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Business One 8.82 Provides Business Management Improvements
Recently, SAP released Business One 8.82 addressing specific product needs for small businesses. Business One software is an efficient management tool providing complete company functionality.
Business One software leads to greater profitability
Business One integrates all core functions, eliminating the need for multiple modules. By capturing information on a single system, information is instantly accessible. This eliminates duplicate data entry, costs, and other errors. Freeing the company from day-to-day minutiae allows you to spend more time on moving your business forward. Multiple departments are efficiently maintained, such as: accounting and financials, sales and customers, purchasing and operations, inventory and distributions, and administration. Information is streamlined and profitable growth is accelerated.
Business One’s software creates quotes, enters orders, tracks sales opportunities, initiates marketing campaigns (by using templates for mass emails) and provides support for customer service contracts and warranties. Its workflow-based alerts trigger automatic responses when important business related events occur, keeping you continuously updated on company progress.
New version, new perks!
Business One 8.82 improvements are easily adaptable to meet changing business needs. For example, their customer service management (CRM) application allows companies to develop and manage multichannel marketing programs. Or, the configuration wizard guides users through essential settings with an assortment of application areas.
Other great features includes the “pick and pack process,” which allows better management and support for back-order functionality. Also, this allows greater flexible material requirements planning (MRP) and achieves effective long-term business planning.
Keeping in line with MRP, the chain process has also improved. Small businesses have greater control and flexibility over MRP parameters, which allows better inventory levels. In addition, improved weekly display options allow for better forecasting capabilities.
Businesses can record blanket agreements to reflect long-term sales or purchasing agreements that have been negotiated with business partners. Sales or purchasing documents can then be linked to blanket agreements and used for quantity reservation, revenue forecasts and capacity planning. Blanket agreements are involved in cash-flow calculations, MRP runs and the procurement process.
SAP Business One 8.82 is available through starter packages and subscription-based hosting options.
VAI Enhances S2K Analytics with Financial Business Intelligence Capabilities
New Comprehensive Dashboards Help Companies Make Educated Financial Decisions
Ronkonkoma, N.Y. – October 25, 2011 – VAI (Vormittag Associates, Inc.), an award-winning ERP software provider, today announced the release of its enhanced S2K Analytics solution, a comprehensive, web-based Business Intelligence (BI) tool designed to drive smarter, faster business decisions. This upgraded tool features ten new financial management dashboards that provide an in-depth view of financial data from all levels of the organization.
Designed to meet the needs of VAI’s customers, regardless of size or industry, S2K Analytics integrates with S2K Enterprise and features automated reporting and dashboard capabilities that give customers big-picture visibility into their revenue and profitability. The new dashboards provide at-a-glance insight into a company’s financial performance, allowing for customization and consolidation of data that can then be used to make educated decisions. With the enhanced S2K Analytics, VAI customers can:
- View balance sheets, and P&L statements
- Analyze profitability of their business
- Monitor procurement and expense management
- Create ad hoc self-serve inquiries
- Build reports and dashboards as well as share information with others
- Integrate S2K Analytics with Excel
- Collaborate on and contribute to new reporting needs
- Access information through a web browser, including mobile devices
- Compare past financial performance
“VAI is excited to offer an even more comprehensive BI tool to our customers,” said Joe Scioscia, vice president of sales, VAI. “We are committed to continually innovating our products in order to provide our customers with best-in-class software that streamlines business processes and creates cost efficiencies. The upgraded S2K Analytics will undoubtedly enhance our customers’ ability to use the information gathered through our ERP software to make even more effective, real-time business decisions.”
About VAI (Vormittag Associates, Inc.)
VAI is an award-winning software developer and an IBM Premier Business Partner. Designed for the mid-range market, S2K Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software Suite is used by a wide variety of mid-sized companies worldwide, with a number of clients in the manufacturing, distribution, retail, food and related service industries. Advanced applications such as Warehouse Management Systems, EDI, CRM, Business Analytics and e-Business provide companies the power to leverage their information technology investment. VAI is headquartered in Ronkonkoma, New York, with branch offices in Miami, Orlando, Chicago and Oroville, California. For more information, please contact Diane Dady at 800-824-7776, ext. 236 or visit www.vai.net.
