Getting featured in the Android Market is starting to have a meaningful impact for mobile app developers. According to the recent news from fitness app maker RunKeeper, the company saw a 637% increase in downloads since November after just a few days of being a featured app in the Android Market “Health & Fitness” section.

But is RunKeeper seeing the boost because of the New Year’s resolution-making crowd? Or is being featured in the Android Market really bumping up download numbers in the extreme for anyone who makes it there?

RunKeeper’s success story is a great one. On January 1st, the app became featured in the Android Market, which led it to become the #3 “Health & Fitness” app, up from a previous ranking in the 20′s, and #288 in the entire Android Market, which, as we now know, is at 400,000 apps.

It’s certainly a hopeful tale, but one that left us with questions – how much is being featured really worth? Was being a “Health & Fitness” app the real story here?

Apparently not. Another popular Android application, Lightbox, a photo-sharing app that’s sort of like a mashup of Instagram and Tumblr, was also featured in the Android Market over the holidays, starting on Christmas Eve. Says CEO Thai Tran, in the week following its new highly visible status, Lightbox saw over 500,000 downloads to bring its total number of downloads to over 1.5 million.

For comparison purposes, it took Lightbox three months to reach its first 500,000 downloads. More importantly, getting “featured” didn’t always amount to this level of traction. In summer 2011, for example, as Lightbox was working on its first 500K, it was featured in the Android Market for nearly an entire month. And yet, it still took three months to reach 500K.

Lightbox’s growth also mirrors Android’s international growth, Tran notes.  Previously, the U.S. accounted for 55% of Lightbox’s usage, and the U.K. was its #2 country.  But now the U.S. is down to 33% of its usage, and India and Brazil have leapfrogged the U.K. to become its #2 and #3 countries respectively. Lightbox is also seeing traction in Mexico, Malaysia, and Indonesia, says Tran.

But Lightbox’s jump was during the holidays – a time when many people are getting brand-new mobile devices and downloading apps. In fact, Flurry said that 1.2 billion apps were downloaded during the 2011 holiday season.

What about the Android Market’s impact on growth outside of the Christmas/New Year’s rush? For a third example, let’s look at the intelligent, social to-do list Any.DO, which announced in mid-December that it had seen 500,000 downloads over the past thirty days. The increase, says CEO Omer Perchik, was in part due to the app’s featured status in the Android Market. Although he declined to share hard numbers, he did say that during the app’s featured period, Any.DO was seeing “tens of thousands” of downloads per day – something that’s “an order of magnitude” above its normal download numbers.

Other successes include Evernote’s Skitch, which reached 1 million downloads in November, also while it was being featured on the Market. It later hit 3 million by December. Going further back, in July, Point Inside Maps was featured in the Market for an increase of a more moderate 50,000 downloads per week.

So how does an app get featured in the Android Market, developers want to know? That’s easy: build a great app. Any.DO’s Perchik says that he’s never seen unstable, unusable apps getting featured – Google looks for quality. Android Market PM Fernando Delgado previously explained the process, saying that Google has a team of editors and category managers who proactively look at new apps being released on the Market.

“If an app is determined to have high potential, it is thoroughly reviewed to make sure it meets the high bar for being featured,” he says. In other words, it’s Google’s own curation process – not just raw download numbers that help an app make the cut.

Overview

Test management, as the name signifies, is the art of managing some tests in a testing process. For this purpose, a test management tool is used by the Quality assurance team for managing the tests – automated or manual, depending on the needs. This is generally associated with Automatic testing software.

Process

The process of test management involves consideration of the requirements or specification set forward by the customer, and analyzing if all the clauses have been fulfilled. For this purpose, the test management tool has a Requirement or Specification tool which generates the Requirement Test Matrix automatically. This essentially implies that the software is going to be tested for all the requirements. Therefore, this process can be understood as a means of testing and validation of the software.

The most common tools used are scrapbooks, word processors and spreadsheets for notes and checklists. The latest means of test management has witnessed the use of spreadsheets and databases for automated testing.

Different aspects of testing management

There are different stages of testing management, as is evident from the fact that it is a complex process. The first phase is organization where the various elements that are to be tested, along with their testing procedures are listed. The assets that need to be considered are test scripts, software and hardware. This also includes relationships and dependencies between various modules. It is followed by test planning phase, which addresses questions as to the reason and concept of testing. The reason for the test is called the motivator, while the “what” of testing are called the test cases. The time period associated with the test is termed iteration, commonly known as a cycle. The third phase is called authoring, which answers the question as to how the test is to be conducted. Execution of the test is the next phase in the testing management process, which entails the actual running of the test. This is a long process, because even a small program has to be taken through repeated test procedures. The final phase of the process is test reporting, where the results of the tests are detailed and documented for analysis and communication.

