software, Service Bundles for Remote Sites

Seeking to connect with large manufacturing enterprises that are expanding operations into emerging geographic markets, SoftBrands Inc. today introduced a bundled package of ERP software and services that will be sold by SAP AG's direct sales force.

The Emerging Markets Platform consists of SoftBrands' FourthShift Edition for SAP Business One ERP suite, as well as deployment services and templates, and integrated support for language and fiscal requirements in 40 regions of the world.

Daniel Head, SoftBrands' vice president for SAP large enterprise, said the bundled Emerging Markets Platform is intended to appeal to large enterprises that are expanding their operations into emerging parts of the world, but do not want to spend the hundreds of thousands of dollars it might cost to deploy large, complex ERP packages there. SoftBrands' target, Head told Managing Automation, is to sell 10-user deployments, complete with deployment templates and services, for under $100,000 per site.

Centage Corporation Achieves Sage Software Gold Development Partner Status

Centage Corporation, a leader in Budgeting, Forecasting and Reporting solutions for the Small to Mid-Sized Business market, today announced that it has achieved Sage Software Development Partner Gold Tier status. Gold Tier status is a new Sage Developer certification program that is aimed at giving Sage customers and business partners a level of consistency, predictability and confidence while implementing products that integrate with Sage's ERP systems.
To achieve this strategic tier, Centage customers and business partners had to complete a survey to ensure that Centage's products and support maintain a high level of customer satisfaction.
Centage's flagship product, Budget Maestro, integrates budgeting, forecasting and reporting functionality into a single solution. Budget Maestro features built-in financial and business logic that frees companies from budgeting with spreadsheets, allowing users to produce accurate budgets and what-if scenarios without risking complex formula errors and bad workbook links. Users can generate integrated income statements, balance sheets and cash flow reports, as well as numerous analytical and managerial reports, all in real-time.
Link Maestro (R) provides direct connectivity to Sage MAS of 90/200/500 of ERP and Sage Accpac ERP systems to automate the data transfer process and improve the accuracy of data analysis for actual vs. budget variance reporting.
“This achievement marks an important strategic initiative with Sage and affirms our commitment to providing exceptional financial management solutions to Sage customers and partners,” said Kamran Sassoon, president and CEO of Centage Corporation.
About Centage
Centage Corporation offers Business Performance Management (BPM) solutions that give small to mid-sized businesses the tools to make better financial decisions by improving their planning, budgeting, forecasting, consolidation and reporting capabilities. Since 1996, thousands of licenses of Centage's Budget Maestro software have been sold worldwide. The scalable solution is used by companies in all industries. Budget Maestro and Link Maestro are available directly from Centage and its authorized resellers. Sage resellers who wish to join the Centage Partner Program can contact Centage

HP, NetSuite Reach Channel Deal

Hewlett-Packard will resell NetSuite's on-demand ERP (enterprise resource planning) software through its 15,000-strong channel of value-added resellers, initially in the U.S., the companies announced jointly on Tuesday.

HP and NetSuite previously linked up in 2003, when NetSuite was called NetLedger.

“It was more of an alliance back then,” said Mini Peiris, vice president of product marketing at NetSuite. “This one's secured by a contract, and the initial time we tried this we were a little bit ahead of the curve. Cloud computing was still new… we're in a very different climate today.”

Peiris declined to reveal how much of a cut HP's channel partners will receive on software sales. They will also be able to make money by offering “value-added management and implementation services” for NetSuite, according to the announcement. In addition, NetSuite is providing HP partners with a training resource portal and a toll-free sales support hotline.

The channel agreement applies only to the U.S for now. “We want get some success stories under our belt and see where that takes us,” Peiris said.

It also remains to be seen where HP goes from here.

Janet Pretti, vice president of channel marketing at HP, said the deal with NetSuite is not exclusive.

But Pretti declined to discuss what other agreements might be down the road with companies like SAP. That long-time HP ally is slowly rolling out its on-demand Business ByDesign ERP offering, which competes with NetSuite.

