Where do you Start with SAP Return on Investment or SAP ROI?

By |July 19th, 2010|

See Part 1 - SAP Implementation Is an Investment Not an Event How much is it going to cost, and how long is it going to take? That is the classic approach to SAP implementations. However, this approach is not enough today, as the marketplace is demanding more from their IT dollars. Now the marketplace has questions about measuring cost reductions, process improvements, and customer retention/acquisition. These are all important discussions. Your money has to work for you in your business-- and [...]

ERP vs. ERP II vs. ERP III Future Enterprise Applications

By |May 31st, 2010|

ERP I, ERP II, & ERP III Abstract ERP applications integrate enterprise operations within and across enterprise legal entities, or company codes. ERP ii (or ERP 2) applications extend supply functionality to external enterprises (generally vendor-affiliated companies or enterprises) to reduce cost, improve supply chain efficiency, and perform collaborative innovation. ERP iii (or ERP 3) enterprises go to the next level as they integrate the ERP and ERP ii functionality to include customers [...]

IT Outsourcing, Off Shore Support, Cost Cutting and IT Department Changes

By |March 23rd, 2010|

Businesses everywhere are looking to shore up their bottom lines by cutting costs. As a result, cost centers such as IT departments are prime targets for outsourcing and offshore maintenance. The typical business script is that as the IT organization moves into maintenance mode, cost centers with high overhead become a prime target for reducing costs. However, despite how things might appear, cost is not the real driver of IT outsourcing. The real driver of IT outsourcing is function. IT departm [...]

Future Technology Landscape Alignment for the CIO, IT Director, or Key IT Decision Maker

By |March 2nd, 2010|

This article is the last of a four-part series, which covered the entire breadth of the business to technology landscape of the future: IT organizational alignment, business alignment, and future technology alignment for success in tomorrow's marketplace. This final post takes a look at the emerging technology landscape and what the future holds. What Does the Future Technology to Business Alignment Hold - Future ERP, SAP, and IT Value A number of changes on the horizon will produce a number of [...]

What Is the Proper Relationship for the CIO, CEO, and CFO?

By |February 8th, 2010|

The CIO role in business has been changing almost as quickly as technology itself. In the past focusing on business processes and automation was enough to satisfy the business needs for operational excellence. As long as they did so successfully, the CIO received carte blanche, often having large budgets and significant latitude in applying them. However, those days are quickly fading. Today, many IT departments and IT organizations are becoming internal vendors to internal customers with “char [...]

Using Key Performance Indicators for Building a Strategy Focused Organization

By |December 18th, 2009|

The key performance indicator acronym (KPI) is used so much that it has come to be associated with any type of business measure. Everything is called a KPI, which distracts from its purpose as an important business tool. Not every measure is a KEY Performance Indicator, only those measures that are crucial to making a difference in the marketplace, your company health, and performance. Because of this confusion around Key Performance Indicators, businesses often use the wrong measurements. Too [...]