Challenges faced in the management process

As is the case with every other management process, testing management has its fair share of problems. There are problems associated with every step in the process. They can be detailed as:

o Time constraint in the testing process which requires speeding up of the process and therefore may not be complete.

o Lack of human and system resources

o Difficulty in communication because of the different geographic locations of the testing teams.

o Difficulty in validation of requirements and keeping in sync with the development process.

Practitest.com for test tool, ALM tool, QA management software and manual testing tools.

Author: Yaniv Iny
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Digital Camera News

As corporate brand manager for a multi-property upscale resort management company or brand owner, you’re always looking for ways to ensure that guests not only enjoy their visit but have a consistently positive experience when visiting any of your properties. Typically, the guest experience boils down to four criteria: 1) the Real Estate, 2) the service, 3) the products in the hotel, and 4) the food.

Everything from the property location, to the soap in the showers, to the bed itself factor into the guest experience, and ultimately your brand.

So how do you maintain your brand to ensure it is consistent across all your properties while providing the right balance of local uniqueness?

There are a number of solutions that can help ensure that your standards are consistently followed across a multi-property portfolio. Over the past several years an explosion of web-based, industry specific software offerings has emerged and today there are a number of solutions aimed at the hospitality market that can help you manage the guest experience. Purchasing solutions and food cost/recipe management systems have been around for a long time, but today new enterprise-class versions of these solutions have emerged. The web has made geography a non-issue and the best of these new offerings have leveraged the web to provide a portfolio-wide footprint – with multi-property brand management in mind. They are packed with features designed to manage procurement, recipe development and capital improvement projects across an entire portfolio. In addition to the enterprise wide footprint, a key differentiator from earlier systems is the ability to configure in the right mix of central versus local control.

These hospitality focused solutions have the necessary features to cope with the rapid and special nature of food & beverage purchasing and come integrated with a full-feature recipe management solution – unlike generic solutions that assume all products come with barcodes and can’t deal with catch weight issues. eProcurement solutions are available with pre-wired interfaces to most hospitality industry suppliers providing near plug-and-play implementation. These systems allow corporate purchasing, working with brand management, to control the catalog from which all properties will buy. The same systems can be used to enforce IT standards to keep support costs down and to allow purchasing more visibility and control for better vendor negotiations.

Many of these solutions are Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) based. This means they are hosted by the software vendor and accessed via the user’s browser. By eliminating the need for heavy IT investment and long deployment cycles, these solutions are easily understood and deployed allowing hotels to stay focused on hospitality.

One global organization that is delivering money-making insights to their brand is Carlson Hotel Worldwide. An entire page was dedicated to their innovative initiatives in the March 21-April 6th issue of Hotel Business[R]. The advertorial highlights how this player has taken a forward thinking approach to revenue management by implementing a SaaS solution that ensures the usage of one common piece of software across multiple properties enabling them to shift from reactive to proactive planning. This acquisition is part of their strategy to gain market share by maintaining and expanding their worldwide brand.

Implementation of an e-procurement system can assist in maintaining control of the purchasing process by minimizing ‘rogue’ purchases. The ability to monitor adherence to approved vendor lists ensures that hotel properties reflect their established brand signature. As the hotel industry moves into a more global, technology-oriented arena, competitive advantages found in solutions such as automated e-procurement promise greater efficiencies, establish signature brand consistency and most importantly, ensure that guests keep coming back. One piece of advice – make sure the solution provider understands your industry. Make sure they offer single and multi-property solutions that help identify ways to leverage your buying power, control spend and automate your procure-to-pay process.

Author: Leslie McDonald
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Suddenly, the whole small to medium sized business market seems to be infatuated with ‘On demand CRM’ also known as ‘Software-as-a-Service’ (SaaS). Why this sudden surge in the number of companies opting for on demand CRM over traditional on-site models?

With the advancement in technology and the internet making huge inroads into the lives of people, customers have become more product savvy. They only expect the best from any business and even a small amount of complacency on the part of any business can lead to the loss of a customer. Hence, small businesses relied on software automation and data analysis to improve customer loyalty.

However, they had to rely on a patchwork of applications as CRM was only available for large scale enterprises. So CRM vendors started working on a far cheaper and flexible version of CRM that is best suited for SMBs. The result is on demand CRM.

On demand CRM has been carefully marketed as the perfect integration point for SMBs. The favorable cost factors, the convenience in setting it up and the hardware-free maintenance are some of the reasons why SaaS has really taken over.

But, as a SMB, you should be slightly more careful while choosing any CRM on demand. I will explain the reasons behind this.

1. Most CRM on demand software comes with a three to four year contract attached to it. This means, that you are stuck with it for that period. So you better be careful about what you choose.

2. Not all on demand CRM software is flexible enough to be integrated with existing software applications. If it cannot be done, then it will end up costing more in the long run.

If you are new to the concept of on demand CRM, then seek advice from a CRM consultant who can give you the right advice and help you choose the best hosted CRM.