Meanwhile, NetSuite picked the right partner in HP, said Ray Wang, an analyst with Forrester Research. “The HP channel base is a good one. It has true SMB users? it's more likely that they're going to use something like NetSuite.”

Customers may also be more inclined to buy a SaaS product if they can do so through a familiar face like their HP provider, he suggested: “I think for a lot of people, they want to deal with something have existing relationship with.”

ERP rates for some gantries lowered during December school holiday

The Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) rates at some gantries will be reduced by between 50 cents and S$1.00 during the December school holiday.

Rates at the Central Expressway (CTE), Pan-Island Expressway (PIE), Shenton Way, Bendemeer, Thomson and Lor 6 Toa Payoh gantries will be cut from Saturday, November 15 till December 31.

The ERP rates will revert to the pre-school holiday rates from 2 January 2009.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said the next ERP rate review will be in February, which is the first quarterly review for 2009.

Automotive press tools maker goes for CpiO configured Sage ERP

Automotive punches and dies manufacturer AW Precision says it expects to achieve an estimated saving of £10,000 a year in labour costs when it goes live with £25,000 worth of Sage ERP from specialist implementer CPiO.

The company, which employs 110 at its UK site in Rugby, was finding accurate stock control and word processed invoicing a growing challenge, as customer demand for both printed and online brochures and PDF pricing lists grew.

Sage 200 will provide a range of management reports, while also integrating seamlessly with Microsoft Excel, according to AW Precision's IT manager Andy Whitworth.

“We expect to see a return on our investment within a couple of years and will immediately benefit from staff having a greater amount of time to spend working on more productive areas of the business,” says Whitworth.

“Initially, there will be 35 users on the system, but we do expect this to increase. CPiO will tailor the system to our growth ambitions by incorporating the function to expand the solution,” he continues.

“CPiO understands what is best for our business. We are a small company, so it is key to us that we work with a supplier who can support us. This is a large investment but with a huge payback, which ultimately will enable us to deliver our customers a better service,” adds Whitworth.

Data acquisition specialist logs on to Infor Syteline ERP

Data acquisition and control products manufacturer Campbell Scientific says it has selected Infor ERP SyteLine to drive efficiencies and hone its competitive advantage.

The system, which replaces a decade old legacy suite, is intended initially for 25 users at its European HQ, and will integrate production, purchasing, sales, accounting, contract management, warehousing and service functions.

Says Mark Pimperton, IT manager and ERP project manager at Campbell Scientific: “Throughout the selection process, Infor consistently demonstrated a keenness and ability to understand our business processes and requirements for an ERP system. Infor's sales team is steeped in industry expertise, thorough and professional throughout.”

Some ERP rates to be cut

ELECTRONIC Road Pricing (ERP) rates will go down at some gantries from Saturday, with the start of the school holidays.

Charges will be lowered by 50 cents to $1 at 20 gantries until Dec 31, following a review by the Land Transport Authority in anticipation of lighter traffic volumes.

The following gantries, now charging 50 cents to $1 at the times shown below, will stop charging:

  • Central Expressway (CTE), the gantry north of Braddell Road from 10am to 11am.

  • North-bound CTE before Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) from 8pm to 10.30pm.

  • Bendemeer Road from 7.30am to 8am, and 9am to 9.30am.

  • Thomson Road from 9am to 9.30am.

  • Lorong 6 Toa Payoh from 8am to 8.30am.

  • CTE, the gantry north of Braddell Road, from 7.30am to 8am and from 8.30am to 9am.

  • CTE, the three gantries south of Braddell Road, from 7.30am to 8am.

  • PIE at Kallang Bahru, from 8.30am to 9am.

  • PIE, the slip road onto the CTE, from 7.30am to 9am.

  • The Shenton Way-Chinatown cordon on weekdays, from 6pm to 7pm.

    The tolls will revert to pre-school holiday rates from Jan 2.

    Rates at all other gantries remain unchanged. The next review of ERP rates will take place next February.

