As a TEC research analyst, I get to see a lot of really interesting (and some not so interesting) stuff when it comes to enterprise software and the like. With technology changing at the speed of light, there’s always something new that I haven’t seen before, that grabs my attention and makes me say “Wow, that’s cool”!

Like this past week for instance. I had a product briefing with a company called Saba to get an overview of their learning management solution (LMS). I was fortunate enough to have Kenyatta Berry (Saba’s Director of Product Marketing) speak with my colleagues (TEC’s team of analysts) and I to show us Saba’s suite of enterprise software offerings. Along with that we received an overview of the company and its unique strategies for training its clients on how to use its software.   

This leads me back to my opening remark about “something I haven’t seen before”; that something is called Saba University.

Read the rest of this entry »

Every so often, Technology Evaluation Centers (TEC) analysts—our in-house panel of experts—receive questions from readers on a variety of software-related subjects. While mostly in the realm of software selection, evaluation, the latest technology offerings, or simply questions about business issues, on occasion we receive a request that piques our interest—especially when it is slightly outside of our realm. In an interest to keep our readers informed, we selected one reader’s question and decided to highlight it here—along with our responses. The subject?—segregation of duties (SOD).

Read the rest of this entry »

A little over 10 years ago, when I was working as an assistant manager in my former company’s payroll department—where many of the traditional human resources (HR) functions were handled by my staff—I often wondered, “well, if we’re doing all of this stuff, what are the people in HR doing?” I often joked with my fellow coworkers that it seemed (to me) that outside of handling employee paperwork and forwarding resumes to prospecting departments, all HR did was organize parties, baseball games, company BBQ’s, and hand out the occasional basket of “whatever” every time some poor sucker reached the five-, ten-, or 15-year mark of service. “Wow, what a great job,” I thought. “I’d like to do that and get paid for it!” Read the rest of this entry »

I never thought I’d ever make an analogy such as this, but as we head into spring (the season of change—and love in bloom), I figured, “what the heck”…

When you really think about it, selecting ERP software does have many similarities to planning a wedding—right down to the uncertainty of whether or not you’ve chosen the right solution or, in the case of your wedding, partner to spend a lifetime with. While I’m hoping that your marriage lasts longer than your software solution does, I’m also hoping that the solution you’ll choose will last your business well into the future.

Now let’s get to planning that ERP software selection shall we? Read the rest of this entry »

The white paper—a wonderful little piece of literature chock full of thought provoking insight and informative prose—got its start many years ago, long before there were computers in every office and home around the world. Back then, the white paper was a way for individuals to discuss their positions on a specific topic, but was predominantly used by the government. Today, white papers are a staple for many technology websites around the world—including ours.

Read the rest of this entry »

Anyone who’s ever been involved in choosing enterprise software knows it’s not an easy job. It takes months of preparation that involves gathering information from various departments, mapping business processes, preparing a business case, interviewing stakeholders, and getting buy-in from executives and users on the project. And that’s only the beginning!

But whose job is it to do all of this anyway? It’s often assumed that someone in IT (a technical professional) will be responsible for it. Other assumed targets are the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Chief Technical Officer (CTO), and sometimes even the Chief Financial Officer (CFO)—depending on the type of enterprise software that is required. But believe it or not, most often the person that is handed the title of software selection “Project Manager” or “Project Champion” is just an ordinary Joe—(or Jane to be politically correct)—a department manager or project coordinator who knows the organization’s business processes like the back of their hand. While he (or she) may not have any particular technical expertise, he may certainly be able to add value to the project by knowing the business. So, why not; who better to handle this type of job, than someone like that?

Which brings me to the point of my story… Read the rest of this entry »

Let’s face it; we’ve all had to deal with pushy salespeople.

How do they always get you to buy stuff—even when it’s something you didn’t need? It’s called the sales pitch. Every salesperson has one, and software vendors are no exception. In fact, they have several ways of pitching their products.

One such way is through a white paper—which often discusses particular problems that many companies may be facing. At the same time, it gives vendors the opportunity to enlighten you about the one possible solution that can “fix it.” However informative it may be, ultimately a white paper is a cleverly written sales pitch—a pitch containing certain buzzwords that gloss over the practical realities of their solution.

Here are ten of the most ambiguous buzzwords I’ve seen used in white papers—and they may make you think twice about whether or not a software vendor is truly focusing on your best interests.

Read the rest of this entry »