For more info visit : CRM On demand

Author: Rama Krishna
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

The software and software services business is changing, and with that the software proposal becomes ever more important. After many years of fairly static business models, traditional business software vendors are finding themselves challenged by a host of new business models: Software-as-a-Service(SaaS), open source, outsourcing are all trends impacting the business of software. This can shorten the decision timeline for the customer, and hence the sales cycle. Rather than the traditional steps of requirements gathering, POC, pilot and then finally full deployment…. customers are able to make a quick decision and deploy after a free online trial of a hosted software service, without the hefty financial commitment of a perpetual software license. If you’re selling your software or service the “old fashioned” way, with plenty of time to gather and refine requirements, you may find your client making a buying decision with your competitor before you even have put the software proposal in front of them!

In today’s changing software service marketplace, it is critical to focus on five key elements for a winning software proposal:

1. Timeliness!

Sales cycles are much shorter in the online services marketplace than for traditional software. It used to take 6-12 months or longer to sell software into an enterprise environment. Now business customers can make a software service buying decision in less than three months (often much less). You need to be able to very quickly identify enough requirements and client customization needed to put that proposal together as quickly as possible. One of the benefits of a service or subscription offering is that it can be more easily refined over time as needed.

2. Price your Product or Service Correctly

If you’re trying to sell the customer on a million-dollar perpetual server software license, and what they’re looking for is a hosted web service with a low monthly subscription fee on a per-user basis… you’re going to lose the deal, no matter how well your proposal is written. Make sure you’re on the same page as your customer on the type of service they need to meet their requirements, and price/position your product accordingly. You may want to provide a menu of separately-priced offerings, perhaps on a subscription basis, rather than the all-in-one traditional enterprise software license.

3. Speak to Your Customer’s Pain Point

Your software proposal should answer a question or address a concern that is top of your customer’s mind. Otherwise it will just gather dust on their “things I should read when I have time” pile (we all have them, don’t we?). Pick a pain point (if possible, put it in your customer’s own words) and specifically address how your software or service will solve their problem. Tie it into your value proposition below. Come back to the pain point when you close with tangible ROI and metrics/benefits at the end.

4. Include a Strong Value Proposition for All Stakeholders

What is the biggest benefit of your software or service to this customer? What is your main advantage against your competition? That is your value proposition. Keep it simple, and make sure it is prominent in the executive summary of your proposal (your proposal does include an executive summary, right?). If you can quantify it (eg, with some ROI messaging) then do so. The more hard benefits you can articulate in the beginning of the proposal, the more likely your customer will keep reading.

Your value proposition must clearly differentiate your software or service from your competition, whether they are a licensed software vendor, a SaaS provider, open source software, or consultancy. Each requires a different type of value proposition.

Finally, make sure you have a value proposition clearly articulated in that executive summary that speaks to each stakeholder in the purchase decision. Make a list of the stakeholders within the client company, and put yourself in each one of their shoes in turn. Read the proposal with them in mind. Have you included a benefit statement that speaks directly to them?

5. Reinforce your Value Proposition with ROI and Client Examples

So you’ve included a strong value proposition and benefits to each of your stakeholders in the executive summary of the proposal. Good! That means they will keep reading.

But that is not enough for them to take the next step and buy. Your proposal must clearly identify how each benefit is going to be achieved by your software or service, and how you will quantify or measure the outcome (metrics!).

Hopefully you can communicate a strong and convincing ROI, taking into account both hard ($) and soft benefits. A strong ROI methodology is critical to your software proposal’s success. Unless, of course, you have such a stunning value proposition that customers are willing to pay for it regardless. And you should include customer examples or case studies that reinforce your value proposition and ROI message also. Even better if you can include some client references that your customer can speak to directly if they wish to.

If you keep these five points in mind, you will be able to write a winning software proposal for your product. Without explicitly focusing on these five areas it is easy to waste your time putting together proposals that don’t get read. Always stand in your customer’s shoes, and lead them through the proposal thought process from beginning (their needs/pain, and value proposition) to end (tangible ROI and results).

http://www.software-marketing-advisor.com

Joanna Lees Castro is owner of Software Marketing Advisor.com, a resource for software vendors wanting to grow their business strategy, marketing and sales capability in a services-oriented world.

For additional tips to help increase your software sales and/or take advantage of the move to Software-as-a-Service go to http://www.software-marketing-advisor.com/software-sales.html

Author: Joanna Lees Castro
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Intranet”, “Extranet” & “Customer Portal” are fashionable techie jargon nowadays, and likely to pop up in all sorts of contexts – conversations, articles or even conference talks. Yet the meaning of these words is somewhat elusive and overlapping and might sometimes leave one scratching one’s pate. It would therefore be in order to get the definitions out of the way at the very outset.

INTRANET – The term’s similarity with “internet” is likely to cause a little confusion. Unlike the internet, which is public network of computers across the globe, an intranet is a private network of computers which functions only within the boundaries of an organization. It also differs vastly from the internet in terms of its audience & strategic objectives. It is true however, that an intranet might sometimes use the internet as a vehicle to connect across facilities and locations. Even so, access is still restricted and not available to the general public.