  • ERP software for manufacturers

    LAWSON Software has announced its manufacturing-centric enterprise resource planning (ERP) software package to help address manufacturers' specific business needs.
    The Lawson QuickStep Manufacturing software can be used to manage a diverse range of products, supports a variety of product delivery and supply methods, and includes visibility across global supply chains.
    According to the developers, the application package will help reduce the time, cost and risks by pre-configuring the majority of manufacturing business processes within the system.
    The software is suited for process, discrete and mixed-mode manufacturers who engage in custom orders or mass production. Installation time is 50% shorter than typical ERP systems.
    The suite can be used to aggregate and enhance the visibility of organisation-wide production data, manage complex and expanding product lines, and provide material flow and inventory reduction capabilities.

    Friday, July 18, 2008

    For the good purpose: the “Corporate Volunteering Day” in Duesseldorf

    Completely directly whether Englishmen, Germans, dutchmen or Norwegians - on this day all datango coworkers spoke the same language: Teamwork. With motivation and energy the coworkers any age and each function went together to the work. Thereby in particular activities relating to crafts were the center of attention - of painting the corridors up to the adornment of the garden. A Barbecue in the rear garden formed the conclusion of the daily approximately around the pond, with which also the inhabitants of the mechanism could test the cook arts of some high-level personnel of the enterprise. Both on coworker and on inhabitant side the resonance was throughout positive. „Defiance or straight because of the unusual effort outside of the office, had all coworkers the feeling, something property to have carried out “, explains Nina Butzke, PR and marketing responsible person datango of the AG. „We plan also in the future further of such action days to promote and to connect with the public interest over enterprise co-operation and coworker motivation “, supplement Butzke. The enterprise with head office in Berlin, which admits on international level for its progressive E-Learning-technologies is, proves with the fact once more that success becomes larger, if one divides it.

    MHP thanks you for successful financial year

    The process and IT-consultation Mieschke Hofmann and Partner (MHP) had invited, in order to thank you for the successful financial year 2007/2008 coworkers, business partners and customers. About 900 guests from the motorring industry, the economy and the policy had traveled out completely Germany and were pleased with their host over the continuous growth course. Thus already the conversion is appropriate more for than 25 per cent over that of the previous year before end-of-year procedure. „The number of the coworkers increased MHP managing director Dr. Ralf Hofmann by 20 per cent “, so. This development is to continue also in the future further. On MHP as a Porsche daughter Thomas Edig died, personnel executive committee the Porsche AG. Honour guest Professor Dr. Willi Diez, director of the institute for automobile economy at the university Nürtingen Geislingen, gave in his lecture an overview over the current challenges and chances to the automotive industry.

    20 million RFID Inlays per month: SMARTRAC

    This production milestone underlines our prominent market position and our requirement to supply qualitatively high-quality Inlays for a multiplicity from RFID applications to “, says Manfred Rietzler, Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of SMARTRAC. „Our high production numbers show that we have sufficient capacities, in order to work on large customer projects within a short time. “SMARTRAC Ayutthaya in Thailand operates four factories in the province. One of it is a high safety production plant for the production of Inlays, which are used in applications for the electronic exchange (ePayment) and the electronic person identification (oath). The location existed numerous strict qualification processes. The three further factories are manufacturing plants for standard Inlays, which for example in the logistics, with which animal identification, in the public suburban traffic or with the admission control are used.The majority of these RFID Inlays produces SMARTRAC with its prop. guessing eras wire moving technology, which set standards for numerous applications. For an increasing number of Inlays the antennas besides with the etching technique and the wrap wire technique are produced.The world-wide production network of SMARTRAC covers also manufacturing plants in Brazil, the USA and Germany. The second largest production location in the province one from in Brazil, in which the enterprise predominantly manufactures RFID Inlays for the local market, has a monthly production capacity of approximately two million units.SMARTRAC at present a further factory in Malaysia constructs. There corroded antennas on aluminum basis for electronic tickets are to be manufactured. These so called eTickets find mainly within ranges such as libraries or used in the public suburban traffic.Additionally to the ordered quantities reproaches SMARTRAC also reserve capacities, in order to be able to guarantee for unexpected projects short response times.The ability to supplement production capacities fast is supported also by the fact that SMARTRAC an own machine-builder can access. The subsidiary Xytec develops and installs production plants, which are used in the world-wide manufacturing plants of SMARTRAC.

