‘Smart’ operational management

The new breed of operations management is now aligned with faster-paced global, remote and hybrid ways of working. With digital checklists, live video, inventory management and field audits, organisations are able to manage operations anytime, anywhere while also ensuring that standard operating procedures are followed across locations.

Companies can validate site visitations, attach live photos and videos, discover issues and monitor resolution in real-time. Interactive dashboards allow management to review and analyse what is happening in their real time. Businesses can quickly identify red flags, note issues that have to be resolved immediately and highlight cost-saving opportunities.

Businesses like KFC, Kopi Kenangan, 7-Eleven, Wilmar, Cargill and Under Armour are amongst the 200+ organisations around the world already seeing the benefits of this new smarter way of operations management. In fact, to date, Nimbly has helped save businesses over 57,000 hours in operational efficiency, 59% in inspection costs and helped drive 86% in business productivity.

“It ties up to excellence in our offering, especially empowering the dashboard with real-time relevant information, quickly and accurately.”

AI-powered operations

Recently, Nimbly announced it had selected Sisense, an AI-driven analytics cloud platform that infuses analytics anywhere to provide a new customisable, visual dashboard to its customers.

Prior to engaging with Sisense, Nimbly’s dashboard was not fully agile or customisable, and a self-service model was not enabled for the customer.

Earlier this year, Nimbly decided to enhance its platform with robust data analytics and visualisation capabilities. Nimbly evaluated multiple tools based on the needs of their customers and ultimately chose Sisense due to its powerful, easy to visualise and interactive dashboards. Nimbly also needed a solution that enabled their end-users to build customised dashboards with minimal training, both of which Sisense offered.

“Sisense’s self-service model is intuitive and easy to manage. This along with AI capabilities made it a compelling option for the company,” Girish Mysore, CTO of Nimbly said. “With Sisense, Nimbly can leverage its analytic and visualisation engine to its customisation and instrumentation capabilities. This ensures that Nimbly’s analytics are not only the most advanced, easy to use and highly flexible on the market but that it fully meets our clients’ needs.”

“We use Sisense dashboards to enhance what we deliver to customers. It ties up to excellence in our offering, especially empowering the dashboard with real-time relevant information, quickly and accurately.”

Eyal Mekler, Regional VP APAC at Sisense said embedding an interactive, customisable tool with Nimbly’s solution opens up exciting opportunities for businesses globally to become further streamlined, enjoy operational efficiencies while leveraging data to grow their businesses and minimise risk.

“Data visualisation helps unlock the value of data for organisational efficiency and is critical in today’s fast-moving business landscape that demands access to essential information quickly and in real-time. Sisense provides our clients with an easy low/no-code solution that is customisable and interactive, that helps drive even further innovation for businesses at scale,” Mekler said.

The post Unleashing smarter business operations with AI appeared first on iStart keeping business informed on technology.

E-invoicing is gaining traction in Australia and New Zealand, so what stages are the big cloud accounting firms at? We dive into the current state of play of e-invoicing for six key cloud accounting platforms used by small businesses in Australia and New Zealand.

(It should be noted that this is only small business accounting providers. The parties they invoice, and are invoiced by, are likely to be larger entities running ERP systems, and for e-invoicing to work, both ends need to invest in making PEPPOL standards easy to use – Editor)

Cloud accounting companies are getting on board to make it easier for more to join the growing e-invoicing network.

Xero
Xero have shown their support for e-invoicing by buying Swedish e-invoicing provider Tickstar. They are currently going through the process of making it work within their normal process. Sending e-invoices has been enabled for customers, and the receiving of e-invoices is still being refined but should be ready for early adopters soon.

Xero has added an e-invoicing option to their invoice creation page. This puts the onus back on the business to know if their recipient is ready for e-invoicing or not. We expect this will change soon to offer a better user experience for their customers.

MYOB
MYOB are being very cautious about e-invoicing. They know they need to be a part of it, but they haven’t worked out what they want to do yet. They are hedging their bets and allowing three providers to operate from within their system.

MYOB AccountRight and Essentials users are shown a list of three e-invoicing providers and need to pick which one they want to work with. Once they’ve signed up, MYOB  users will be able to see a new ‘send as e-invoice button’ when they create an invoice.

QBO – QuickBooks Online
You may have noticed some events and marketing by Intuit in recent times. They have taken the angle to help inform and educate the market about e-invoicing. Their parent company is Intuit have two accredited e-invoicing access point providers within their app store to support e-invoicing in QBO.

Reckon
Reckon have been supporters of e-invoicing for some time and recommend one service provider to their users – and yes, that would be us here at Link4.

Saasu
Saasu have a loyal customer base who advocate their solution to other business people. Several of their users have been doing e-invoicing for more than three years. Saasu provide the name of one supplier, Link4, on their e-invoicing add – on page, and this works well for their users.

Money Works
MoneyWorks have done it the best that we’ve seen so far. E-invoicing comes standard with its latest release.

They partnered with Link4 and embedded the e-invoicing service within their solution and made it easy for the end user. I am sure we will see more of this type of approach as users demand a better experience.

So where are we heading?
When all of the software companies provide e-invoicing capabilities within their accounting packages, will there be a need for specialist e-invoicing providers?

Consider the services provided by the cloud accounting systems as ‘vanilla e-invoicing’. That is, they will provide the basics and cover the needs of 40 percent of the market.

The niche e-invoicing providers are independent and will continue to develop their solutions based on end user feedback. These providers will include things like approval processes (for sending and receiving invoices), reminders, invoice financing options, additional fields, other document types, etc.

These same independent providers are often providing a vanilla aspect of their services through accounting solutions, but you can also get far more functionality to meet your business needs if you go direct.

No matter how you look at it, e-invoicing has benefits for every business. It is good to see the cloud accounting companies getting on board to make it easier for more to join the growing e-invoicing network.

Written by Robin Sands, CEO of Australian e-invoicing Access Point Link4.

The post The state of play for e-invoicing appeared first on iStart keeping business informed on technology.

We recommend that business leaders begin with a clear, actionable strategy for business intelligence (BI). BI has rapidly grown in popularity among small to mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) in recent years, largely because technology has advanced to the point at which powerful analytics have become affordable for virtually any sized organisation. In fact, when you consider the tangible business benefits that powerful reporting can provide, an investment in BI tools delivers a very strong ROI.

BI can be something that effectively ‘turns the light on’ in any organisation.

Unfortunately, BI is still a confusing and fragmented concept to many people. Definitions vary, largely because BI is a multifaceted domain that touches on everything from internal business processes, key performance metrics, and data manipulation to integration among various business information systems and more.

BI is about how your organisation engages with data, how you measure and communicate key objectives, and how you draw insights from your data that help you manage your business more successfully. Every organisation is different, so there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach. Ultimately, it comes down to understanding where your business is today, where you want it to be in the future, and how you can forge a path to get there. Gaining that level of understanding requires an intentional approach.

Stock reporting tools just aren’t good enough
Most organisations are already using multiple different reporting tools, and they may not even be aware of just how fragmented those systems are. Think about the various software platforms your organisation uses. Most companies have an ERP system for managing day-to-day financial and operational functions. Some have a separate CRM system, which may or may not integrate with the ERP. Others run a digital marketing automation platform to develop and nurture leads, deepen engagement with existing customers, and cultivate awareness and goodwill.

Each of those systems comes with its own dedicated reporting functions. Sadly, those tools are often designed to be “just good enough.” They address the fundamental requirement for reporting, but they lack flexibility and sophistication. In many cases, those tools lack the capacity for custom reports. Very often, you cannot even modify existing reports to support the organisation’s unique, specific business processes.