Audience & Objectives of an Intranet

Audience – Employees

Objectives

- Information Repository

- Communication

- Automation of Processes

- Training

- Team Collaboration

During early days, the main purpose of an intranet was merely to act as a substitute to the back and forth medium of mails, and act as a central repository where employees could access company information and resources.

Some Practical Uses

- Company Policies

- Development & Training

- Employee Directories

- Project Management

- In-house Social Network

In the modern context however, intranets are a vital component of a company processes which enable real time communication across company levels, facilitate & make efficient information flows, and enable real time collaboration between groups spread across locations.

The audience of an intranet is primarily the staff. It facilitates and improves the efficiency of staff work, or it may act as a forum for social communication, mutual learning, or managers at the top echelons use it to communicate company objectives and policies to the lower levels.

EXTRANET – Like an Intranet, an extranet is a private network. But rather than being directed internally for staff needs, it is an outward facing network used to securely collaborate, share information or integrate operations with suppliers, vendors, partners, customers or other businesses.

Since the abovementioned parties are spread over diverse locations, extranets use the internet as a vehicle to connect to these parties. A company might have multiple dedicated extranets for different key partners or clients. It can sometimes also be seen as an extension of an “intranet” where external parties are brought into the fold of the company’s private network.

Audience & Objectives of an Extranet

Audience – Suppliers, Vendors, Partners, Clients

Objectives

- Share Information

- Communication

- Integration of Processes

- Training

- Collaboration

The possibilities created by information technology have spurred new approaches like the “supply chain” approach which have redefined attitudes towards businesses and their interrelations. The movement is towards greater information exchange and integration with external parties. Enter extranets.

Some Practical Uses

- Client Support

- Product Demos

- On-Line Catalogues

- Joint Project Management

Like intranets, extranets enable communication, information sharing & collaboration. But the information in this case is very different from intranets and specific to the needs of the vendors, partners, or clients it is created for. One example of an extranet would be one created for a key client of a software services provider. This would serve as a space for managing project timelines, communicating specifications, sharing project resources, providing deliverables etc.

Another valuable application of extranets is to provide support to key customers. Online knowledge bases, training materials, discussion forums and an interactive help desk are a few examples of ways to serve an important client using an extranet.

A study conducted by Highbeam Research in 2001, with top Times companies showed that 38% of respondents now give customers online access to information and reports. A further 23% plan to implement extranets by the end of 2002.

Uses

- Share Information

- Joint Projects

- Product Training

- Customer Support

- Cross Selling

- Feedback Mechanism

CUSTOMER PORTAL – A “Customer portal” is an extranet built specifically for an important customer. Hence it is a subset of the term “extranet”. It is a unique environment created specifically for the needs of a particular client. The purposes may be as varied as collaboration needs of working jointly on a project for a client, to providing dedicated support and training materials to an important client, to merely a shared information area where product specification documents, contracts, reports etc are shared with a client leading to finalization of a contract.

Customer portals in addition to enhancing efficiency of customer service, also lead to more satisfied customers and offer a good opportunity for cross selling and getting feedback. A company can use its customer portal to regularly supply information on related and new products to customers, and present it in a manner appealing to that particular client.

Broad Benefits of Intranets/Extranets/Customer Portals

1. Increased Productivity: Intranets/extranets enable instant access to important internal and external information; hence the lag between those who have the information and those who need it is next to nil. With just a few clicks, users can access data held in any database the organization. This allows employees to perform their jobs faster, and more accurately.

2. Communication: Intranets/Extranets are powerful tools for communication within an organization, vertically and horizontally and across organizational boundaries. This could mean anything from company policies being communicated across the organization to working together with a client of a project.

3. Auditing: Intranets/Extranets allow a clear visibility into information flows and business processes. Details of projects & files are captured at each step and responsibilities, time & changes can easily be ascertained and retraced at any stage.

4. Operations & Management: Intranet/Extranet project management tools allow companies to move to a “project based” system, where cross functional and cross organizational teams can quickly be convened irrespective of location for different tasks. It also allows managers to spend less time “being there” to personally supervise & monitor progress of activities. They need to simply log in to create projects, assign responsibilities and track progress.

5. Enhanced Collaboration: Because distance is not a constraint, teams can quickly get together and work jointly in real time in a virtual environment without actually being there.

6. Capture & Share Knowledge: Intranets & Extranets also act as forums where different people can get together, share their expertise and learn from each other in the process.

Are they a Big Business Thing?

According to a study by Modalis Research Technologies, 70 percent of small and medium-sized U.S. businesses feel that an intranet is important.

The Hosted, SAAS Model – Going by the massive investment needed to develop a customized intranet/extranet system a few years back, it might not have made sense for a small to mid sized company to get the system then from a cost-benefit perspective.