    Conclusion with „Ruckeln “: GameSafe of BitDefender for safe and liquid Gaming

    Up to 60 per cent of the processor achievement and 35 per cent of the main memory by popular safety programs are devoured. In order to be able to compensate such achievement losses, Gamer would have seizing with the purchase of their PCs still more deeply than anyway into the bag. Because in particular with resources-hungry applications such as 3-D-Shooter, rolling or real time strategy plays there is already few Frames more or less, which decide on the fun. With on-line Games as for example Counterstrike, Need for speed, World OF Warcraft etc. often experience players that it suddenly comes during the play to Lags (delays). Often these are caused by the automatic update functions of the safety programs. In Internet forums from there unnerved players give themselves the advice to switch Firewalls and virus scanners off during playing simply in order to increase the performance - with fatal consequences: Completely unsecured the computers are unprotectedly delivered in the Internet or on the LAN party all threats or attacks.
    Intelligent Security makes maximum play comfort and security possibleWith one click activates the player the Game mode of BitDefender GameSafe. Afterwards the program accomplishes a set from adjustments to the preservation of the performance, without causing thereby losses with the security of the system. Processor extent of utilization and storage requirement reduce to a not noticeable minimum. The software prevents automatic updates and Scans during the play, so that it not to delays - which feared „Ruckeln comes “. Alarm functions and Pop UP notifications are likewise temporarily switched off, since these would likewise lead to interruptions of the play. All critical safety functions remain nevertheless like the examination of important files as well as a blocking of bad connections.

    Current data protection

    The INFONAUTICS GmbH brought just now Live to file Backup 2,8 on the market. It acts thereby around a convincing real time baking UP program, which secures the workfiles in the desired time rhythm during the work constantly in the background. Contrary to daily or Wochen¬sicherungen, which only in each case copies of the last file versions provide, and this also only on the daily or weekend, Live file Backup secures constantly as many generations of a file as desired. Each data protection program can secure problem-free closed files. By intelligent algorithms Live file Backup secures in addition files also opened (z. Ex. of Word, Excel, Power POINT etc.), which of similar real time baking UP programs, which rely on the internal change recognition of Windows® (ChangeNotification), to be recognized not always reliably. Live file Backup guarantees the fact that a current protection of the workfiles is present always, if data lost go or is overwritten. If necessary, the program supplies fast and simply also older versions (generations) to a file with, before this was changed unintentionally.The program can be started automatically with Windows, so that this secures constantly the files. With few mouse click can be defined, which files and files included in the safety device process and/or to be excluded to be supposed. Furthermore can be determined, how many backup copies of a file provided and how long these are to be kept. The log integrated in the software points out at any time, which files became secured. The memory place for the secured files is freely selectable; this local and external drive assemblies can be, USB memory, network drive assemblies (resources after UNC standard, also not connected), wet act ions (network Attached STORAGE), as also by ftp in the Intranet and Internet attainable data media. All data can be compressed and coded, in order to save on the one hand place and to ensure on the other hand the protection of the data before the access third, if these have likewise access on the safety device listing. The software is available in the two languages German and English.

    Use of SmartCards in a Windows PKI - simple and safe

    Secardeo certRA makes a safe generation of key and in particular the archiving possible of private decoding keys for SmartCards and token. This is important, so that also after loss or defect of a map coded data again can be accessed. Besides is contained a flexible PIN/PUK administration, which the work of the RA personnel with the Personalisierung of the maps relieved and which security of the registration procedure increases.For importing user data and for the publication of certificates flexibly existing LDAP listings or Active Directories can be tied up. The Secardeo software solutions for certificate registration in Windows infrastructures is used by considerable customers in the industries industry, energy and banks.