In cases in which customisation is possible, it usually isn’t easily accomplished. ERP software, in particular, is notorious for the extent to which report development and customisation require highly specialized IT skills. That means allocating scarce IT resources to the task or paying expensive outside consultants to do the job. For frontline workers in finance and accounting, it means waiting days or weeks to get the needed information.

Then there is the problem of integration, or the lack thereof. When companies rely on the off-the-shelf reporting tools that come with their various software systems, they end up with a collection of reports that tell them about each of the specific domains managed by those systems.

The ERP reports can only deliver information about accounting, inventory, sales, and purchasing. There is some customer information there, but it may be limited. The CRM system contains more detailed customer information, but it may not integrate well with the transactional information in ERP. Digital marketing automation, likewise, is restricted to its own limited view of the world.

Integration can mitigate this problem of information silos to some extent, but it can only go so far. Unfortunately, many organisations have come to accept tedious workarounds as a necessary evil. The process usually goes something like this: First, you run reports from two or three different systems. Then, you export the resulting information to Excel, consolidating those into a single spreadsheet. Finally, you filter, format, and add formulas to bring it all together.

That process is incredibly time-consuming, so it precludes the possibility of running those kinds of reports frequently. The resulting information is out of date as soon as you produce the report because it came from a static copy of data that has since become stale. The manual copy/paste process also tends to introduce errors, which can ultimately result in poor business decisions.

For truly effective reporting that provides a unified view of the business, BI systems must bridge the gaps between all of the software systems that business leaders rely on to manage their organisations. A good BI platform must deliver information in real time, and it needs to be easy enough to use that anyone in the organisation can design and modify reports without specialised skills.

As You Migrate to Cloud ERP…
As organisations start down the path toward cloud ERP, it is imperative that they give careful consideration to the implications for reporting and analytics. As software vendors have transitioned to a cloud-first approach, most have taken the necessary steps of changing the way you access data. For security reasons, companies running a cloud ERP system can no longer make direct database queries using structured query language (SQL). That is a technical change, but it has profound implications for BI.

Companies that currently run Microsoft Dynamics AX, for example, will face a multitude of choices about how to access data and run reports when they migrate to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain Management. Companies running other ERPs will find themselves in a similar situation. Each of those choices has its unique disadvantages and brings with it some unique considerations as to system architecture, cost, performance, and long-term IT staffing requirements.

In other words, ERP customers who migrate to the cloud risk being blindsided by a relatively simple (but extremely important) technical change to the way they access ERP data. Many of the proposed new approaches to data access are driven by new technology that has not yet reached maturity. For companies seeking a reliable BI platform with a low total cost of ownership, a better approach is to seek a stable, proven reporting and analytics product designed for high performance and ease of use.

An Intentional Approach Is Critical
BI can be something that effectively “turns the light on” in any organisation. When the entire team is working from the same playbook with access to a single source of truth, everyone can focus on the same targets, working with the same KPIs to drive action and improve processes.

While technology is ultimately part of the conversation about BI, it should not be the starting point. An effective approach to BI must serve the needs of the tactical and strategic decision-makers in the organisation. It should address financial and operational reporting requirements with powerful and flexible tools that make it possible for anyone in the organisation to design and modify ad hoc reports, without needing specialized training or IT skills.

At insightsoftware, we recommend that company leaders carefully consider some key questions that impact their long-term strategy for BI:

• What are the systems of record for your critical business data? These usually comprise the starting point for developing a unified approach toward reporting, bringing together information that gives business leaders a holistic, unified view of what is happening in the business. Typically, such systems include ERP and CRM, but they often include specialized industry-specific software as well.
• How are people throughout your organisation currently using reporting? Which reports are decision-makers relying upon every day, every week, or every month? What happens when you need an ad hoc report?
• Do your current financial reporting systems support rapid and efficient period-end closing?
  Could the period-end process benefit from greater efficiency and automation? Do reconciliations and supporting worksheets automatically link to numbers that come directly from the general ledger and subledgers in the ERP system?
• How timely is the information that stakeholders are getting today? Have there ever been times when you needed information on very short notice, but it was unavailable? What were the implications of that delay?
• How accurate is the information that stakeholders are getting today? Are errors and inaccuracies frequently discovered after the fact? Have they resulted in meaningful costs to the company? Are there multiple versions of the truth? Does the organisation frequently struggle with arguments over ‘which number is correct?’
• Is your organisation planning a migration to cloud ERP and/or cloud CRM at some point in the future? If so, it is important that you partner with a vendor that can support your needs today and in the future as you transition to the cloud.

Answering these questions will help you identify what you want to achieve with BI in the near future, and what types of benefits your organisation can achieve, both in the short term and the long term.

At insightsoftware, we focus on serving the needs of finance and accounting teams. Often, when organisations are developing a BI strategy, the unique reporting needs of the finance department are overlooked. That does not have to be the case, however. As you develop your BI and reporting strategy, there are some key factors to consider to ensure that finance’s voice is heard. Learn more about those factors now by downloading our guide entitled Five Key Factors to Consider When Evaluating Financial Reporting Software.

The post Building a BI strategy: Why it is important appeared first on iStart keeping business informed on technology.

Suckling is a director and chair of several New Zealand-based tech companies including Jade Software, and was previously chair of Callaghan Innovation for six years.

Zag says she brings extensive experience in strategy, governance and leadership to the role at a time when the company is experiencing strong growth in its SAP services and is set to target new markets.

“The international experience she brings to the board is of strategic importance to us as we look to both Australia and North America for growth opportunities.”

Zag CEO Nick Mulcahy says Suckling brings crucial experience to Zag (previously Soltius) at a time when the company is seeking to expand its offerings and grow its presence overseas.

“Sue has a wealth of experience in tech companies and knows the challenges of taking New Zealand companies offshore. The international experience she brings to the board is of strategic importance to us as we look to both Australia and North America for growth opportunities.”

Mulcahy says Zag is experiencing strong growth driven in part by companies making the shift to S/4HANA before SAP phases out support for older ERPs in 2027. It’s a trend that’s likely to continue with Gartner’s latest Quarterly Spending Forecast predicting software spend in Australia to grow 12.0% to hit AU$18 billion, with 12.1 percent growth in New Zealand taking it to NZ$2.4 billion.

“We had record sales across the board in the last quarter of 2019 and are looking to add more than 60 people this year,” Mulcahy says.

“We’ve established new management roles in the past 12 months to better position us to service demand for our traditional SAP business. It’s very important to us that growth doesn’t change the core culture of the company which is vital to attracting and keeping the right people. Sue is not just a great fit for the company, but she understands how important maintaining a great culture is to help us successfully navigate growth.”

Suckling says she looks forward to helping Zag achieve its growth goals.

“For New Zealand companies expanding into Australia it’s never an easy proposition and only companies with strong offerings, good strategy and experienced leadership can make that jump successfully. Zag has all of that and more in place and I’m looking forward to being involved in what is going to be an exciting phase in the company’s story.”

The post New board chair as Zag scales for growth appeared first on iStart keeping business informed on technology.

Richard Checketts steps into the newly created leadership position of Operations Manager with responsibility for running day to day operations, developing the business and overseeing customer projects in Australia. Richard reports to the Chief Customer Officer for A/NZ, Cam Millar.

Richard brings more than 23 years of experience and expertise working for global companies where he delivered complex change projects. Most recently he was a Director with PwC Technology Consulting.

