Sounds like one of the Star Wars 'droids, doesn't it? Actually, we're talking about something a lot more practical, although perhaps not as exciting as a new episode from George Lucas. It's BI in the B2B world, and it's on its way to an exchange near you.
The latest hot spot in the fad-driven world of business intelligence is bringing business together to be more productive and more, well, intelligent.
Organizations are quickly adopting Web services as a standardized way of integrating Web-based applications. But architects designing B2B systems are concerned with a few aspects related to Web services.
Enterprise application integration has become a key component of current B2B integration efforts, enabling companies to utilize their existing systems to conduct inter-enterprise transactions. An order initiated in one company's SAP enterprise resource planning system can automatically generate an increase in the production levels managed by a supplier's supply chain system.
The vast majority of B2B e-commerce start-ups and IPOs have imploded or changed their business models. What does the future hold?
B2B is far from perfect. All participants in the supply chain have their work cut out for them in the years ahead, and many technical and organizational challenges remain to be resolved.
Some things in life are inevitable--unfortuntely, customers are not. You have to build a strategy to get and keep customers, based on who your customers are. Different types of customers require different CRM approaches, but one thing is certain: You can't afford to ignore CRM.
The brave new world of online business is starting to look like a failed experiment with little hope of redemption. Maybe a little KM Mojo is just what the Internet needs to get back on track.
A technology forecaster and strategic planner predicts the remaining trends that will dominate IT in 2008.
As our series concludes, we continue to learn more about how Delilah and the Bad Boy of Music invented a secret communication system.
Looking for an extraction/transformation tool for your upcoming BI project? Take a look at Informatica. You'll like what you see.
The recent PeopleSoft and Oracle bids have shown that hi-tech deal making and industry consolidation are coming back. But are there opportunities in the Internet arena for small businesses and individual entrepreneurs?
Are your eyes wide shut with all of this digital age hype? Snap out of it! An enterprise endeavor must be approached with eyes wide open--and an organizational support infrastructure--if it's going to work. Here are some tips for delivering a successful solution quickly.
How does an IT services company become a success or survive in today's harsh economic climate? A look at one IT company's journey to success will help.
Move over, blogs! Wiki is in town. A website or other hypertext document collection that allows a user to add content and also allows that content to be edited by any other user, Wikis are creating quite a stir.
Curt Finch, CEO of Journyx, says tracking time is more than a tactical ‘to do’ for organizations, especially when one considers the sheer opportunity cost of misaligned teams and projects. The ability to measure and manage time is critical to converting strategy into results. Execution is the end game, and time-tracking is how you keep score.
Many companies are learning the consequence of poor data quality. Whether you deploy DQA tools or a business rules repository, the need to continuously ensure the high data quality has never been greater.
When you are in charge of an internet project or about to launch an internet initiative, there are three principles you should know about to help you deliver internet applications on time and within budget.
Kill or continue? That's the key question when dealing with projects that aren't going as planned. Here's what you need to keep in mind before making that crucial decision.
Here one day, gone the next--welcome to the ever-changing world of vertical exchanges. More players mean more choices, but you better grab a seat before they get pulled out from under you.
IT outsourcing is gaining momentum. Companies have made an effort to pursue outsourcing on a strategic level. Getting your IT work done offshore has many advantages, but it also comes with a number of risks. If you do not address those risks and take care of all the areas we mention here, then your outsourcing project may become a nightmare.
Current economic conditions have forced businesses to look inward to reduce the cost structure. Over the years, IT has become a big component of business, making it a natural target for cost cutting. But IT is also a critical factor in improving business efficiency and increasing revenue, so businesses can't just eliminate it. Instead, they need to find cheaper ways to do the same activities. Is outsourcing the solution?
A recent survey reveals some interesting insights on the world of IT outsourcing.
Should you have a contract management system?