    Railways Optimizer merzt weak points in SQL out

    The railways Optimizer of Embarcadero a SQL Profiling is and - Tuning IDE (Integrated development Environment). By inquiry statistics such as CCU, I/O and Waiting Times can analyze the software aimed specific SQL instructions and these for problems optimize. Railways Optimizer co-operate with all existing data base tools and prevent by thorough error tracing each loss.Further functions railways of the Optimizers: · graphic visualization of the Waiting time analysis: Hereby the places in the SQL code can be constituted, those for a slowing down of the data base are responsible (Bottlenecks)· Twisting Downs with hyperlink make entrance to detailed information about the activity for an SQL instruction possible· Explaining patterns help to understand and the expenditure to estimate be able the execution about SQL better · Error repair in real time: inefficient SQL remarks are recognized automatically and corrected (for Oracle)· Batches Tuning routines, whole SQL files and system stored by DML instructions, global AREA (Oracle)· Platform-independently: supports DB2, Oracle, SQL server and Sybase data bases“A golden rule with SQL is called: The output is only as good as the input. It does not give to work thus worse than with weak SQL code. The negative effect makes itself noticeably, “ in such a way in the achievement of entire application Thorsten Raab, chairman von Blue Harbors, a global SAP consulting firm. “Since we the railways Optimizer begin, can recognize we dataintensive or regular implemented inquiries better and optimize each problematic instruction. And definitely the efficiency of all data base-based applications increases. “Michael Swindell, Vice President for products of Embarcadero, promises further helpful products: „ with that we present first of several tools, which we plan in next time for our customers to railways Optimizer. In the focus it is located with the fact for us that the users can improve the performance of your applications on whole line: on the Clients, on the server, as well as in the data bases. Embarcadero supplies a complete portfolio of platform-independent Optimierungstools, as the enterprise combines the technologies of DatabaseGear and CodeGear. Thus we facilitate not only the work for the application developer, but also the data base professional and increase thereby the productivity of many enterprises.

    IT-Fachseminar „successful ones and structured selection of ERP systems “

    A goal of the meeting is it to arrange for the participants the ability to accomplish independently and successfully ERP Auswahlprojekte. The selection process is described in detail in its whole with all preparing activities. Contents are discussed as well as by practical examples reduction together. Background knowledge to ERP offerers and systems is obtained. Contents of the seminar:- Approach with the selection of ERP systems:o conditions in the enterpriseo approach with the analysis of the enterprise processeso constant process documentationo work statement productiono offerer searcho offerer selection o presentation strategies for the offerer presentationso contract design/negotiation of a treatyo background knowledge over systems and offerers- Background informations approximately around the topic of ERP systemsDate: 26.09.2008 Steigenberger park hotel Dresden - Radebeul, Nice route 55, 01445 RadebeulParticipation fee: 490,00 € (zzgl. VAT.) Early beech RPR ice to 31.08.08: 415,00 € (zzgl. VAT.)Registration:The registration documents for the meeting are available with the IPML.

    The RENOLIT AG starts with SAP supplier UNIORG world-wide Rollout of SAP Business One for its sales addresses

    Our goal is it to equip and attach it to the two ERP of systems (QAD MFGPRO and SAP ERP), used in the company, in the next two years all larger not-producing sales addresses with SAP Business One”, says RENOLIT CIO Daniel Germani. “We create so a uniform solution, with which numerous processes (e.g., reporting consolidated orders in the work, direct supplies at customers) between our sales addresses and the producing works as well as the center in Worms can simplify and be completed around a multiple faster. Last because of the shorter introduction duration and the cost advantage we do not have completely consciously SAP Business One the preference/advantage given in place of the classical SAP of system.”As a pilot the French address presented itself to that extent, since it was suitable due to the very complex processes best for the Templateerstellung. With this Template as collecting main now all following SAP Business One installations can be accomplished in by far shorter time.The characteristic of the French project consisted for UNIORG of manufacturing a coupling to the unixbasierten commodity management MFG PRO which is with the Belgian and Spanish works in use. The coworkers of the French address wear now a direct entrance to the factory-installed MFG PRO and to put there their orders, which can be processed then owing to the interface developed by UNIORG automatically with all relevant data in SAP Business One transferred and. Additionally it will shortly give also still the interface on basis SAP NetWeaver B1I to SAP the ERP 6,0 in the Wormser corporate headquarters. “All as efficiently and briskly as only possible to work we looked for each other for the support with the state-specific adjustments in the financial accounting a local SAP Business One - an approach, which already worked in preceded projects absolutely and which we will take over so also for the following countries”, summarize UNIORG managing director Hans Peter Kreft.To these countries Poland and Italy belong, in whose RENOLIT addresses of the Rollout one continues. “We have still another quantity of work before us”, thus Germani, “however the high acceptance with the users after the successful France project now already show that it is worthwhile itself for the future ability of our company absolutely”.