Richard began his career in Europe as a Software Developer but in the past ten years has led a number of technology and digital transformation programmes at some of Australia’s large energy companies as well as within the Federal Government. In a professional program capacity, Richard has worked with clients to recognise how legacy and contemporary technologies can support their business objectives and outcomes.

In his new role, Richard will work alongside Carl McGowan, (Customer Solutions Manager) and Kieran McCaul (Business Development Manager) in Australia to ensure customer excellence, stakeholder engagement at all levels and continued upward trajectory growth.

“I am really looking forward to joining the Zag team and growing its presence in Australia – in particular, delivering innovative and successful projects to our customers across the region” Richard said.

Commenting on the appointment, CEO of Zag, Nick Mulcahy said “We are proud to have someone with Richards experience and capability driving our Australian business forward. I am excited to see Richard’s position achieve further success for our customers.”

Zag launched into Australia in 2017 under its previous name Soltius and rebranded the group in October 2018.

About Zag
Zag (previously Soltius) is trusted by more than 80 organisations across Australasia to provide SAP, Cloud and enterprise mobility solutions, support and consulting. Since its formation in 1996 as a specialist SAP implementation partner, Zag has delivered more SAP ERP projects in New Zealand than anyone else and is now bringing that experience to the Australian market. The aim was, and still is, to build a business known for quality implementation advice and guidance at an affordable price. Zag built their Support Centre (Asia Pacific’s first certified SAP Partner Centre of Expertise), achieved SAP Gold Partner status and was one of the first in A/NZ to become an AWS Advanced Tier Partner with both Managed Services and SAP Competency accreditations. Zag has offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland, and Wellington.

For more information, visit http://www.zag.team/

The post Zag announces new Operations Manager for Australia appeared first on iStart keeping business informed on technology.

There was really only one option for potential customers: Do you or do you not want to buy a car? But people got picky fast. They wanted any colour but black; engine choices; and different transmissions, entertainment systems, premium interior finishes and the rest. As my car-selling friend says, “They want all the toys!”

Today, advanced manufacturing brings the possibility of unlimited options, pure customisation and the ability to fill orders for almost anything. Until now, products to be sold already existed – they had been designed, tested, priced and put on the market.

But advanced manufacturing promises even higher variability and product diversity. Much of this is reflected within the very depths of the products offered in the form of one-off enhancements and modifications made possible by additive manufacturing and other technologies.

A part is needed that looks like this, performs like that and is fabricated from this. The next logical question is, do we build it or buy it? This decision will be driven by all manner of variable conditions, and the answer to the question will frequently change based upon those conditions. This month we buy it, next month we build it.

The supply chain will need to include options for building items instead of merely supplying them, and the entire arena of contract manufacturing or manufacturing as a service will need to step up in this role.

What is the difference between manufacturers and makers? Here is my personal, short definition: Manufacturers build discrete products out of parts and assemblies. Makers build discrete products out of goo (fabrication material) that is assembled together to make fully configured products. Perhaps I’m oversimplifying things.

Makers as a “movement” see the manufacturing capacity as a community resource; a sort of centralised facility that offers all manner of advanced fabrication tools including 3D printers, laser and high-pressure water cutters and more. Anyone can use it or employ it to make anything they want to make. Individuals can make parts for busted appliances; companies can make parts or finished products.

Another vision would have a company like Amazon building maker centers in or around its distribution centers. Certain types of products could be built on-demand.

All of this changes CPQ (configure, price, quote), since it now needs to know how to handle products that aren’t even products yet.

The whole concept of CPQ is based on having total knowledge about the product to be sold and then a complete understanding of the customer’s needs. The scripted interview is a guided-selling process that brings sellers and buyers together to explore and evaluate needs, requirements and possible options. As the conversation evolves, it becomes more and more focused, and a solution in the form of configured products begins to emerge.

All of this is driven by language. The seller and buyer converse, and CPQ communicates with back-office systems, inventory, supply-chain and production systems to get the product built and delivered.

CPQ must become polyglot in terms of communicating with all elements within the manufacturing process.  With AI and robotics, humans, hardware and software share the same shop floor. What languages does CPQ need to speak to communicate effectively with all elements at work within this environment?

CPQ is at home communicating proposal, order-entry, supply, inventory and production triggers. This capability will need to be augmented to include the inputs necessary to instruct robotic or other advanced manufacturing assets if not directly, then through the manufacturing execution systems that drive them.

The closer we get to on-demand, mass-customised manufacturing, the more we will require these technologies and their integration with our existing tools.

This is an abridged version of an article from Cincom. Read the full article, with more details about the impact of advanced manufacturing on CPQ.

Check out our webinar Advanced Manufacturing: Why Henry Ford got it wrong

The post From Henry Ford to advanced manufacturing appeared first on iStart keeping business informed on technology.

“Automation of document processing has become a necessity rather than an afterthought within the life sciences industry.”

Esker recognizes the uniqueness and variability of operations in terms of process complexity and formality across organisations and their impact on multiple departments, end users, and third parties. By leveraging AI, machine learning, deep learning, robotic process automation to fax and email, IDoc EDI/XML, data capture, validation, formatting, archiving, and delivery, Esker empowers its clients with the choice to customize automation according to their requirements. “What makes Esker unique from other point-to-point solutions is that it houses all of the necessary functionality needed for the efficient flow and compliant management of customer and supplier communications in a single automated platform,” states Bérard.

Esker’s automation capability brings to the table lower processing costs, full regulatory compliance, faster processing times, flexible deployment options, and complete process visibility. “The end result being Esker satisfies all the criteria that pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device manufacturing companies seek in a comprehensive solution-cost-efficiency, increased visibility, and document security in a unified and integrated platform,” says Bérard. Moreover, Esker’s solution spans procure-to-pay and order-to-cash cycles and seamlessly integrates with multiple ERPs.

As per Bérard, Esker utilizes the agile methodology so that their customers, business partners, and key stakeholders are able to achieve maximum value throughout every phase of solution delivery. The hands-on approach that customers experience from Esker early in the process, results in faster ROI, value-added features, reduced risks, and lower overall implementation costs. Esker provides context to decisions and modifications, features that are ready to be tested and used in a short amount of time, along with greater process insight. With more than 5000 SaaS customers and 600,000+ SaaS users worldwide, Esker provides Cloud services, which represent approx 85 percent of its revenue.

Bérard shares a client interaction, where MEDRAD Inc., an affiliate of Bayer Medical Care, had to process 12,000+ orders to satisfy the demands of its 4500 strong customer base and struggled with the time-consuming task of manually feeding the order faxes and emails within its systems. With Esker’s order processing automation system, the orders are now automatically captured and populated, resulting in 75 percent faster processing times than previous manual methods. Moreover, Esker was able to reduce the processing time of each order from eight minutes to 1.35 minutes and provide 99.6 percent success in order entry through the AI recognition engine. MEDRAD is also leveraging Esker’s Accounts Payable automation solution to streamline the processing of vendor invoices and purchase requisitions.

With its global footprint in North America, Latin America, Europe and the Asia Pacific, Esker is all set to expand their AI capabilities to predictive analytics with deep learning and empower sales reps and customers with mobile ordering features and tracking capabilities. On the voyage to create a market disruption, Esker is looking forward to improving user experience with new report and dashboard systems as well as enhanced customer information management.

The post AI-driven automation providing lifeline for health sector appeared first on iStart keeping business informed on technology.

The recognition is the fifth time in six years that Intergen has been a member of the exclusive group, which recognises the top one percent of Microsoft Dynamics partners worldwide, while Empired achieved Inner Circle status in 2015.

