mrc's Cup of Joe Blog

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Enterprise Software

B2B Software vendors: A simple way to boost profits

EducationSummary: As an application software vendor, why don’t you close every qualified prospect and retain every customer? While the reasons vary, it generally boils down to a simple fact: You’re in the difficult position of selling the same software to different companies–no two of which are the same. You can’t fit every prospect’s exact requirements, or adapt to every customer’s changing needs. But…what if you could?

How to augment your ERP to fit your needs (without expensive customization)

EducationSummary: Enterprise systems pose something of a “Catch-22.” If you don’t customize the system, it won’t perfectly fit your needs. If you do customize it, you’re locked into that system. In this article, you’ll learn how to avoid these problems and customize your enterprise system without locking your company down.

Webinar Replay: Create custom reporting over your enterprise system

EducationSummary: Enterprise systems (like ERPs) pose something of a “Catch-22.” If you don’t customize the system, it won’t perfectly fit your needs. If you do customize it, you’re locked into that system. If you’re facing this challenge, check out this webinar replay and learn how one company delivered custom reporting over their ERP system–without altering the system at all.

How to create custom budgeting over your enterprise system

EducationSummary: Enterprise systems (like ERPs) rarely provide the budgeting capabilities to precisely fit your business. As a result, budgeting becomes a time-consuming, spreadsheet-driven process. Learn how one company solved this problem, automating their budgeting process and delivering custom budgeting applications to their executives on-demand.

21 ways m-Power will improve your enterprise systems

EducationAccording to Forrester, “approximately half of ERP customers are currently on releases that are two versions behind the current release, which may be four years old or more.” For these companies, upgrading to a new ERP version or package is often too difficult or expensive. Past customizations or enhancements have virtually locked these companies into their current ERP versions. An upgrade represents countless dollars and months of extra work—a project that most companies can’t afford to undertake.

The sad reality: These companies are locked into their enterprise system. Many feel tied to the old features and capabilities of their outdated systems.

The rising need for software flexibility (with example)

EducationOne of the points mentioned in this recent article on buying software you won’t later regret was, “Look for adaptability.” Any software you purchase must be flexible, scalable, and easily adapt to future technology.

That being said, “flexible software” is still a rather vague term. What does it mean? What does it look like in real life? Today, I’d like to dive into this topic a little more, and explain what it means, how it helps your business, and even give you a real-life example of flexible software in action. Sound good? Let’s get started:

Is enterprise software slowing down your IT department?

Save TimeEvery year, CIO.com honors the top 100 CIOs who drive innovation and business value within their companies. The theme among this year’s winners: Speed. CIOs that use IT to improve overall business speed.

I believe this is the future of IT departments. IT can no longer afford to make the business wait for solutions. If the business views IT as an impediment to progress, they’ll find another way. Rather, the modern-day IT department must make the entire business operate more efficiently.

Now, I realize that many CIOs and IT professionals recognize this fact…but feel it’s out of reach. Why? While the reasons vary, the most common reason is this: Their company is locked to outdated enterprise software. Adding new features to their enterprise software is anything but fast. Delivering new solutions that work with their enterprise applications is anything but easy.

How can IT departments in these companies drive innovation and speed up the company when they’re locked to outdated enterprise software?

Here’s one solution: Build web applications over the outdated enterprise software. It’s not about adding another piece of software to the mix, it’s about integrating open standards and new features with the technology the business already uses. It’s about making your existing software better.