    Mac CTI software "direct" for the Aastra OpenCom 100-Familie

    The OpenCom 100-Anlagen von Aastra covers the entire lower and middle market segment to 200 participants. Thus the solution for enterprise those is suitable traditionally Mac computers begins, like for example agencies, printering or publishing houses. The plants are furnished over a Browseroberfläche. A Windows software does not have to be installed for this. Over the OIP server the CTI software is available also for the OpenCom 1000 and Intelligate plant families of the telecommunications specialist Aastra.

    Donor: First 17-Zoll-Gaming-Notebook, Montevina platform

    The new „ mySN XMG7 “ inspires with a core 2 extremes X9100 processor with 2 x 3.06 GHz clock frequency, 6 MT L2-Cache and 1,066 MHz a Frontside bus. As diagram map is used the NVIDIA Geforce 9800M GT with 512 MT GDDR3-RAM and 500 MHz nuclear clock. The mobile GPU possesses 96 pipelines, is fully DirectX10-kompatibel and offers with an arithmetic performance of 360 giga floating-point operations per second highest fun. The integrated 17-Zoll-Display Glare display has a maximum dissolution of 1.920 x 1,200 pixels (WUXGA). Owing to digital interfaces such as HDMI and DVI „ mySN the XMG7 can be attached “ also to television sets (hp ready) or be used as Office notebook in the two-monitor enterprise. In internal bench mark tests 9,860 points with 3D-Mark became 06 and 11:05 minutes with Povray ermittelt.*Like all notebooks from the house donor is also the new „ mySN XMG7 “ freely configurable. Topmodell with the processors forms the core 2 extremes X9100 with 2 x 3.06 GHz clock frequency also for freely selectable multiplicator, 6 MT L2-Cache and 1,066 MHz a Frontside bus. In the basic configuration a core 2 duo P8400 with 3 MT L2-Cache is available. Also main memories and non removable disk can be individually adapted and are available to 4,096 MT and/or 200 GB (7,200 rpm) or 320 GB (5,200 rpm). Optionally donor notebook integrates turbo MEMORY, TV-map (similar and DVB-T) with remote maintenance and Bluetooth module (V2.1) also up to 2.048 MT Intel.Technical data in the overview- Processor: Intel core of 2 extremes X9100 mobile (2 x 3.06 GHz, 1,066 MHz FSB, 6MB L2-Cache)- Chip set: Intel PM45 express (Montevina Chipsatz) - Screen: 17 tariff Glare display with 1.920x1.200 (WUXGA)- Diagram: NVIDIA Geforce 9800M GT with at least GDDR3-RAM - Multimedia: 2,0 megapixels Webcam- Main memories: up to 4.096 MT DDR3-RAM (dual Channel)- Non removable disk: 80 to 2x250 GB (5,400 rpm S-ATA)- Optical drive assembly: DVD/RW DL multi-standard burner (8x/8x)- Keyboard: 102 keys with separate number block- Audio: Intel High definition audio, 2 loudspeakers and 1 Subwoofer, integrated microphone, SRS WOW Surround sound technology- Exits/interfaces: HDMI, DVI, 4x USB 2,0, Firewire IEEE 1394, microphone, eSATA, Kopfhörer/SPDIF out, S-video, Gigabit LAN, modem, 7in1 Card reader, (MMC/RSMMC/MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/SD/Mini SD), express Card Slot- Accumulator: 8-Zellen left ions accumulator 4400 mAhOptionally: - Processor: Intel core 2 duo (P8400, P8600, P9500, T9400, T9600, core of 2 extremes X9100)- Chip set: Intel PM45 express (Montevina) with Intel 1,024 MT or 2,048 MT turbo MEMORY- Diagram: NVIDIA Geforce 8800M GTX with 512 MT GDDR3-RAM- Multimedia: TV-map with remote maintenance (DVB T+analog)- Connectivity: Intel WLAN module 4965AGN, Bluetooth adapterPrices and availabilityGaming notebook „ mySN the XMG7 “ is immediately available over the Onlineshop of donor notebook under and costs in the replicated system approach (core 2 duo P8400, 1,024 MT RAM, 160 GB non removable disk, NVIDIA Geforce 8800M GTX, Windows Vista Home Premium) 1,709 € and as a top model (core of 2 extremes X9100, NVIDIA Geforce 9800M GT, 4,096 MT RAM, 320 GB non removable disk, WLAN module 4965 AGN, TV-map with remote maintenance, Bluetooth, Windows Vista Ultimate) 2,799 €. The notebooks are available also without operating system. At the beginning of of Septembers can be ordered „ mySN the XMG7 “ also with the higher performance diagram maps NVIDIA Geforce 9800M GTS/GTX.* Test configuration (over-clocks on 3,5 GHz): X9100, 4,096 MT RAM (1.066MHz), 200 GB non removable disk (7,200 rpm), Vista Home Premium 64Bit