As part of the inner circle, Empired will receive executive sponsorship and support from the Microsoft Dynamics team and will attend the Inner Circle Summit later this year, where it will get access to Microsoft Dynamics executives and hear about business practices, upcoming product features and strategies to implement better solutions.

Simon Bright, Empired Group COO and Intergen CEO, says the recognition is validation of Empired Group’s focus on delivering customer centric solutions designed to help clients achieve ‘tomorrow’s advantage today’,  while also building a strong Dynamics team across Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

“We’re extremely proud to have one of the very best teams of Microsoft Dynamics professionals globally, delivering world-leading solutions to forward looking organisations across Australasia,” Bright says.

The win is also, he says, an endorsement of Empired’s commitment to Microsoft.

“It is an incredibly exciting time in the world of Microsoft Dynamics, not to mention right across the Microsoft ecosystem, and we’re honoured to be a partner on this journey,” he says.

Cecilia Flombaum, Microsoft’s One commercial partner business applications business lead, says the membership places Empired and Intergen in ‘an elite group of our most strategic partners from across the globe’.

This year’s inclusion in the Inner Circle follows Intergen taking out Microsoft’s top award for New Zealand – the 2018 Microsoft New Zealand Country Partner of the Year – and winning four ERP Project of the Year awards in the last six years.

Last year the company’s Dynamics deals included one with SkyCity Entertainment Group to deliver Dynamics 365 to 6,000 users across Australia and New Zealand, with Genetics Technologies and Public Trust also among the companies using Dynamics 365  courtesy of Intergen.

The post Dynamics Inner Circle beckons again for Empired and Intergen appeared first on iStart keeping business informed on technology.

For decades, manufacturers have opted to cut costs in order to achieve growth, but today digital technologies are playing a vital role. When effectively integrated throughout every part of a business’ operations, digital transformation positions companies for sustained growth by connecting their extended ecosystem of partners, suppliers, and customers.

These capabilities are no longer experimental innovations or proofs of concept. They are in production, proven and are quickly becoming a necessary ingredient for growth, and for many, survival.

Understanding digital transformation
Digital transformation does not exist in its own discrete context. It is a response to burgeoning issues within a global economy that is faster, more connected, and aggressively competitive. It is not an end destination or state of being, but a combination of applied digital technologies and processes that accelerate your business toward its strategic objectives and push it further along the Industry 4.0 track.

Start with strategy
The velocity and scale of technological change can feel as overwhelming and risky as leaping onto a high-speed train. Leaders may wonder how it’s even possible to harness the power of digital transformation when technology seems to become obsolete almost as soon as it arrives.

Instead of focusing on all the risks, possibilities, and benefits of new technologies all at once, first define your overall business goals. What do you hope to achieve in the next one to three years? What factors will you use to measure business success and growth?

Once your business goals are defined, the digital tools that offer the greatest opportunity to achieve them will emerge. Those technologies can then become part of your growth strategy – steps you’ll take on your journey.

Successful digital transformation doesn’t happen overnight, and it looks different for each company. Deploying new technology for technology’s sake can short-circuit your digital aspirations. Instead, your company’s overall growth strategy can guide and lead your digital transformation.

“Deploying new technology for technology’s sake can short-circuit your digital aspirations.”

The research, conducted by Morar Consulting on behalf of Epicor, questioned 2,450 business decision makers and employees in businesses in 12 countries across the globe, about their growth performance in the last 12 months. For further information on the research, click here.

Many competing technologies profess to drive digital transformation – however, the utility of any given digital solution depends almost exclusively on context. You need to understand where you are in your digital transformation journey and how specific technologies can add value to your business. Against a backdrop of fierce competition and rapid evolution, this means identifying the areas in which you can make the smallest change for the maximum ROI. The starting point in getting fit for growth is to understand your market and business inside out.

Define your growth objectives
To get started, you need to establish what works, what requires immediate attention, and where digital transformation can add real value. With your clearly defined growth vision, you are ready to set investment priorities for digital transformation.

For manufacturers, defining these priorities might mean a trade-off between operational efficiency and improving the customer experience. The risks of holding excess inventory or missing order delivery deadlines are costly to the business. You must take an honest look at which areas are your biggest hindrance to growth – and which areas offer the greatest opportunity for lasting success.

Source: “What Does Digitalisation in Manufacturing Mean Now?” Greg Cline, Aberdeen Group, 2017

Derive new operational efficiencies
For some, digital transformation will mean investing in Industry 4.0 technologies that connect, integrate, and automate production – introducing AI, sensors, actuators, and drivers that facilitate the autonomous exchange of information. IoT technologies such as smart sensors can predict equipment failure and send alerts that trigger automated responses, while automation can optimise supply-chain shipment logistics and inventory management.

Differentiate the customer experience
For some manufacturers, digital transformation will come as a response to increased pressure from customers to produce shorter, customised runs on products, and a more personalised experience – at the same cost. Manufacturers must track and understand customer data and invest in systems that give them the insight they need to provide the tailored, transparent, and positive experience that buyers now demand.

Visibility and insight are key
The key to successful digital transformation is having the visibility and insight to understand where technology can add the most value for your business. Manufacturers have more data than ever before, but few possess the technology to derive real value from that data. IDC estimates that less than 10 percent of data held by manufacturers is used effectively.

To effectively use this data, companies can invest in technologies that add value by providing business-critical insights. Manufacturers need an industry-specific enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution that delivers real-time, in-depth data to transform their operations and enable them to seize growth opportunities.

Better visibility into all areas of your business enables smarter and faster decisions, brings new operational efficiencies, and enhances the customer experience. Whatever digital transformation looks like for your business, applying the right tools can mean the difference between merely competing and thriving.

Invest in the right technologies
Investing in new and innovative technologies is important, but the key is investing in technology that adds strategic value for your business. As many as 88 percent of manufacturers plan to invest significantly in technology in the next year, but high-growth companies invest where it counts.

According to the MORAR study, the top investment priorities for manufacturers include inventory management, cloud, big data, CRM, and mobile. This highlights a clear move toward digital technologies that will provide the level of visibility and insight required to define a data-driven strategic vision, as well as those that enable the collaboration necessary to realise that strategy.

Further resources
For manufacturers wishing to explore digital transformation further the eBook, “Building a Better Tomorrow”, will help you understand how digital transformation can help get your manufacturing business set for growth.

Read the eBook now to find out why it’s important to:

• Embrace the latest technologies, align to changing customer expectations, and adapt to the digital world
• Leverage ERP solutions to see the most benefits and add the most value
• Invest in integrated solutions for real-time decision making

Register to download the ebook:  Building a better tomorrow with ERP

This eBook is part of a complete resource library for manufacturers. This includes video, infographic, and white papers that can help you inform your digital transformation journey and Industry 4.0 initiatives.

The post Transforming manufacturing – A survival guide appeared first on iStart keeping business informed on technology.

“We are proud to congratulate Empired for its double win of the Dynamics Ecosystem Partner of the Year and Digital Experience Cloud Partner of the Year Asia Pacific,” said James Norwood, Executive Vice President of Strategy and CMO at Episerver.

“The two awards highlights Empired’s broad range of capabilities and are testament to Empired’s commitment to our mutual customers, delivering experiences that are both valuable to businesses and their users.

“With two 2017 awards, Empired is a valuable partner to Episerver, continuing to lead through technology. We look forward to continuing this strong partnership and sharing the incredible customer journeys this relationship creates for consumers who crave better online interactions with brands and reward the companies that provide them.”