But in recent times, the hosted, SAAS, approach to application delivery has made available these technologies even to the smallest business at a minimal price.

Changing Environment – Moreover, the changing business landscape, even small businesses have to manage distributed teams and increasing client expectations. May it be traveling sales persons, an outsourced development team based in Asia, work-from-home executives, or a key client with special support needs – it makes sense to have an intranet/extranet portal where they can log in, and share information and work together.

Possible Uses – It can be put to a multitude of uses, like displaying announcements, uploading policy documents, sharing employee directories or managing projects. Modalis Research found that one of the ways companies used their intranet was to put up their daily lunch menu!

Beats Email! – Considering the fact that an intranet solution costs little more than setting up business email, it’s a logical next step compared to the cumbersome and confusing method of sharing information through mail.

(Former?) Disadvantages

1. Expensive – Intranets/Extranets used to be very expensive to implement and maintain. This included software development costs, costs of hardware, training costs, costs of specialized technical staff etc. But the new hosted model allows companies to have a ready made solution for a reasonable number-of-users based monthly fee.

2. Security – Security of intranets and especially extranets can be a big concern since sensitive business information is transferred over the public medium of internet. But there are many hosted intranet/extranet solution companies which have an impeccable record where it comes to safeguarding client information. The importance of security only underlines the need to be very careful when choosing a solution provider.

Introduction to Selection Criteria

KEY FACTORS

- Features/Customizability

- Company Background

- Cost

- User Friendliness

- Security

Implementing any software in the organization involves a commitment, and especially intranet/extranet software because of its organization wide implications. It is therefore important to make an informed and well researched choice while choosing between different solutions. Companies looking to set up an intranet for the first time may not even have a clear idea of what tools might be necessary to facilitate operations.

The decision needs to be very broad based, depending upon specific factors – the feature set & costs of the solution being the most immediate; as well as general factors, such as a company’s security record, background etc.

A comprehensive list of factors to be considered for buying intranet/extranet/ software is listed below and will be elaborated in other sections of the site.

- What features are on offer as part of the solution? Does it allow customization according to my needs?

- What are the costs? How do the costs behave as the organization scaled up?

- What is the company background?

- Is the solution user friendly? How steep is the learning curve? Will it require technical staff?

- Is my data safe?

Resource Site – http://www.intranetresearch.com
http://www.hyperoffice.com – Online Intranet Solution

Author: Pankaj Taneja
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

You have to give Larry Ellison credit. When he makes up his mind to do something, he’ll take on the biggest and the baddest in order to win. He faced down the Federal government when he acquired most of the competitors in the ERP market in one massive gulp.

And he swallowed them with very little apparent corporate indigestion.

Now Larry has set his sight on the king of SaaS and arguably of CRM, pointing both barrels on SalesForce.com. Given my first encounter with SalesForce tech support this morning, I find myself on the verge of urging Ellison on.

Aside from being a hosted offering based upon the bones of Seibel CRM, there is little newsworthy about the product itself except for the integration of some social media flavored features. For example, any object in the data (a contact’s name for example) can have a “sticky note” slapped on it, and anyone with access to the data can add to the note and monitor the resulting conversation.

I have not seen this in action, and cannot comment on the viability, but it and the way the release was promoted show a few realities and long-term trends about technology marketing.

Consumer to enterprise: The roles of consumers and enterprise technology consumers is now reversed, with the consumer market leading in innovation. Smart enterprise technology vendors will spend more time paying attention to the Darwinistic nature of the World Weird Web and exploit resulting mutations that have applicability inside of corporations. Getting employees talking to one another about specific issues is on the top of that “social networking” list, and thus the “sticky note’ concept appears to be a good idea.

Enterprises are communities: Any organization, including enterprises, are by nature social entities – groups of people voluntarily banded together to achieve a common objective … namely earning a paycheck. Online social networking will become a larger part of what enterprise IT will enable because there are real, tangible benefits to getting employees working together in ad hoc ways. FedEx’s Fred Smith has long said this.

Blogers are buzz: The most note worthy marketing aspect of Oracle’s announcement is that they fed the news to bloggers before anyone else. We know from various studies that peer-level news is considered more reliable and valuable by the receiver. Oracle fed bloggers the details about the product first … and under embargo … to assure that buzz about the launch would occur on day one. Buzz marketing is now the lead, with analysts and trade press being left behind. Learn to leverage it.

SaaS is Enterprise: Amazon, Google and SalesForce ironically have proven that the cloud is more than “good enough” for enterprise use. For non-process and non-transaction applications, more and more enterprises will adopt services as opposed to software. For marketing people this complicates the product mixture, almost ensuring that you will have to consider a services model as part of your product mix.

Larry remains dangerous: Oracle has the market might, cash, and smarts to change the rules of most any game. Ellison has always been a dangerous competitor, and his rather ruthless nature is only getting uglier. If you are anywhere close to his core markets, keep looking over your shoulder and keep innovating to stay ahead. Short of the ever-more-likely anti-trust intervention, Oracle will grow to be the new Microsoft.