    Games Convention 2008: eSport the top class with the electronics of sport League

    High points of the eSportprogrammes are the final plays of the ESL European nation Championship (European championships in eSport) in Counter Strike 1,6, Warcraft 3, Counter Strike: SOURCE and FIFA 08 with 55,000 euros prize money, as well as the start Intel extremes of Masters, the world-wide league eSport champions. Intel extremes of Masters are with 750.000 US dollar prize money the most endowed on-line tournament of all times. On Friday, 22 August 2008, Intel Friday Night Game starts officially the three tenth season of the eSport federal league ESL pro Series with first.A further highlight is the eSports Award. On Saturday evening assigns Turtle entertainment, operator company of the electronics of sport League, for the fifth time the highest honor in eSport and honours thereby important eSport personalities of the past yearly. Beside the new edition of the journalist price for TV, sound broadcasting and print, there is a price for the best scene journalist in this year. Following the award of the prize eSports the Award of player Lounge takes place.The IPTV transmitter ESL-TV reports live from the ESL Intel arena. Thus know all eSport fan the highlights over on the Games Convention live from at home to pursue.Exclusive play presentations, daily tournaments and Intel Racing route, in which the players take formula in copied chassis of a 1-Boliden place, round the program off. In the course of the Scirocco Cups Volkswagen presents the new Sportcoupé live on the Games Convention in resounds to 3rd Turtle entertainment presents the internal Gaming Client ESL Wire and tests together with BitDefender the anti-virus software “GameSafe” developed particularly for computer players. “GameSafe” protects on and off-lines during playing against viruses, Spyware and root kits, without impairing the system performance.High points of the ESL Intel arena* Final plays of the ESL European nation Championship with 55,000 euros prize money* Start Intel extremes of Masters Season III with 750.000 US dollar prize money* Start of the ESL pro Series Season XIII with 170,000 euros prize money* VOLKSWAGEN Scirocco Cup with a VOLKSWAGEN Scirocco as Hauptgewinn* ESL TV Live show* Profit plays and prices* eSports Award with following player Lounge* Intel Racing route* World OF Warcraft tournament within the framework Intel extremes of Masters* Free Gaming AREA with the following play hits:- Farcry 2- Crysis Wars- Bio NIC Commando- Battlefield Heroes- Warcraft 3- World OF Warcraft- Race Driver Grid- Live for speed- Guild Wars* Presentation of ESL Wire* BitDefender presentation: GameSafe - professional player tests the new anti-virus software for Gamer in the Livebetrieb* Exhibition VOLKSWAGEN Scirocco

    amiando ViralTickets - Virales marketing for Events with of Europe leading tools for on-line Eventorganisation