The Dynamics Ecosystem award recognises the top-performing partners for their success in driving joint opportunities and their strategic contributions to the delivery of Episerver solutions in conjunction with Microsoft Dynamics 365 to solve customer business scenarios.

The Digital Experience Cloud award recognises the top-performing partners for their success in driving joint opportunities and their strategic contributions to the delivery of Episerver Digital Experience Cloud, enabling customers with a single platform for CMS, ecommerce and digital marketing in the cloud.

Empired was honoured for these awards at the annual Episerver Ascend conference, which was held this week in Las Vegas.

To identify the partner recipients of its annual awards, Episerver looked at its network of qualified regional partners and considered the business value generated for customers by each and their success in implementing best practices for guiding digital strategy. Empired stood out for these reasons as well as its commitment to cloud business applications and its proven ability to help clients transform their businesses through Episerver.

Darren Christophersen, General Manager, Enterprise Solutions, Empired, said, “We are delighted to receive this recognition from Episerver. At Empired we are at our best when we work in close partnership with our customers as they move along their digital transformation journey. Episerver is a key platform for us in making this transformation a reality. Episerver allows us to provide engaging, personalised, experiences for customers, citizens, employees and business partners and also help organisations to fully realise the often latent information and capability within enterprise systems like Microsoft Dynamics and the potential of emerging technologies such as AI.

“Empired made some big bets a few years ago and set a goal to be A/NZ’s leading expert in Microsoft Azure cloud solutions because we knew that it would be critical in securely providing our customers the agility and productivity that they needed to succeed. Episerver’s Digital Experience Cloud solution is a critical piece the modern enterprise landscape letting customers provide engaging experiences to their customers by leveraging the flexibility and capability of Microsoft Azure.”

Empired is a certified Episerver Premium Partner & Inner Circle Member. The company has also received a number of industry accolades including 5th in the leadership category and 38th overall in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 2016.

The post Empired Group receives Episerver partner award appeared first on iStart keeping business informed on technology.

Even if you’re yawning at NDB and GDPR and thinking “it doesn’t apply to us”, NDB and GDPR are just the beginning.

“Businesses of all sizes can expect some difficulties as the new legislation changes the way their organisation need to assess, manage and respond to risk.”

NDB and GDPR are the outcomes of a paradigm shift in how privacy is viewed on the priority list of consumers, businesses and government. People are more likely to trust and be loyal to organisations when they understand how these organisations treat their personal information and when they have faith that these organisations are taking all possible steps to protect their privacy.

Some of the key questions you should be asking include:

• Do you know what PII your company holds?
• Do you know where your data is?
• Do you know who has access to it?
• Do you know how is it protected?
• Do you know if it has been breached?

Increasingly, people expect their PII to be managed properly. GDPR and NDB indicate a general and continuing tightening of regulatory controls in the future. Add to this the financial and reputational impact associated with not meeting compliance obligations and the risk is very clear: organisations must take compliance seriously.

Examples of breaches from last year where the public were only notified significantly after the fact demonstrated the need for NDB legislation. In fact, 2017 was reportedly the worst year on record for data breaches, which skyrocketed by more than 300 per cent compared to 2016.

Examples include:

• Equifax: Impacted 143 million consumers. The company fumbled its incident response and remediation effort. Its support website looked like a phishing site, its data breach checking tool didn’t work, and the company was forced to pull a clause from its site that effectively prevented aggrieved customers from suing the company.
• Uber: Impacted 57 million users. In 2016, hackers stole the data of 57 million Uber customers, and the company paid them US$100,000 to cover it up. The breach wasn’t made public until November 2017, when it was revealed by new Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.
• Sabre: Sabre systems, a reservation software company, quietly revealed that it had been attacked earlier in 2017. The company’s software is used by hundreds of airlines and thousands of hotels to manage passenger and guest reservations, revenue management, and human resources. Several major companies, including Google, Hard Rock Hotels, Loews, and some Trump properties, have revealed that they had data stolen as a result of the Sabre breach. The breach took place from August 10, 2016 to March 9, 2017. During this time, guest information related to a subset of hotel reservations booked through Sabre’s SynXis central reservations system was accessible by an unauthorised party.

Beyond this, there is also an increasing legal awareness of contractual obligations. You should expect clients demanding a tightening up of contracts when it comes to data security as they are more conscious of their data and are taking steps to ensure that the people dealing with that data, including suppliers, contractors, and sub-contractors, have sufficient processes in place and will be responsible for non-compliance.

It’s become apparent that proper compliance, governance, and a security framework that includes a response plan, are now essential.

The fact is that a lot of companies already have access to tools such as Data Loss Prevention, Advanced Threat Protection and Compliance Manager as part of Microsoft 365 and Azure. They just need help implementing these tools effectively to assess and manage their compliance risks leveraging the cloud to identify, classify, protect, and monitor sensitive data.

Empired helps clients assess and manage their security posture in relation to NDB, GDPR, and compliance before it becomes an expensive public problem. As a Microsoft partner, we have the expertise in these tools and can help you unlock their power.

What’s more, Empired understands the importance for our clients in ensuring that we are taking steps to protect their PII. We have implemented a data breach policy and response plan. To find out more about how Empired is protecting your data click here.

Source: Empired blog – NDB and GDPR are now serious business for your organisation

The post Data breach notifications: Ignorance no longer an excuse appeared first on iStart keeping business informed on technology.

Implemento has just the right footprint to help Epicor into this key and likely growing market: it services the aerospace and defence industries across the state.

Defence SA, South Australia’s lead government agency for all defence matters and the nation’s only standalone state defence organisation, describes South Australia as ‘The Defence State’.

It says the state is home to a critical mass of world-class industry delivering many of Defence’s largest and most complex projects, and notes that major defence companies across the aerospace, land, systems and maritime domains have their headquarters or significant operations in the state.

Additionally, says Defence SA, a strong core of defence-related small-to-medium enterprises provide goods and services directly to Defence, and deliver into the supply chains of prime contractors in Australia and around the world, while hundreds of other SMEs supply defence projects with a wide range of services and products, such as structural steel, fasteners, cables and wheel rims.

“The Australian government recently announced [a new] strategy which aims to rapidly grow the country’s defence export industry. It’s great to see an increased focus from the government on strengthening [this] manufacturing industry. We look forward to partnering with Implemento to provide ERP solutions to assist companies in this sector to grow further,” said Greg O’Loan, Epicor Software ANZ VP.

In terms of that strategy, the Australian government is backing a AU$3.8 billion export loan facility, setting up a Defence Export Office and employing an export advocate to keep the issue in focus, as reported in The Australian.

He added that the partnership with Implemento reflects Epicor’s commitment to growing its presence in the region. It follows another recent partnership with financials and supply chain specialist Datec to help expand to Fiji and Vanuatu.

“The South Australian defence industry is set to boom in the coming years, particularly in light of the recent announcement by the government. Midmarket manufacturers in the defence industry supply chain will have to invest in agile technology to meet this future demand. Reliability and compliance are essential. [In Epicor] our customers [have] an ERP solution that will help them take advantage of growth opportunities while minimising risk,” said James Black, director for Implemento.

O’Loan said a new partner in the region within the growing defence sector represents a key development for Epicor. “A partner ecosystem with strengths in different areas is core to our strategic approach and we believe Implemento will bring significant opportunities to the table, as well as help us grow into the future,” he said.

“This reflects our ambition to become the ERP provider of choice in the region. We’re keen to continue to recruit the right partners with specific industry experience that can bring specialisation in manufacturing, aged care, distribution, and services. They must be customer centric, local and passionate about how technology can help to drive the growth of our customers,” concluded O’Loan.