QlikTech and Deloitte to Offer QlikView Business Discovery Solutions
QlikTech, a leading provider of Business Discovery, user-driven Business Intelligence, will offer their new QlikView Business Discovery platform to U.S.-based organizations in partnership with Deloitte, one of the top business, management, and technology consulting firms in the industry. This new QlikView platform is notable for its user-driven analysis capabilities that are designed to integrate traditional business intelligence with standalone office productivity applications.
The strategic partnership between QlikTech and Deloitte was formed earlier this year in the Netherlands, but is expected to expand globally. This partnership integrates QlikTech’s analytical capabilities with Deloitte’s deep industry knowledge to provide critical, user-friendly solutions to business leaders.
The QlikView Business Discovery platform expands this strategic partnership into the U.S. The U.S. strategic agreement between the two companies will leverage Deloitte’s Business Analytics and Information Management practice in industries such as health care and life sciences. Both companies will continue to invest in customizing and adding to the capabilities of QlikView solutions. Deloitte will also continue their investment in training their professionals to become QlikView developers.
The QlikView Business Discovery platform enables companies to conduct user-driven analysis that can be quickly implemented in days or weeks. QlikView Business Discovery can be easily integrated with existing BI applications and delivers business insight, mobility, reassembly, remixability, and zero-wait analysis. It is built on an app-like model to provide a social and collaborative experience to its users.
QlikTech serves over 21,000 customers in more than 100 countries and is headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania.
Adobe Uses Brightidea to Streamline the Innovation Process
Adobe is a 3.2 billion dollar company, with nearly 6800 employees worldwide. With more than half of its revenue generated outside the United States, Adobe’s Flash® Player and Reader® software combined are installed on more than 700 million connected PCs and devices worldwide. Furthermore, Adobe’s Reader software is distributed in 26 languages and on 10 major platforms worldwide. All of the world’s top 10 PC manufacturers ship their systems with Adobe’s PDF technology pre-installed, and over 250 million PDF files currently exist on the web. As the world’s leading creative technology provider, over one million designers and developers use Adobe Flash and Adobe Dreamweaver® software has more than 3 million active users. More than 90% of the world’s creative professionals have Adobe Photoshop® installed on their desktops.
Adobe has revolutionized the way the world engages with ideas and information. For 25 years, the company’s award-winning software and technologies have redefined business, entertainment and personal communications by setting new standards for producing and delivering content that engages people virtually anywhere at anytime. From rich images in print, video, and film to dynamic digital content for a variety of media, the impact of Adobe solutions is evident across industries and felt by anyone who creates, views and interacts with information. With a reputation for excellence and a portfolio of many of the most respected and recognizable software brands, Adobe is one of the world’s largest and most diversified software companies.
The Challenge
Adobe has historically been one of the top technology companies on the cutting-edge with respect to innovation. Having always regarded innovation as a key differentiator, Adobe has maintained a company-wide culture that has promoted innovation for many years.
However, in addition to implementing an entire division devoted to innovation, the company also created a leadership position dedicated to championing innovation at all levels within the organization.
The Idea Mentor, who reports directly to Adobe’s Chief Technology Office, is responsible for the day-to-day management of the New Business Initiatives Unit (NBI), a department which bears ultimate responsibility for growing new idea development and fostering Adobe’s innovation culture.
Yet, despite an already thriving culture for innovation, Adobe’s top idea engagement team within the NBI Unit knew there was room for growth, as an immediate need existed for an enterprise scale idea platform. Furthermore, the solution would be complicated, as it would necessitate flexible functionality so as to not only perform with, but also improve, the existing innovation programs and processes currently in place. Solution requirements would also need to be particularly flexible, as making radical changes to the current programs was not an option.
The Solution
Adobe used WebStorm to conduct an internal competition called “Product Ideation Shootout.” Following a conference hosted by the Silicon Valley Product Management association, an event consisting of the leading Product Managers in the technology sector, various members of top management at Adobe and Brightidea met and began discussing potential idea management solutions and the various program options.
Adobe was currently in the process of sourcing an idea management solutions provider that could achieve the many technical and functional requirements necessary to run alongside its existing ideas platform.
Up to this point, however, Adobe management had not been successful in sourcing such a flexible and customized solution. Thus, after learning of the many features and benefits of the Brightidea Solution, Adobe management requested Brightidea engineers develop and implement an enterprise scale idea management trial adhering to the very specific and detailed requirements necessitated by an organization as complex as Adobe.
Initially, Adobe utilized Brightidea’s WebStorm Solution to headline an upcoming Tech Summit in both India and the United States.