    The system is simple and without fees for each organizer usable: After the ticket purchase participant receives a code, which they can pass on at friends and colleagues. The Clou is the double incentive: Per recruited participant, the mediator receives a bonus and the won participant a friendship discount. „Hereby we make it for Event organizers possible for the first time to use and sell so at clearly smaller marketing expenditure of more tickets the viralen effects Internet for on-line sale from Events to “, so Felix Haas, Mitgründer of amiando. With the new version 4.0 the system was completely renewed - both optically and functionally. A host welcomes the user personally and the offered on-line services is understandably demonstrated: With amiando organizer can provide himself individual Event website free of charge. Freely shapable Design, arbitrary lower surfaces and a multiplicity on modules, for example Flickr photo, YouTube video, or comfortable customer opinion polls, offer all possibilities the Event to organizers according to desire to adapt.

    Second Life to Easy buzzer: by Crafty studios

    Bulido, that by the Crafty studio developed Money transfer service, makes Second possible Life inhabitants to exchange genuine money into the virtual currency Linden$. Since 2007 on the market, Bulido developed Life user in the German-speaking countries in the meantime to one the largest Paymentservices for Second. On 15 August Bulido becomes now officially one year old. That means over 3.000 content customers, altogether more than 100 million Linden$ conversion (corresponds after Bulidokurs about 315,000 euro) and a still steep growth curve.As first partners mobile services the apple country becomes the Easy country. Apple country, which co-operates largest German landlords of country in Second Life, shortly with Bulido and financial service offers the Easy to its tenants, by which they can acquire fast and simply by mobile phone Linden$. With its mobile Payment service is Bulido the first Second Life Finanzdienst at all, which offers this comfortable payment possibility. Soon still further payment possibilities than additional service „of the Easy of buzzer will be available “- Bulido is thereby the most comprehensive and most comfortable Linden$ Finanzdienst on the European market.

    Lothar Symanofsky: total sales director, BitDefender GmbH

    Until end of the yearly wants to be BitDefender now already surface covering sales network on over 1.000 partners to develop. BitDefender already considered to this development and developed recently his Pre Sales and B2B-Support-Abteilung substantially. This department dedicates itself in particular to the needs of the specialized trade range and has the task to support and to the dealer within the Aftersales range a competent technical support offer each partner with the Akquise of new customers. „ the proximity to our partners and customers is for us of elementary importance “, describes Symanofsky. „ in the next weeks and months we will drastically extend from there our Reseller network. At the same time we support our partners with purposeful marketing, sales, certification and support programs actively on the B2B and B2C-Märkten. BitDefender is due to its broad and proven Security Produktspektrums - solutions for Desktop PCs, enterprise networks and mobile devices - both in the B2B and within the Consumer range an attractive partner for Reseller, system houses, Retail net curtains and the E-Commerce-segment. In particular these outlets presuppose a personal support of the partners, an attractive price model over the entire product range away and a flexible partner program. “Lothar Symanofsky, total sales directors BitDefender GmbH

    IT-standard ISO 27001: KoSiB starts informative meeting row

    As central partners as well as advisors and source of information is available the KoSiB enterprise and organizations supporting and is concerned with current topics on the newest conditions. The ISO 27001 is considered as internationally recognized standard for the evaluation of the security of IT-environments and in the context of the KoSiB course of lectures one lights up. Under the title „ ISO 27001: A Zertifizierungsdienstleister and a user plaudern from the sewing small box “ the specialists of the KoSiB advise the participants comprehensively in all questions approximately around the appreciative IT-standard. In addition two proven experts stand for the interested ones in the approx. two-hour lecture and discussion meeting speech and answer. Adviser of the lecture „ which meant and as information management functions according to ISO 27001? “ Reinhard is cellars, managing director there-con of the GmbH and the specialist in the area ISO 27001. „ – empiric report of a user “ holds the second lecture for ISO 27001 Sebastian of Bomhard, supervisory board member of the KoSiB EEC and executive committee of the SpaceNet AG, which was recently certified.