Software

Different needs, different technologies The choice ? and therefore debate ? between 'suite' versus 'best of breed' software is as old as enterprise software. Enterprise Content Management (ECM) technologies claim to fulfill all of the content management needs an enterprise may have. In reality, organizations typically need specific technologies for specific business requirements. SDL is a best of breed vendor that provides persuasive Web content management solutions that enable effective communication and interaction with multiple target audiences.

There is a theme in this paper which states that, to use online banking effectively, a financial institution must offer three things: integration, personalisation and relevance. Now I know that you, the reader, the seasoned and sceptical professional who has been there, done that and seen it all before will read that first line and yawn. I know that, because that’s what I did. Because we’ve heard it all before. How often have we talked about multichannel integration? How often have we pondered the issues of a consistent customer experience? How often have we discussed the ability to leverage online capabilities through branches and vice versa?

Leverage POS data to understand sales patterns, customer preferences and buying patterns to create targeted and profitable promotions. In today’s highly competitive world, retailers struggle to differentiate themselves via their product offerings and by how they promote products to customers across all channels. Smart retailers deploy effective targeted product offerings which can generate significant revenues; poorly chosen ones, though, waste money and opportunity.

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