NetSuite was seemingly on a roll at the end of January 2013. A day after its win at the Zicam maker, NetSuite announced that CallidusCloud, a leading provider of cloud-based sales performance management (SPM), training, hiring, and marketing software solutions, has transformed its global business and information technology (IT) efficiency by implementing NetSuite OneWorld. The newly deployed cloud enterprise suite has reportedly improved end-to-end cross-enterprise business visibility and performance for the fast-growing software company to replace an “IT nightmare” of 14 disparate business applications, including enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM). Read the rest of this entry »

Autodesk, the leader in cloud-based design and engineering software, continues with its cloud software investments. Most recently, it acquired (for an undisclosed sum) technology and a development team from Allpoint Systems LLC, a small Pittsburgh, PA–based developer of software and solutions for collecting and processing LiDAR (light detection and ranging) point cloud data. The Allpoint Systems team and technology, which offers software and data processing solutions for collecting and processing LiDAR data to the roadway and building markets, will help Autodesk expand the development of cloud-based reality capture software and solutions. Read the rest of this entry »

SAP has announced plans to acquire Ticket-Web GmbH & Co. KG, a provider of ticketing solutions and niche customer relationship management (CRM) software for sports and entertainment promoters. Ticket-Web employees will become part of SAP, and the deal is expected to close during the second quarter of 2013. The move is expected to pave the way for SAP to offer enhanced solutions to help promoters, venues, and teams market events over the Internet and better support arena management. Based in Wildau, Germany, Ticket-Web is established in Europe with its main product, ENTREE-tickets, an online ticketing service. The company also has niche complementary solutions for customer financial process management and CRM.

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Sage Group plc is a leading global provider of business management software to small and medium-sized companies, with over 6 million customers and more than 13,500 employees in 24 countries covering the UK and Ireland, mainland Europe, North America, South Africa, Australia, Asia, and Brazil. After recently streamlining and rebranding its ERP and CRM offering in North America, Sage recently announced the formation of a new organization to drive its growth across the European mid-market. The organization, which is in place from January 2013 and is led by Christophe Letellier, will be aligned behind Sage’s flagship solution, Sage ERP X3, and other local mid-market offerings.

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NetSuite announced that Matrixx Initiatives has accelerated its financial processes, improved business analytics and visibility, and reduced its IT costs since implementing NetSuite OneWorld. Matrixx, headquartered in Bridgewater, New Jersey, is the maker of Zicam brand cold remedies. After it was acquired by H.I.G. Capital in 2011, Matrixx faced a costly upgrade to its outdated Oracle JD Edwards client/server enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution. Rather than undertake a painstaking upgrade, it evaluated several other solutions and selected NetSuite over Microsoft Dynamics GP and Sage 300 ERP (formerly Sage ERP ACCPAC). The company has reportedly significantly reduced its software licensing costs and eliminated its in-house servers and the need for a full-time information technology (IT) employee to perform data backup since transitioning from JD Edwards.

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Established in 2002, Socialtext, a Bedford Funding portfolio company (which also owns Peoplefluent), was one of the first companies to deliver social networking software to businesses. Socialtext’s enterprise social networking products—including microblogging, blogs, wikis, profiles, and social spreadsheets—provide more efficient and simpler ways for employees to share vital information and work together in real-time. Delivered in the cloud or securely behind the firewall as an appliance, Socialtext customers can be provided with flexible deployment options that meet their security requirements.

After the recent partnership with Badgeville for gamification capabilities, this week Socialtext announced its distribution partnership with Winvale, one of the premier government-focused solutions providers in the United States. After multi-year success implementing the Socialtext software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform with government agencies, the offering will now be available through Winvale’s General Services Administration (GSA) Schedules.

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The year 2012 ended with a major win for (and perhaps a sigh of relief from) Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Industry Automation Division. Namely, in December 2012, Siemens’ JT data format, a lightweight data format that makes it possible to view and share digital 3D product information in real time throughout all phases of a product’s lifecycle, was approved by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as an International Standard. Read the rest of this entry »

IFS’ win streak continued with Atlas Pipeline Mid-Continent Holdings, LLC (“Atlas Pipeline”), active in gathering and processing natural gas for transportation to commercial, industrial, and residential markets, recently choosing IFS Applications as its new enterprise solution. The oil and gas industry is one of IFS’ core markets. Based on a single product line, IFS Applications delivers component-based business solutions that manage the entire lifecycle of contracts, projects, assets, and services. Read the rest of this entry »

Given that in mid-2012 Plex Systems, the first software company to build a full-fledged cloud-based manufacturing enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution, was sold by Apax Partners to Francisco Partners and Accel Partners, it was not too surprising to hear about the early 2013 appointment of technology industry veteran Jason Blessing as the company’s chief executive officer (CEO). Such appointments and company stewardships typically come at a time when a company is entering its next growth phase or is being taken to the next level. Read the rest of this entry »

IFS’ win streak from late 2012 seems to be flowing into 2013. On January 16, 2013, the global enterprise applications company announced that Vantaa Energy Ltd., one of Finland’s largest urban energy companies, has selected IFS Applications 8 to streamline its business processes.

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After the recent analyst roadshow where we were able to see some previews of what’s coming in 2013, SYSPRO started the new year with a bang. Namely, the vendor has announced that Grato Holdings, a manufacturer of custom homeopathic remedies, nutritional supplements, and herbal products, has chosen SYSPRO Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software to facilitate company growth and enhance operational efficiencies and customer relations.

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At the NRF BIG Retail Show 2013, a new relationship was announced between Kronos and Manhattan Associates to help retailers profitably integrate their physical stores into their digital selling strategy. The idea is to allow retailers to increase customer satisfaction and drive sales by freeing up trapped inventory in the store and elsewhere in the upstream supply chain, while managing labor costs.

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Just before the NRF BIG Retail Show 2013, NetSuite announced that it had acquired Retail Anywhere, a provider of multichannel retail management solutions. The acquisition builds on NetSuite’s SuiteCommerce platform, delivering a broad integrated cloud business suite for retailers, giving them what they need to open up new sales channels and expand their businesses globally. The addition fulfills a strong demand among retailers for a single commerce solution that supports the multiple customer touchpoints a retail business needs to succeed—from physical points of sale (POSs) at brick-and-mortar stores or other locations to call centers, social media, and business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce via desktops, laptops, smartphones, and tablets.

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Last week Bombardier Aerospace announced that it will expand its agreement with Apriso by standardizing on Apriso’s FlexNet as its enterprise solution for manufacturing operations management (MOM). Bombardier will work with Apriso to support production of both CSeries and Learjet 85 aircraft at its facilities in Canada and Mexico, demonstrating FlexNet’s ability to manage highly complex production, quality, maintenance, and material synchronization processes within a multiple-site aerospace manufacturing environment. Read the rest of this entry »

Last week, FinancialForce.com, the cloud applications company formed as a joint venture between UNIT4 and salesforce.com, announced the availability of trust.financialforce.com, a resource for customers that describes the control processes, security, application quality, and platform monitoring environment that underpin all FinancialForce.com cloud business applications. Built on the Salesforce Platform (a.k.a., Force.com), FinancialForce.com applications inherit all the benefits of the investments made by salesforce.com in infrastructure, data management, controls, security and certifications including SysTrust, Truste, VeriSign Secured, Safe Harbor, SAS70, and ISO 27001. Read the rest of this entry »