Guy Smith is the chief consultant for Silicon Strategies . Guy brings a combination of technical, managerial and marketing experience to Silicon Strategies projects. Directly and as a consultant, Guy has worked with a variety of technology-producing organizations. A partial list of these technology firms include ORBiT Group (high-availability backup software), Telamon (wireless middleware), Wink Communications (interactive television), VA Software (enterprise software), SUSE (Linux distributions and applications) and Novell. http://www.SiliconStrat.com

Author: Guy Smith
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

One of the areas that businesses have turned to in order to cut costs is document processing in accounts payable. Previously, companies would implement the latest technology as part of an in-house solution to cover individual processes such as data entry into an ERP system, verification of signature approval levels, and validation for duplicate invoices. This approach quickly became impractical as costs continued to escalate due to expanding IT resources, the need to make infrastructure enhancements, and the addition of AP processors. Instead of focusing on strategic business initiatives, companies were forced to dedicate more and more resources to deal with in-house system requirements, maintenance, and upgrades.

New initiatives paved the way for a shared technology approach in which all business processes were funneled through a single technology platform. For example, numerous companies implemented ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems to manage processes such as inventory monitoring, purchasing, and production. While this may have increased efficiencies, companies still faced the rising costs resulting from the purchase and maintenance of an in-house system.

The next breakthrough emerged as a result of the desire to achieve economies of scale while also shifting the focus back to a company’s core competencies. Instead of hosting an IT infrastructure internally, non-core business functions were outsourced. Two approaches were developed that followed different methodologies. One was to utilize business process outsourcing (BPO) to contract out a specific process to a third party. The other was to use a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution that enabled a company to control the processes internally while outsourcing the infrastructure and software requirements.

Now there is a new approach that takes advantage of the strengths of BPO and SaaS while eliminating the weaknesses. Business Virtualization is taking shape and it provides dramatic results when implemented in an AP environment. The following example shows how a wholesale distributor was able to increase efficiencies while streamlining costs by implementing this new approach.

The company was receiving approximately 50,000 invoices per month and completed all manual processing internally with a staff of 40 AP processors. The invoices were all paper-based and required signatures, coding and verification. The manual process was too time-consuming so the company searched for a more innovative solution. After extensive research, the company decided to implement ASPEN 360 Accounts Payable Edition from Archive Systems. ASPEN 360 integrates document receipt, document imaging and data capture, Web-based image hosting, and workflow management services for a complete services-based document management solution.

All of the company’s invoices are now sent to a PO Box managed daily by Archive Systems. The invoices are sorted and batched, then prepped for imaging. Once the invoices are scanned and indexed, the image files are uploaded into the ASPEN 360 online repository and routed electronically to the appropriate person for approval based on client-driven business rules. These rules can incorporate notifications of duplicate invoices, route invoices above a certain dollar amount to particular staff, and perform workload balancing. Workflow alarms and notices speed approval times by alerting users as invoices arrive and when time limits for review and approval are exceeded.

In this example, the company’s AP processor reviews the invoice information and enters the account allocation details online. The business approver can also enter the account allocation information. The invoice is then automatically routed to the next approval level for verification. After final review, the information is interfaced into the company’s in-house financial system and payments are completed.

Throughout the whole process, the company never touches a paper invoice. After scanning, the hard copies are stored in Archive Systems’ full service records center facilities where they can be retrieved and delivered to the company at any time. All processing is handled online using ASPEN 360. Staff productivity has also increased and invoice processing costs are expected to be reduced by as much as 50%. The company maintains complete control over their business processes while gaining advanced reporting features to help ensure compliance guidelines are followed.

By implementing Business Virtualization, companies are able to strategically focus on their core business initiatives rather than on integrating and managing an internal infrastructure. They still maintain control over business information but eliminate the friction points that can stall a critical process. The end result is the ability to streamline business processes, reduce risk, drive down costs and increase efficiencies.

Craig Abramson is the online marketing manager at Archive Systems.

Author: Craig N Abramson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

You are better off decommissioning and destroying your records than having it and not being able to find it. Thats the bottom line of compliance regulatory requirements. While some companies have found themselves in the uncomfortable position overable data, others have to deal with staff spending half the workday looking for information. Research has shown that employees spend at least 40% of the work day looking for information relating directly or indirectly to their jobs. From Google, to the windows search (under Program Files), some have even downloading the Google desktop search facility.

While this may be a stop gap approach, having a compliant, fully configured document management and work flow solution is key to ensuring the security, auditability, availability, and manageability of records. Including documents and email.

Notwithstanding, most companies are very hesitant to shell out $200,000 for a new enterprise class system. Those who do spend $200,000 or more usually put the vendors through a frustratingly long sales cycle, validation process, procurement process and final approval process before the project is even undertaken. Once the project commences, turnover, staff departure, layoffs, project implementation snags usually further convolute the process.

