Enterprise software is big business. This becomes evident when you add up the costs of purchasing software licenses, implementing the system, migrating data, training employees, and maintaining the system. If your enterprise system doesn’t meet your expectations, you risk running some of your investment down the drain. Unfortunately, it is quite common for companies to take shortcuts when determining their software needs, which often leads them to acquire a system that doesn’t exactly match their business requirements.

At Technology Evaluation Centers (TEC), we prolifically use the word “evaluation” to describe what we do. After all, it’s an integral part of our company’s name and at the heart of our business model. But what does software evaluation really mean? Why is it so important? And why do we keep making a big fuss about it? The meaning of the word evaluation will largely depend on your business context and needs. Read the rest of this entry »

SOFWARE SELECTIONS AND IMPLEMENTATIONS

D&K Engineering selects Aras Enterprise PLM software
Industry tags: PLM, complex electromechanical products and equipment
“This was a head-to-head win over Oracle’s incumbent Agile PLM solution. Aras was reportedly selected as a replacement for its openness (interconnectivity) and flexibility. Free and open source PLM software is becoming increasingly more popular over proprietary PLM alternatives.”—P.J. Jakovljevic, Principal TEC Analyst

• Aras Corporation profile
• TEC Blog post (June 6, 2012): CAD-centric PLM, ERP-centric PLM, and Organic PLM: What’s Right for You?

Chinese supermarket chain selects Oracle Retail Management software
Industry tags: Wholesale and Retail Trade
“After evaluating SAP and Oracle software offerings for retail, fast-growing Chinese retail chain Better Life opted for the Oracle product suite, for its 184 supermarkets across southern China. Reportedly, among the key deciding factors were deep retail functionality, embedded industry best practices, scalability, and references from leading world-class retailers.”—Aleksey Osintsev, TEC Analyst

• Oracle profile

IMCO Engineering & Construction selects IFS Applications
Industry tags: Construction
“Based in Kuwait and Qatar, IMCO will implement IFS Applications, primarily to support its day-to-day operations across the Middle East. Requirements were naturally for multicountry and multicurrency support, project management and contract management, human resources, and local payroll functionality. Construction and project management-focused business are among IFS’s target vertical markets, and it’s no surprise that the vendor won the 1.7 million (USD) contract. And having certified the software, I am personally not surprised, as IFS Applications presents a very dynamic and powerful offering to the market.”—Aleksey Osintsev, TEC Analyst

• IFS Applications profile

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Kronos is one of the most important players in the human resources (HR) software market, with a global presence (serving 100+ countries), $820 million (USD) in annual revenue, more than 3,500 employees, and 30+ million users worldwide.

Until recently, the vendor had mostly focused on large enterprises, with its flagship product, the Kronos Workforce Central suite. This changed with the recent acquisition of SaaShr, a software-as-a-service provider specializing in workforce management for small to medium businesses (SMBs).

The solution has been rebranded as Kronos Workforce Ready, and I had the opportunity to learn more about it from Bob DelPonte, product line director for Workforce Ready. Here’s what I found out, along with my commentary on the new solution. Read the rest of this entry »