Welcome to TurtleSpice ERP, our new series on software selection!

We’ll follow one company’s software selection process, from beginning to end—with your help. Read the rest of this entry »

Outsourcing’s in the news these days, what with the US presidential election and all, but it’s usually covered from an “is it good for us” angle—where “us” is the American people or the national economy.

But how about you? Is it good for your organization? Read the rest of this entry »

TEC analyst Alex Hankewicz was positively purring after his certification of the IFS Applications EAM functionality a couple of weeks ago, thanks to what he called its comprehensive functionality and well thought-out and scalable architecture.

He’s not normally very effusive, so when he described it as “one of the best I’ve seen,” I thought it was time to offer readers a walkthrough of TEC’s EAM Evaluation Center, which you can use to generate a free shortlist of EAM solutions.

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When we talk about the benefits of learning management systems (LMS), training and employee competency usually come to mind. For that reason, LMS is often considered a less-than vital business activity (since it doesn’t address “core” business issues). Add to that the fact that nobody really enjoys training, and you’ve got a recipe for, well, no LMS.

However, when it comes to compliance issues—that bugbear of service industries—you may find you haven’t got much of a choice. Learning management systems are favored by regulated industries (for example, financial services and biopharmaceuticals) where compliance training is essential.

Compliance issues, of course, come in several shades:

• regulatory compliance (financial services industry, legal, accounting, other professional services)
• industry compliance (such as certification and licensing requirements in the insurance services)
• good ethical practices

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The Guardian’s excellent article How to Do Business Like the Mafia lists 7 rules for running a successful business—legitimate or otherwise.

And where there are business rules, of course, there’s enterprise software.

Which led me to wonder just how the Mafia would go about the enterprise software selection process. Read the rest of this entry »

In IP Telephony 101, I looked at the pros and cons of IP telephony, and a few of the considerations you should explore before making the switch to VoIP.

We’ll turn now to the nitty-gritty of VoIP systems: the architecture, the equipment, the network structure, the software, and what you can expect to pay. Read the rest of this entry »

Puzzled by process? Dazed by discrete?

First, let’s understand who should use a discrete ERP application.

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As managing editor for TEC’s white paper site, I receive a wide variety of reader comments, ranging from lost password requests to queries about white papers on particular (sometimes very particular) subjects.

The other day I received this e-mail, titled “Meaningless White Papers”:

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Telephony. Sounds harmless enough.

First, a definition from Merriam-Webster: “the use or operation of an apparatus (as a telephone) for transmission of sounds as electrical signals between widely removed points.”

Gotcha. I’m with you. Me hear pretty, oll korrect.

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TEC has just released the second generation of its flagship software comparison tool, eBestMatch, which allows users to compare enterprise software side-by-side, down to the minutest level of detail.

This version (see below to find out how to snag a free trial) provides immediate user responsiveness, giving you the feeling you’re leveraging a slick desktop app rather than a Web page. Read the rest of this entry »

When ideas fail, words come in very handy.
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Software Selection Pitfalls
Quick, what’s the number-one pitfall of the software selection process? Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to another installment in our back-to-basics series. So far, we’ve covered ERP 101 and SCM 101.

What Is CRM?
CRM is more than a software application. It is a set of strategies, processes, and associated software systems designed to improve the interactions and engagement of customers. Read the rest of this entry »

You may still be feeling a little woozy from showing 2007 out the door. Make sure you’re not caught off-guard by 2008, with the top 6 trends you should watch for in the year ahead.

1. ERP—The Technology Matures
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Going through our article archives, I stumbled across Glen Petersen’s excellent article A Lexicon for CRM Success.

Petersen takes aim at key buzzwords in the CRM industry, and I thought it’d be worth summarizing his list of the worst offenders–and his thinking about why they belong in the trash can.

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Laws a’mercy, now that’s what you call a flame war.

The White Paper Pundit has taken direct aim at our Top 10 Most Ambiguous White Paper Buzzwords, decrying our use of the word “tool” to refer to so-called software “solutions.”

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