In comes Saas (software as a Service)! For a fraction of the cost, any company can implement an enterprise class version of an ECM / Workflow / Document management system at a fraction of the cost. This is the same software, but now over a secure internet connection, and usually browser based. That is the difference between financing a $200,000 system upfront, and paying $2,000 monthly for the very same product, same SLA (service level agreement), better support infrastructure, automatic upgrades and additional value added services.

This is where companies can really negotiate their SLA (service Level Agreement). Most companies tend to forget that thick enterprise class systems installed on site come with a “checklist” of SLA options, but in the Saas world, you can really negotiate the language of the SLA.

A web based system will ensure auditability and tight user access controls over a reliable connection. This is because the Vendors, fully understanding the implications of loosing clients data will utilize the best, most secure and advanced data centers, coupled with Department of Defense grade security and backups.

This automatically eliminates the pressure on the client to maintain, staff, upgrade, train, retrain and manage an in – house system. Which usually runs at an additional 85% of the system cost itself, plus overhead.

Alani Kuye is Managing President of Phantom Data Systems Inc.

A Connecticut based Online Document Imaging, Management, Data Recovery, Data Storage and E Mail Security Solutions Provider. He has consulted and designed enterprise data storage, recovery, records management and security solutions for large corporations, government agencies and small businesses alike. Featured in CRN, Infoweek, and various publications alike.

He resides in Connecticut and can be reached at 1-203-809-2465 or alani@phantomdatasystems.com Online document imaging – Phantom Data systems Inc. Norwalk, CT.

Author: Alani Kuye
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

A global market economy – what is means for U.S. manufacturers and IT providers

Global competition is making it more difficult for American manufacturing companies to make a profit. Manufacturers need to become more agile to compete globally with economies where the cost of labor is an almost insignificant part of the cost of goods and they have access to the same high tech manufacturing equipment. It is time for forward thinking, competitively focused comanies to move to the next generation of IT tools, and strengthen their manufacturing and management information systems. Technology providers need to provide manufacturers with cost effective, highly mobile, highly adaptable, thin-client competitive capabilities. These capabilities will come in the form of software which is web-based (or web-native), object-oriented, model-driven, thin-client, configurable and offered as a service (SaaS).

Old ERP technology – the first generation

The truth is that first generation ERP applications lack the flexibility to add or change functionality and they just aren’t capable of full web funtionality. Because of their age and code foundations, most existing ERP vendors just can’t provide the full range of functionality made possible by the internet-native technologies. The ability of the native browser-based applications to interact with any device that can run a browser i.e. PDAs, cell phones and various data capture devices makes them intrinsically more valuable than the old ERP systems. These old legacy systems are difficult to expand and modify to make use of these wireless devices, or to change and add any new functionality to the system. It is also costly and laborious. Some vendors try to present the old systems in a browser and call the applications “web-enabled”, using a technique known as “screen-scraping”. But don’t be fooled. Web-enabled does not mean web-browser native. These applications lack all of the abilities and advantages of a truly browser-native application. These first generation ERP vendors are racing to convert their aging, first generation offerings to the new, object-oriented, browser- based model of software. This is a difficult task, since the internal source code for these older packages is fundamentally unsuited for the web and cannot make use of the native functionality of the web browser. The total cost of owernship (TCO) for first generation systems is high, due to the legacy code burden, thick-client server setup and heavy support infrastructure. Much more IT workforce is needed to support a first generation ERP application.

A new vision for information technology – next generation software

The ultimate goal for any manufacturing organization is graphic, actionable, timely information when ever and where ever it’s needed to support performance. Next generation software makes that goal attainable. Every manufacturer wants supply side and finished goods inventory reductions, energy use reductions, operational efficiency improvements and increased overall efficiency. Browser-based software applications which are easily configured are allowing manufacturers to become lean. A lean organization is one which can quickly and effectively adapt and make changes which lead to better productivity. The success of any software implementation needs to be measured by the achievement of benefits such as a reduction in manufacturing operational costs, a reduction of administrative costs, improved complete and on-time shipments, improved customer satisfaction and improved manufacturing schedule compliance. Next generation software, which is fundamentally different in design, function and form from legacy applications, is the beginning of the software revolution. Although the first generation systems have had their place and time, business practices of the new millennia, wireless technology, and the need for flexible systems is more than these aging systems were designed to deliver. The time has come to move on to a new generation of browser-based, object-oriented, model-driven toolsets which have the flexibility and functionality needed to carry us to the next level. The ultimate goal, real-time availability of information, is now attainable.

How does next generation software technology make an organization better able to adapt?