The post Epicor steps up regional expansion plans, targets defence manufacturing appeared first on iStart keeping business informed on technology.

The new company, to be known as Agilyx UK, expands the Agilyx Group’s reach to the United Kingdom and Ireland markets, following expansions in North America (2016) and Asia (2017), adding to the company’s founding core markets down under.

Following completion of the acquisition, approximately 25 of Williams Woodward’s employees are expected to join the Agilyx Group UK business.

Williams Woodward’s consulting workforce is based in the United Kingdom, Africa and Asia. The acquisition will expand Agilyx Group to a team of 120 professionals in 7 countries, with capabilities in delivering strategy, services, software implementation and program management for Unit4 customers.

In a statement, Agilyx Group CEO John Catarinich said, “I am delighted to announce our acquisition of Williams Woodward. With a more than 10-year history delivering unrivalled knowledge and expertise to their customers in the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa, the firm has dedicated itself to helping customers execute transformational change in their businesses using agile technologies. Williams Woodward places primacy on expertise, quality and sustainability in their work to design, implement and optimise new technology and business systems in several key markets. I am excited that we can bring this pedigree to the Agilyx Group in another exciting development for our company.”

Williams Woodward MD Andrea Williams added, “I am looking forward to becoming a part of the Agilyx Group. The Group’s scale and broad service offer provide many new opportunities for our customers in the UK and elsewhere.”

The acquisition of Williams Woodward represents the next strategic step for the Group with a scalable, credentialed UK-based team, established customers, commitment to Unit4 software and people-centric approach. The acquisition delivers a further piece of the Group’s objective to create a truly technology practice providing ‘one-stop shop’ services to Unit4’s enterprise customers.

The acquisition is expected to be completed in October 2017 with integration activities commencing immediately.

The post Australia’s Agilyx Group spreads wings appeared first on iStart keeping business informed on technology.

In a statement, Stuart Dickinson, Oxygen Director, said digital transformation and data readiness have rapidly emerged as top priorities for large enterprises looking for agile business models based on data transparency, data standardisation, predictive analytics and high-quality data.

“The ability to consolidate and centrally govern data to ensure its quality and consistency across the organisation is a fundamental requirement of any transformation, and it is key to leveraging the advanced capabilities of S/4HANA, SAP’s intelligent cloud ERP solution,” he explained.

DATUM is a specialist information management company focused on solving business data complexity which is recognised as a leader by Forrester and Gartner. Dickinson said based on decades of experience and proven practices, DATUM has developed a data value management platform to help organisations define, manage and sustain a data operating model for ongoing information success.

“This partnership will enable customers to better identify what data is important to them, and enable them to improve processes in finance, customer service, procurement and across other critical business areas.”

Paul Wedeking, DATUM channel SVP said he sees Oxygen as a key partner to address customer success within the SAP community in both Australia and New Zealand.

“By joining forces, we can provide SAP enterprises with the strategy and implementation teams required to execute any data/information governance initiative. This includes a full portfolio of software and professional services that deliver an overall data strategy, data cleansing and quality initiatives, data governance and stewardship, data migration and ongoing efforts to ensure a smooth and accelerated digital transformation across the enterprise.”

The companies’ statement said analyst firms have highlighted DATUM’s Information Value Management platform within key reports and research, including naming them as a Leader in both The Forrester Wave: Data Governance Stewardship and Discovery Providers, Q2 2017 and the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Metadata Management Solutions.

The post New partnership ‘drives digital transformation’ appeared first on iStart keeping business informed on technology.

The report evaluated vendors on the capabilities of their core financial management apps, taking into account their ability to sell and support their products, and their ability to “provide a general set of access management functionalities across multiple use cases, geographies and industries” (by which, we assume, they mean measure whether the product is actually ‘cloud ERP’).

The cloud aspect is a new measure in Gartner’s stable, the reason being that this sub-segment of the ERP market is where the growth is, exceeding 25 percent per annum over the last five years, and now with three cloud-native providers among the top 10 in ERP market share.

“The market for core financial management suites has been static for many years,” said the report. “However, over the last 12 to 18 months, cloud core financial management suites have matured to such an extent that they have disrupted this static market.”

“By 2018, at least 25 percent of new core FMS deployments in large enterprises will be public cloud,” the report predicts. “By 2020, more than half of large enterprises with systems up for replacement will switch from traditional on-premises licenses to SaaS or subscription licenses.”

“This new Magic Quadrant represents the current market reality.”

Leaders

Oracle ERP Cloud
Oracle ERP Cloud was positioned highest on both axes, ‘Completeness of Vision’ and ‘Ability to Execute’.

Magic Quadrant
Figure 1. Magic Quadrant for Cloud Core Financial Management Suites for Midsize, Large and Global Enterprises

Source: Gartner (June 2017)

“Oracle is a Leader in this Magic Quadrant due to its broad and deep financial management capabilities, its international capabilities, and its strategic focus on selling and marketing the solution in all geographies”, said the report.

Oracle ERP Cloud “is receiving significant investment” said the report, commenting that customers scored Oracle ERP Cloud above average for functional capabilities and customer satisfaction. Survey respondents also scored the breadth and depth of functionality highly, and several cited its embedded reporting and analytics capabilities.

“Oracle has a strong vision for financial functionality, is well-known among financial professionals and has messaging for finance that does not get lost in a broader suite story. It is increasingly effective at leveraging its PaaS offering to extend the core capabilities of Oracle ERP Cloud.”

The report also complimented Oracle’s “strong partner ecosystem” and “relationships with service providers that are well-known to CFOs and provide finance transformation services linked to deploying Oracle ERP Cloud”.

The report added that Oracle is still in the process of transitioning from an on-premises vendor to a cloud service provider, with some survey respondents reporting “issues with performance and the complexity of support processes (such as upgrades)”.

“Some clients have told Gartner that involvement from Oracle’s R&D team was required at times to address support issues, so it can be important to have the right lines of communication with Oracle R&D in place.”

Workday
Perhaps a surprise inclusion for many in the list, let alone the top quadrant, is Workday.

The cloud-native HCM solution has enjoyed significant growth, and has only recently added a core financial module into the broader HR offering.

“Workday has a proven and robust cloud platform” said the report, making “innovative use of in-memory computing to combine core financial management applications with planning and performance management capabilities in real time.”

“Workday Financial Management scored above average for functional capabilities. Survey respondents praised the flexibility of the GL architecture — especially Worktags, which allow users to easily aggregate, report and analyze financial information. Several stated that the platform had been key in enabling the transformation of their finance function.”

The report cautioned however that some survey respondents reported challenges with partners and the availability of resources.

Visionaries

Intacct
Intacct achieved leading ‘Visionary’ status in the report due to its “cloud commitment”, focus on functionality and “marketing initiatives for finance”.

The report complemented Intacct’s “scalable and functional core financial system with good flexibility and functionality in GL and analytics” but warned that some survey respondents felt that “Intacct’s fixed-asset functionality lagged the other capabilities in the suite”.

Microsoft
“Dynamics 365 for Operations Financials scored above average with Microsoft reference customers in overall functional capabilities, with flexible GL coding/analysis capabilities, good multicompany features and strong project accounting,” the report said.

Microsoft received below-average customer feedback however, with issues cited by survey respondents mainly related to being early adopters of a new cloud solution that is early in its life cycle.

FinancialForce
“FinancialForce Financial Management has strong project accounting functionality” the report said, and commented that the product’s native Salesforce architecture makes it a good option for clients already using cloud services from Salesforce.

