Software

After more than a year of playing budgetary defense in a down economy, small and midsize businesses (SMBs) are finally beginning to find opportunities to move forward with strategic IT initiatives. As they examine their needs and pain points, one top priority is emerging: the need to refresh both client and back office software, particularly Microsoft SQL Server and Exchange.

Even amidst the enforced frugality of a recession, some expenditures are worthwhile. For the cost-conscious IT departments of small and midsize businesses (SMBs), refreshing server hardware is one of those things. Deploying up-to-date server hardware delivers benefits that far outweigh the total cost of ownership. Yet as SMBs plan their upgrade path, they must also prepare for the budgetary and technical issues that may arise in order to maximize their return on investment. A recent survey of 116 IT decision makers in SMBs by IDG Research Services taken in January 2010 examines these issues and suggests ways to address them

Merchandising and Supply Chain Efficiency A key goal of retailers is to run merchandising and supply chain functions as cost-effectively and efficiently as possible. This is understandable, given the expectations of shareholders and the competitive pressures retailers face. If retailers are to satisfy their target customers, they must make fundamental changes. They must build networks in which the various merchandising and supply chain functions are fully integrated and enable a more detailed understanding of the customers served. They must also tailor operations to suit different products, customer segments, markets and timeframes. Complete integration and optimization of the merchandising supply network is one of the key components of delivering a customercentric shopping experience.

HandStep focuses on the development and implementation of custom solutions and infrastructure designed to connect employees who are using handheld devices with their organisations' business critical systems. The company developed HandStep Toolbox, a set of utilities designed to maximise the power of Afaria and make life easier for system administrators.

For several years running, improving Business Process Management (BPM) has become a top priority for companies. CIOs and IT executives continue to place business process improvement as the top business priority for their IT organizations1,2,3. Of course, there are many options for improving business processes – ranging from complete process re-engineering to adopting new process management methodologies, like Lean Six Sigma, or adding new capabilities to existing systems. At Lombardi, we believe that an investment in BPM software, coupled with new approaches to project implementation, is the best investment companies can make in delivering sustainable business process improvement. This paper is intended for groups who want to make the business case for investing in BPM to drive process improvement. It provides an overview of the areas of benefit that companies can expect from BPM as well as concrete examples of value. It also compares the use of BPM to alternative approaches for driving process improvement. Finally, this paper provides a basic introduction to the costs associated with a BPM initiative.