Adding functionality to software systems is a historical problem for first generation ERP vendors. This is because of the legacy code it is built upon. A next generation ERP provider does not have that problem, due to the use of an object-oriented software architecture. Making changes to or even adding functionality to an existing software system already in use is more easily and quickly done. Tuppas has also developed a set of rapid application development tools to which make modifications even faster. An application which might take a man year to develop using traditional methods such as asp.net, would take a matter of weeks with our development tools. Due to the relative ease with which they can be configured and changed, object-oriented software tools have brought drastic price reductions to normally high priced integrated management support software. Now not only can the largest organizations afford these software applications, small and medium sized businesses can too. The ease with which these applications can be reconfigured allows a vendor to collaborate with clients to quickly build customized software. This is extremely beneficial to corporations with a number of diverse plants. Tuppas can even help the customer learn to use their development tools so that they can modify the software themselves at their discretion. New business practices can be readily incorporated into an existing system. Our toolset gives us the kind of flexibility which allows us to create highly configured solutions for the corporate level and the plant level. Having the ability to modify the software that helps run the company as their needs change is a huge advantage in a highly competitive market. The system becomes more that just a software purchase. It is an adaptable tool to help them grow and innovate now and in the future.

Wireless adaptability accelerates decision making with real-time or just-in-time information

The faster that mission critical information can be recognized and made available, the faster the reaction time can be. The wireless capabilities of next generation software are providing unprecedented opportunities to accelerate the decision making process due to the decrease in time to acquire critical information. Wireless technology can be used to connect corporate entities, mobilize a sales force, track warehouse inventory, trace products and jobs, empower field personnel and more. The applications are really limitless. Having the ability to collect and organize timely information in a global environment, whether it be a field service technician, a sales person or a CXO, extends the power of any organization.

SaaS-Software-as-a-Service

The idea of software delivered over the web and hosted by a vendor has been around for a while, but it is just now beginning to come into it’s own as a viable option for software buyers. The benefits are numerous. Making monthly or quarterly payments for a system allows many more buyers into the market for high end software applications than traditional licensing purchases. Other benefits include lwer cost of entry, quicker start up, faster return on investment, decreased internal support costs, reduced risk (initial investment is small), and better service and support since customers must be happy to be retained. Typically, the vendor or a third party host provide the maintenance, upgrades and security for the system relieving the customer of these burdens too. The absence of on-site servers, software, security and IT professionals means significantly lower total cost of ownership (TCO) for buyers.

The advantages of the thin-client system

A thin client strategy allows for the use of inexpensive work stations along with various other devices, such as palm computers, cell phones and more. It means anywhere, anytime access to information within the system from any browser capable device. It has made complete connectivity very cost effective. Thin-client software is browser-based software which resides on a dedicated server. The server may belong to the client, the vendor or a host. Users have full access the system via “thin client terminals”, which really only require access through a browser to the dedicated server. This differs from traditional software installations, which require that a copy of the application be installed locally on each computer where it is to be used. This makes software upgrades infinitely easier, since only the program on the dedicated server needs to be upgraded, and not numerous client computers. This also saves time and disruption of work flow. Another advantage is the reduction in hardware needed at individual work stations to operate the software.

Model-driven design makes integration and upgrades easier

In conclusion

When you combine all of the features of the next generation software applications, what you end up with is a new class of software. Together, model driven development tools, object-oriented design, browser-based development, rapid development tools and wireless possibilities have created a revolution in software design and development. These applications mean greater flexibility at a significantly lower cost than first generation systems offered. U.S. manufacturers need to become more able to quickly react, move and respond to changing markets, regulations, finances and the competition in order to survive. This adaptability will soon become a necessary trait for any manufacturer who wants to survive in our new global marketplace.

Model-driven software applications allow users to focus on functionality and core business processes without having to worry about technology platforms, technology upgrades and integration issues. Model-driven applications separate the business, or application logic from the underlying platform. It means that the software is created with two layers, so that one can change and upgrade the user side independently of the technical under-layer, and vice-versa. Software based on model-driven development eases platform integration issues and is a wise IT investment in the uncertain world of changing platform technology. It means reduced cost of ownership, reduced development time for new applications, rapid inclusion of emerging technology into systems and an increased return on technology investments. Model-driven design provides the framework which frees users to evolve their software and practices independently of the underlying technology or platform. It enables better, faster and less expensive system integration.

Dawn Tupciauskas, Tuppas Inc.
Tuppas offers manufacturing and ERP modules which were developed as browser-based, thin client applications. Their easily configurable modules gives manufacturers the ability to make changes to or even add functionality to the software. Tuppas software is web-based, object-oriented, model-driven, thin-client, configurable and available as a service (SaaS). Applications offered include: Production Scheduling, Advanced Planning and Scheduling, Production Reporting, Inventory Management, Warehouse Management, SPC, SQC, SCM, CRM, Accounting, Procurement, Job Tracking, Capacity Planning, Quality Assurance, Materials Requirements Planning, Process Control, Training Solutions, CMMS (Preventive Maintenance), Business Intelligence and Performance Dashboards.

Author: Dawn Tupciauskas
Article Source: EzineArticles.com