Customer satisfaction was however below average, with some survey respondents citing “difficulty obtaining skilled resources and some issues with support”.

Acumatica
The report raised Acumatica for its “wide range of APIs…coupled with the flexibility of the xRP platform and range of partner apps”. “Acumatica Financial Management Suite is well-aligned to Gartner’s vision of postmodern ERP”.

Some Acumatica customers however cited “issues with the quality of the partner supporting their implementation.”

Acuamatica is represented in this region by MYOB Advanced, a localised version licensed to MYOB and being rapidly picked up by the MYOB enterprise partner network.

Niche Players

Epicor and SAP being listed as niche players is a little baffling. Epicor has created a web accessible version of its core solution, but it has not been optimised for use across multiple devices.

The SAP listing on the other hand refers to the Business-by-Design solution, which, while a web native solution, is somewhat lost in the investment and partner focus behind its big brother SAP S/4HANA.

Epicor Software
Gartner’s report complemented Epicor ERP for its good financial functionality for midsize organisations, including multi-company accounting, consolidation and allocations, as well as the flexibility of Epicor ERP, with customers citing “the ease with which the solution can be configured to meet their own workflow and process needs”, but criticised a client user experience “that lags the usability of some competitor solutions”.

SAP
The report congratulated SAP for Business ByDesign’s “wide range of financial functionality, good international capabilities and strength in professional services”. It also highlighted its suitability for deployment as a two-tier solution in large organisations that use SAP ERP on-premises.

“SAP Business ByDesign risks being overshadowed by SAP S/4HANA Cloud, to which SAP is devoting significant strategic effort and investment. The vendor will need to ensure that it maintains enough separation in go-to-market strategies to allow both products to grow.”

Ramco Systems
According to the report Ramco offers good functionality in all areas of financial management for midsize organisations. Reference survey respondents scored functionality above average in most areas, however there is limited awareness of the Ramco brand outside the Asia/Pacific region “and it will face strong competition from other vendors as it expands”.

Deltek
The report cited Deltek Vision’s “strong core financials and project accounting functionality for midsize, project-centric organisations” but cautioned that the usability, reporting and analytics capabilities of the product received lower survey scores from reference customers than the rest of the functionality.

Challengers

Oracle (NetSuite)
“NetSuite is a proven and established provider of cloud services,” said the report, “with a broad partner ecosystem. Reference customer survey respondents cited the maturity of the cloud platform and robustness of the NetSuite cloud service.”

The report mentioned that there is currently some confusion in the Oracle sales channel “especially in the U.S. Gartner is seeing NetSuite excluded from some financials-led deals by Oracle sales in cases where NetSuite may be a better fit than Oracle ERP Cloud”.

“Oracle is putting in place policies to address this challenge”.

NOTE: This report was produced by Gartner and is licensed for distribution complements of Oracle Corporation. Click here to download the full Magic Quadrant for Cloud Core Financial Management Suites for Midsize, Large and Global Enterprises

The post Oracle ERP Cloud has the magic says Gartner appeared first on iStart keeping business informed on technology.

LSC, first incorporated in 1926, attributes its growth during the last decade to an ability to change and adapt alongside the rapidly evolving security industry. Keeping pace with the industry as it moves from a mechanical environment to a digital one, LSC has offers over 30,000 hardware, software and service products and maintains a focus on being the distributor of choice for new security technology and products in Australia.

The company’s growth, diversification and complexity led it to seek a contemporary ERP solution to manage all supply chain and distribution efforts as well as provide top-line visibility into critical business information.

“Security is a growth industry and technological advancements are being made all the time. Our staff are used to seeing smart technology built into the products we sell, from the humble car key right up to home automation, commercial and automotive security,” said Paul Newton, LSC’s project team leader. “In order to remain competitive and retain staff, the onus was on us to provide modern software which is flexible, intuitive and instinctive rather than proprietary, complex and unwieldy.”

LSC wanted an ERP solution that, in addition to supply and distribution functionality, would also reduce the manual sharing of information between staff and could centralise access to this information for greater transparency. Epicor ERP software unlocked that value.

“We knew we needed streamlined processes in terms of supply and distribution in order to continue to grow,” said Newton. “In addition, we wanted some specific functionality which Epicor offers and when we realised the potential for Epicor to become a strategic partner, the decision to change systems was obvious.”

Newton said the company ‘churns out huge volumes of orders’. “[We] have to make sure we supply customers as efficiently as possible without introducing time delays into the supply chain. With Epicor ERP, staff will be able to complete more sophisticated demand forecasting, and also maintain the integrity of our stock and manage our national supply chain even more effectively.”

Vince Randall, Epicor ANZ VP said its ERP offers its clients the industry-specific functionality and flexibility required to support customers and supply chains. “LSC has grown alongside technological advancements in security and the implementation of Epicor ERP will streamline functions such as sales and order management, warehouse management, inventory optimisation and forecasting. This will permit it to focus on bringing new technologies to market and training and servicing their customer base, growing even further.”

The post Locksmiths find key to ERP value appeared first on iStart keeping business informed on technology.

Enably is an online-only lender offering loans of up to $10,000 with repayment schedules based on the borrowers unique personal circumstance up to a maximum of 24 months. The company has funded more than 50,000 loans to customers all over Australia.

PureCloud Engage was selected to replace Enably’s basic PABX system which was unable to scale and provide the performance functionality required for the company, which is currently growing at a rate of 37 percent per month.

“We needed to achieve scalability as a company across all our business operations and not only can PureCloud be deployed rapidly and cost effectively, but it also opens up opportunities for our agents to work from home,” said Enably CEO Andrew Kirkwood.

He added that PureCloud is suitable for an organisation of any size. “A great benefit is that you are not locked into a contract, so you’re able to mitigate levels of risk within in your business.  It gives you the full functionality of a PABX in an all in one solution with simple deployment. “Another attractive feature is its predictive dialing functionality, which has already been a great advantage for our collections team.  This feature alone will reduce operating costs in this department by up to two-thirds while improving overall business efficiency.”

Enably has an active base of established customers at any one time but also has regular outbound sales and collections campaigns with its contact centre agents handling up to 2,000 outbound calls per day. PureCloud Engage will allow the company to seamlessly deploy live chat functionality and in the future will also integrate the platform with a custom built CRM which will benefit from number recognition, click to call functionality, tagging and reporting.

PureCloud Engage’s microservice architecture built atop Amazon Web Services Cloud also boosts maximum reliability, scalability and security.

“We work in an exciting, innovative, fast-paced environment and our team is passionate about providing the best possible experience for our customers.  PureCloud Engage’s month-to-month, pay-as-you-go subscription terms and ongoing delivery of new functionality will enable us to optimise the business and work as a team to roll out new cloud-based features as they become available,” said Kirkwood.

The post Enably drives customer success appeared first on iStart keeping business informed on technology.

That emerged at a recent business forum hosted by Oracle. “As companies seek to grow, the two most likely obstacles they will face are a scarcity of funding and a shortage of human capital. To overcome these finance and talent bottlenecks, CEOs are increasingly coming to rely more heavily on both the CFO and the Chief HR Officer,” said Tim Jennings, Ovum research fellow.

He said a growing number of organisations are turning to digital platforms that bridge the traditional divide between the two areas.  “This allows both HR and financial decisions to be made based on the most accurate data available within the organisation.”

