June 26, 2014 from CFO – In a project’s earliest stages, very little is known about what it will take to execute it. So most companies seek out expert internal opinions — usually from proponents of the project, since they are the most knowledgeable. The problem is bias. Research is clear that project proponents are likely to fall under its influence, favor optimistic outcomes and produce dangerously inaccurate estimates. Most companies can accurately estimate small projects that may take, say, three to six months, but they are horrible at estimating the time and cost of big ones. There are three […]
Pass The Salt
180 View – Only watch if you know what a typewriter is. See/hear more […]
American Story
180 View – It’s a 1 minute long commercial that packs a punch. I have received very different responses to this that included too sappy, made me cry, very clever and American propaganda. See/hear more […]
Google Commercial
180 View – Sweet reunion no matter where you live. See/hear more […]
Ode to Joy
180 View – Have a joyful holiday. View/hear more […]
ERP Pricing Models
ERP vendors don’t make it easy to calculate the cost of using their system. There are lots of variables to consider including: License – buy a perpetual license to use the software Hosted – annual or monthly fee to use the software by user Named user – for anyone needing any access to the system Concurrent user – for the number of people needing access at the same time Full users – need multiple parts of the system such as a purchasing manager Light users – need limited use of the system such as someone that just creates requisitions or […]
Oracle in the Cloud
According to IDG News Service, “Oracle is now the industry’s second-largest SaaS vendor after Salesforce.com” As well, “Oracle is also seeing traction increase for its cloud ERP (enterprise-resource-planning) software, adding 120 new customers in the fourth quarter alone”. This was news to us, so I contacted Oracle directly to get the inside scoop on their ERP cloud offering. Oracle Fusion has been rebranded as Oracle ERP Cloud and there are a couple of hundred implementations across North America with many new opportunities keeping the Oracle sales team hopping. Oracle ERP Cloud is so far targeted to organizations providing professional services, […]
Cloud Users Spend Less, Spend Smarter on IT
February 2014 from computer economics – “…The study finds that organizations fully utilizing cloud computing save on average more than 15% in IT spending, whether measured as a percentage of revenue or on a per-user basis, as shown in Figure 2 from the full study. Detailed analysis of respondents’ IT spending mix shows that the savings come not only from a reduction in data center spending but also in IT personnel costs. As a result of these economic efficiencies, cloud users are able to devote a higher percentage of their IT spending to new initiatives and less to ongoing support. […]
ERP Support Requirements Range Widely
March 2014 from computer economics – “…Our study, ERP Support Staffing Ratios, shows the typical range of ERP support staffing ratios for installations of all sizes. At the median, there are 58 users per ERP support staff member, rising to 131 users per ERP staff member at the 75th percentile. At the 25th percentile, each ERP staff member supports just 29 users…” Read more 180 View – A key question in the selection process should be the effort required to internally support the system. It is really hard to get this information from the vendors and references should be asked […]
Enterprise Software: Suites Don’t Always Win
February 6, 2014 from The Enterprise System Spectator – “The major enterprise software providers promote their pre-built integration as a selling point in capturing new business from existing clients. They argue that, rather than attempting to integrate different systems from different providers, organizations should buy everything from a single provider and get the integration for free…” Read more 180 View – The Enterprise System Spectator continues to be a good source of independent thinking. This article is about ERP vs Best of Breed and there is no winner. […]