By first utilizing WebStorm in a one-time, trial capacity at such high-profile events, both organizations had a great deal at stake – but also a great deal to gain.
Depending on the outcome, Brightidea would likely have the opportunity to implement its WebStorm technology in a much broader capacity.
And, from the converse perspective, if the idea platform at the Tech Summits proved successful, the NBI Unit at Adobe would have secured huge wins in its quest for furthering innovation. Furthermore, quality ideas submitted via WebStorm would also serve as evidence that regular innovation initiatives are not a luxury, but a business necessity.
The Results
Upon the unveiling of WebStorm at Adobe’s U.S. Tech Summit, the solution proved an enormous success.
Debuting as Adobe Idol, a spin-off of American Idol, the solution served as a “Product Ideation Shootout” whereby awarding the best idea submissions with prizes at the Adobe Idol finals at the close of the Summit. As part of the prize package, the winning three ideas are being further reviewed by Adobe project teams and possibly slated for product development and implementation.
To put the Solution in a practical perspective, the final results of the U.S. WebStorm/Adobe Idol competition generated over 750 participants, and almost 100 idea submissions, 3 of which were actually submitted by Adobe’s Co-Founder. The India Tech Summit also proved a success, generating over 320 participants and 65 idea submissions. These numbers, in addition to the overwhelming buzz and excitement generated internally about innovation, led Adobe’s NBI team to not only praise the work undertaken by Brightidea, but further extend the scope and nature of their relationship.
Furthermore, Adobe felt so positively about the Brightidea Solution, WebStorm technology is now being implemented in many additional areas of the company.
Feature enhancements, including updates to Adobe’s number one product, Creative Suite, are among the many facets of Brightidea’s extended involvement with the Adobe organization.
“WebStorm by Brightidea was the best way for us to globally collect, rank, and categorize our ideas that we could find. By rolling out Brightidea company-wide, we are now able to measure and monitor our innovation, turn our ideas into implementable projects, and foster innovation culture.- Rick Bess, Idea Mentor and Innovation Officer
The Future
Adobe is now rolling out WebStorms on a global scale for multiple business units. The Brightidea Platform is being used to turn collected ideas into implementable projects. Adobe’s NBI Unit is also collaborating with Brightidea on additional new products and feature enhancements, even the possibility of creating an Adobe AIR version of Brightidea. By linking Brightidea with some of Adobe’s key partners in the industry, the two organizations are building, strengthening, and leveraging key relationships that can only bolster business opportunities for both companies.
Harvard Business School to Benefit from WiseWindow Business Intelligence Program
WiseWindow recently announced it has gifted Harvard Business School’s Baker Library a $5 million dollar program. The program will provide the library with real time data and toolsets for educational use in the development of post-graduate curriculum and research.
The new program, MOBI 2.0, (Mass Opinion Business Intelligence) is designed to help train the next generation of MBAs on how to effectively manage business in real time which is something the students have never had access to before.
The initial deployment to students and faculty was completed in early February. Harvard Business School’s MBA candidates now have full access to the MOBI platform and they are using it in their curriculum development.
The program is teaching students about real-time business decision-making and management, business economics and demand-based modeling, and in research. It also includes how to support case study-based coursework.
The Executive Director of Knowledge and Library Services at Harvard Business School, Mary Lee Kennedy said they support Harvard Business School’s mission by enabling the creation of ideas, expertise and information.
The MOBI 2.0 combines cloud computing, proprietary deep website crawling, relevance recognition and statistical natural language analysis, which provides business decision makers with the unmatched ability to identify, measure and qualify consumer intent information in real time before it turns into action.
MOBI distills the data into a pre-defined, structure database providing an up to the minute view of consumer sentiment. This is done by collecting, analyzing and classifying the billions of unbiased consumer comments made online annually from across the web.
President of WiseWindow, Marshall Toplansky, said they are thrilled to be at Harvard Business School training some of the world’s future business leaders, especially since Harvard is one of the most prestigious educational facilities in the world.
UltiPro to Deliver Business Intelligence for Equipment Depot
Ultimate Software recently announced that Equipment Depot has selected its UltiPro to consolidate its payroll, Human Resources, compensation management, and recruitment processes into one unified solution.
Equipment Depot is a diversified equipment dealership that sells, services, rents and provides parts for many leading brands of forklifts, aerial lifts, and construction equipment. They employ more than 1,450 people in 13 states in the U.S. which makes handling their scope of human capital management a challenging proposition.