IT projects are increasingly being forced to justify investment because even though the demand for IT services is high, the funding for them is increasingly coming under the microscope--and there are many reasons why CEOs and CFOs are asking tough questions regarding the investment in IT projects.
As the outsourcing of IT functions picks up steam and offshoring gains acceptance, it is becoming clear that they present different types of opportunities and pose different types of challenges to companies of different sizes and locations. A new study sheds some light on the phenomenon.
Understanding the power of IT and using it to build competitive advantages enabled two companies to leap-frog the competition, whereas another lost a big customer because it could not foresee the challenges coming from non-traditional competition. Read this article to take advantage of these hard-earned lessons.
A great way to enhance customer acquisition, retention and service is with e-mail newsletters promoting your company's products or services. Get the word out, but do it right--otherwise your targeted marketing is just so much rotten spam.
Here's the antidote to e-learning development Points of Pain, the cause of many organizational headaches.
What lies ahead in 2004? Look into our crystal ball, take our test...and let us know what you think.
Radio Frequency Identification is creating a big ecosystem. Do you want to join?
What did the spinal cord say about the colon, and what does it have to do with project management, anyway? You might be surprised...
Time, space, language and culture...global project management can be a communications nightmare for a variety of reasons. As we look at the challenges faced by a developer of software intensive systems as it questioned going global, some valuable lessons are unearthed.
Technology is changing with mind-boggling speed. The rate and force with which innovations are hitting businesses increase the chances of "business whiplash." The shattering stress and dizzying disorientation caused by the premature arrival of the future is imposing an "E-Commerce Future Shock" on businesses.
Previously, we looked at three different types of classification systems that experts have used to understand e-business models. In this and subsequent parts of this series, we will use an N.C. State framework to understand these business models.
Finding the links between computer games and web apps.
Web services are the new "in thing." They are expanding the ways businesses can communicate and share information with their other partners. Even though it is not the first to embrace Web services, Amazon has shown how beneficial they can be to everyone involved with its new Web Services program.
Is Radio Frequency Identification still a mystery to you? You're not alone.
What areas and criteria should you consider when selecting an IT outsource service provider? Read on to find out.
A major reason for Sales Force Automation system implementation problems is that the two involved communities--IT and sales--view it from vastly differently perspectives. These differences have resulted in SFA systems that are rich in features and capable of doing many functions--but that are also complex and intuitive, which makes them difficult to learn and incorporate in the daily routine.
Is data mining dead? Is it the same thing as predictive analytics? Whatever you think, there is no denying the fact that predictive analytics is slowly gaining ground.
Do you know what RFID has in common with Samson and Delilah?
As our series continues, we learn more about how Delilah and the Bad Boy of Music invented a secret communication system.
Need some help understanding e-business models? It's not an easy task. There are a number of ways you can look at the whole e-commerce landscape. Before we arrive at a framework for e-business that will help us understand how different business models have fared during the last few years, let's take a look at three types of classification systems.
Like many other industries, the Internet was supposed to transform the retailing industry. And to a large extent, it has--but not in the way that many wanted it to. The online retailing market that was initially flooded with pure-play Internet merchants has matured. Now it consists of only those players that have spent the time and effort to understand and master the core competencies required for the success of this business model.
You're familiar with our old friend Knowledge Management, but how much do you know about Web Content Management and its servers? Hopefully a lot. The successful management of Web content is vital for the success of an e-business. Here's how to evaluate the systems you need to have in place.
Offshore outsourcing is a hard fact of life. It may seem unfair, but companies must follow Survival 101, which says that to survive we must continuously augment our skills and expertise.
The impact of technology is felt everywhere, and is even blurring the lines between traditional business activities and new business models. How do you approach hybrid disciplines like digital marketing?
Read on for more about how Delilah and the Bad Boy of Music invented a secret communication system.
Should we not attempt to measure progress in programming? That is not a practical solution. "Knowledge Works"--to use Peter Drucker's term--like computer programming, is harder to measure as compared to physical works. But we must measure and control them.