Steve Vamos, non-executive director of Telstra and Fletcher Building said that in ‘fast changing times’ business leaders have to shift their mindset, “To one better suited to the world in which we operate and that strongly enables the potential that people and technology have to achieve great things. This is particularly important when you consider the relationship between HR and Finance. While traditionally separate functions, organisations are finding closer collaboration between the two is generating big results.  Working together, HR and Finance can more effectively support new initiatives, explore new ideas and raise productivity.  This changed mindset can deliver immediate results and, over time, help boost the business bottom line.”

The forum highlighted a range of key areas CFOs and HR chiefs need to consider when striving to add value to their business. They included:

• The bottom line: CFOs and HR chiefs need to work together to reduce Cost-to-Income Ratios through the use of workforce modelling and strategic workforce planning tools.

• Breaking down business silos: Organisations need to strive to break down the traditional barriers that exist between the HR and Finance departments using collaborative tools.

• Shared metrics of success: Both HR and Finance need to be able to judge the success of their efforts based on similar criteria.

• ROI on top talent: HR wants to attract the best talent and Finance wants to keep costs contained. Methods to determine the ROI of new hires are becoming increasingly important.

• The cost of diversity: Diversity is on everyone’s agenda, however initiatives are not free. The cost of new programs needs to be carefully measured against results achieved.

• Productivity:  Productivity is a priority for all businesses, yet it can have different meaning for different stakeholders. A clear, cross-departmental definition is important.

Sue Kent, HR head at consumer finance business Pepper Group, said, “While HR deals with people and finance is focused on money, it is vital to build a solid bridge between the two areas. The biggest cost to our business is people and so making sure we retain the very best and make them as productive as possible is important for future growth. It’s also important that no department has its own particular agenda. All must work together towards a shared goal. When information is presented to senior management, whether by one department or together, it needs to be consistent and accurate and this can only come from having a platform that spans the business.”

Pepper Group CFO Cameron Small argued that a flat management structure played a role in the company’s success. “Communication and collaboration is key, particularly when it comes to the HR and Finance departments. By understanding the priorities of each, informed decisions can be made that will help the organisation achieve its goals.”

James Finlay, Oracle HCM Australia sales director concluded, “No partnership has more potential for immediate impact on business performance than HR chiefs and CFOs collaborating to create cross-pillar efficiencies, plan a workforce of the future through workforce modeling and strategic workforce planning and increase efficiencies and productivity through changes to operating models.”

The post What happens when CFOs and HR managers cosy up? appeared first on iStart keeping business informed on technology.

A bright spark in your team has noticed that if you link your sales processes to your customer relationship management, you’ll save valuable hours each month – not to mention give your customers a much more streamlined experience. Closer observation tells you that integrating a few other databases and spreadsheets will create other efficiencies.

What now? How can you slot it all together into an integrated business management system?

Enterprise Resource Planning
ERP stands for ‘Enterprise Resource Planning’. An enterprise resource planning system is just another term for business management system. An ERP system can involve a number of different functions, but it’s basically business management software that’s designed to integrate and streamline your business’s main activities to make them more time- and resource-efficient.

Businesses use ERP systems to collect, store, manage and understand information from all their internal processes. An ERP system can manage HR, inventory, sales and other functions, as well as giving business owners an overview of the entire business – often in real-time – from a customised dashboard. Each part of the business has access to up-to-date and relevant information at all times.

An ERP system gives businesses the ability to streamline all their workflows – with the flexibility to grow as the business expands.

What types of ERP systems are there?
Cloud-based or online ERP solutions are accessed via the internet and are paid for on a subscription basis. The software itself isn’t owned or licensed by the end user but is provided as a service – which is why online solutions are also known as Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions.

Online technology is a good solution for many businesses because it offers enterprise-level software at an affordable monthly price – as well as the flexibility to easily scale up and down. MYOB Advanced is a good example of an online ERP solution.

On-premise solutions, such as MYOB EXO, are ERP systems that are installed on a server that is physically located on the business premises. Usually, the license for an on-premise system is sold on a perpetual basis and is treated as a capital expense.

Who can benefit from an ERP solution?
Once reserved exclusively for big business, an ERP solution is now a mainstream option for any sized business.

Even small- to medium-sized businesses can have a number of business functions to stay on top of. Mega Music, a music store in Perth, found that once they were juggling a point-of-sale system with their accounting functions – as well as the challenge of stock management and transfer across three sites – they needed a more powerful system to stay in control of their business.

Mega Music now uses MYOB EXO, with a customised fit developed and installed to suit their unique business requirements. The business now has a back-end system that interfaces with its POS system – which makes Mega Music better able to understand its customers’ needs thanks to customised reporting.

Read more about Mega Music’s ERP system.

It’s not easy running a business, especially one with a number of different functions. An ERP system can help business owners streamline and integrate every aspect of the operation, from sales to HR, and make faster and better informed decisions.

The post What is ERP? (Enterprise Resource Planning) appeared first on iStart keeping business informed on technology.

iStart: What is PureCloud and why is it unique?

IM: PureCloud is based on microservice architecture running on Amazon Web Services. This means it is a single cloud platform for customer engagement, communications and collaboration. This, combined with running on the advanced AWS architecture, make PureCloud an industry-first.

PureCloud offers customers the unique advantage of getting up and running within days instead of months, and gives customers continuous delivery of new functionality.

iStart: How has the uptake been among customers?

IM: In this particular region, Interactive Intelligence has signed over 50 new PureCloud customers, the largest of which is in excess of 2400 contact centre agents. A number of existing users in A/NZ with on-premises Interactive Intelligence solutions are close to making the transition to PureCloud as well.

Smaller organisations in particular benefit from PureCloud because it gives them access to the same functionality as their larger counterparts and they pay only for what they use.

iStart: What impact do outages like those caused by the Sydney storms have on customers?

IM: The storms were an unusual event and the outages did have an impact on business as usual for cloud customers. However this was lessened by PureCloud offering survivability through its Edge device that can take calls, record, route calls and then sync back to the cloud when the service is back up and running.

iStart: How has moving to a cloud subscription model impacted your business?

IM: While PureCloud is getting good customer traction, it’s fair to say that up-front R&D investment is yet to be recouped through subscriptions. The difference is that on-premises sales are booked immediately and so deliver greater short-term revenue, but there is a longer term play for cloud revenue. The flip-side is that with cloud deployment there is potential for significant growth in customer numbers because it de-risks the purchase decision. Organisations are also able to cost-effectively dial up additional capacity to deal with, for example, seasonal demand. So it’s a longer term play.

iStart: How have users accepted the new product?

IM: There has been a lot of emphasis on the importance of simple user interfaces and ease-of-management. Organisations expect the same ease-of-use from business apps as they get from consumer apps. We built PureCloud with this in mind so organisations don’t have to invest a ton of time and money on training. In addition, we took as much of the complexity of management out of the equation so IT staff can focus on core business requirements instead of low-level system management.”

iStart: With all the benefits, why are existing customers resisting?

IM: We are working with on-premises users as to when the right time is for them to move to a cloud platform. This often hinges around them upgrading to a new version of the software, or when a support contract is coming to the end of its life.

The first customers looking to move to PureCloud seem to have existing experience with cloud services and were perhaps users of services such as Salesforce or Office 365.

McLean added that one of the other subjects at the user conference will be the local release of its PureCloud Voice solution, due at some stage during 2017. PureCloud Voice adds easy-to-use, fully automated SIP-based trunking to the platform.

ABOUT IAN McLEAN
As New Zealand Country Manager for Interactive Intelligence Ian is responsible for all sales operations in New Zealand including Channel Management.

The post PureCloud gaining momentum appeared first on iStart keeping business informed on technology.