Vice President of Human Resources with Equipment Depot, Leora Kirby, says as they continue to acquire new subsidiaries and grow organically, they need smarter, more agile answers to manage its business operations, especially related to Human Capital Management.
Kirby says they are in the process of combining five companies into one. The company wants one centralized payroll solution will could accommodate their current needs, as well as keep pace with their company as they grow in the future.
Equipment Depot was looking for a high-caliber HCM platform with a single database, 24-7 Web accessibility for their workforce, and end-to-end functionality and they wanted to take advantage of SaaS innovation, according to Kirby.
Equipment Depot selected UltiPro in November of 2010 and their company leadership is anxious to combine its multiple data platforms into a single, uniform solution that delivers real-time visibility across the business.
Chief Sales Officer for Ultimate Software, Greg Swick, says they are delighted that Equipment Depot has selected UltiPro for the advantages of their cloud-based HCM and they look forward to collaborating with them and sharing expertise.
Ultimate Software is a provider of unified human capital management SaaS solutions for global business. It markets its award-winning UltiPro solutions as Software-as-a-Service and is based in Weston, FL. They have nearly 1,100 professionals currently employed.
QlikView Business Analytics Solutions Now Available from Hexaware
Hexaware Technologies Limited recently announced that it has entered into a partnership with QlikTech, a provider of Business Intelligence software. Hexaware will now be able to deliver powerful and easy-to-use solutions based on QlikTech’s software platform QlikView. These solutions will empower customers to make faster, smarter business decisions and provide them more control over projects.
QlikTech pioneered the in-memory, associative search and analytics technology that has been the forefront of more advanced dashboards, reporting and mobile Business Intelligence applications. Their powerful technology platform also facilitates visualization of data in a simple, intuitive user interface to interactively explore and analyze information.
V.P. of Alliances at QlikTech Americas, Patrick McCue, says they are very proud to establish this partnership with a leading global system integrator like Hexaware Technologies.
McCue stated that Hexaware’s customers can now leverage best-of-breed analytics and reporting solutions based on QlikView that can address their specific needs and allow them to successfully respond to rapid changes in business conditions.
Powerful analytics and reporting tools like QlikView’s, coupled with smartly crafted business rules, can optimize the IT assets of any enterprise. This in turn can help them in making right decisions at the right time.
This partnership provides QlikTech with access to leverage Hexaware’s presence in Banking, Capital Markets, Healthcare, Insurance and Travel and Transportation verticals globally.
Hexaware is a global provider of IT and Process outsourcing services that focus exclusively on maximizing client returns from outsourcing and off-shoring. The company has a client base of several Global 1000 organizations and have operations located in North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific. Their commitment is to provide solutions that translate into tangible business outcomes for their customers.
Alliance Agreement for Business Intelligence Announced by Deloitte
Deloitte recently announced it has signed an alliance agreement with MicroStrategy Incorporated to develop and deliver solutions to help clients improve their information, business intelligence and analytic capabilities.
Deloitte will combine MicroStrategy’s advanced business intelligence technology with its broad array of consulting, advisory and implementation services to assist their mutual clients in meeting information, business intelligence and analytic needs under the new agreement.
The alliance will include collaboration on solution, service and market development, education, training, sales and delivery.
The use of information and analytics can be a critical driver of revenue and competitive differentiation and can assist management in making more effective business decisions while managing information for a strategic business advantage.
Lee Dittmar, principal for Deloitte Consulting LLP, says the increasing emphasis on analytics has significant implications for IT and business leaders and the new alliance combines Deloitte’s information management services with MicroStrategy’s software to give clients a significant advantage in accelerating their analytical programs.
As expectations continue to rise, many leaders are shifting their thinking from a tactical approach for management reporting to a more strategic approach involving analytics. Deloitte is positioned well in the information management space with a demonstrated depth and breadth of competencies to help clients deliver on their analytics vision.
MicroStrategy’s chief operating officer, Sanju Bansal, says both Deloitte and MicroStrategy recognize that business priorities are increasingly driven by the need for better and earlier insights on markets, customers, suppliers, employees, regulation and risks, and that there is a need for solutions to integrate business, industry and functional capabilities with advanced information management and analytical technologies.
MicroStrategy was founded in 1989 and is a provider of business intelligence technology. The company provides integrated reporting, analysis, and monitoring software helping organizations worldwide make better business decisions each day.