Government Lays Groundwork for Shared Services, Potential Job Cuts

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems expenditures are on the rise; this poses a challenge given the current fiscal environment. The Department of Finance has proposed a plan that will set out a gradual alignment over seven years. The alignment proposition will include the adoption of common ERP business processes across the government, the establishment of a whole-of-government procurement panel for ERP products, which agencies would be obliged to buy from in order to limit the range of systems in use, centralised coordination of software updates, and transparency of pricing across government. The plan will act a catalyst to for the federal government, however, the scheme is also likely to lay the groundwork for future job cuts.

 

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Why This Cloud ERP Provider Is Getting Interested in eCommerce

Popular ERP Provider, NetSuite has recently taken an interest in eCommerce. Businesses make use of ERP and/or CRM to monitor their inventory, track sales, handle shipment queries, customer support, etc. NetSuite recently released the new B2B Customer Center which offers a “next next-generation self-service customer portal as an engine for B2B commerce, creating a win-win for distributors, manufacturers and B2B buyers alike.” It is suggested that 47% of enterprises will migrate to the cloud ERP within the next five years. By building a ‘B2C-like’ eCommerce platform that the suppliers and distributors could use, NetSuite could bring the entire supply chain under its system.

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As the Cloud Evolves, Managed Service Providers Evolve Too

GigaOM’s Ashar Baig presented an alarming forecast for managed services providers (MSPs) at HostingCon 2014: MSPs must adapt to new technologies and trends, or go out of business.

As cloud services grow, MSPs must adapt and bundle their own cloud services. MSPs are now tasked with cloud bundling, including “backup, virtual disaster recovery and proactive networking monitoring.” Some growing areas in cloud services are big data, mobile, systems management, and security.

Baig observes that MSPs are providing “higher value services because it is easier to sell disaster recovery instead of data backup.” He contends that the future of cloud services is hybrid clouds, with “55 percent of MSPs offering hybrid or multi-cloud services in the next 2-3 years.”

 

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Apple and IBM Join Forces

Apple and IBM, fierce rivals since the 1980s, have teamed up to bring IBM’s enterprise software to iOS devices. The exclusive IBM MobileFirst for iOS deal includes IBM selling Apple products with their software integrated to its business clients. Features include native apps, IBM cloud services optimized for iOS, AppleCare tailored for enterprise customers, and basic Apple products sold directly from the company. The deal will help the companies break into areas both have been eyeing; Apple can push deeper into the enterprise with the backing of IBM, and IBM gets an injection of Apple “cool” and can offer products that businesses really want.

“Our alliance will bring the same kind of transformation to the way people work, industries operate and companies perform,” says Ginni Rometty, IBM Chairman, President, and CEO.

 

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Infor Announces Implementation Accelerator

Infor has announced the general availability for the Infor Implementation Accelerator for automotive suppliers. Users are able to use the Infor Implementation Accelerator with Infor CloudSuite Automotive (TM) or deploy it with Infor LN applications on premise with a perpetual license. The Infor LN is trusted by thousands of companies worldwide including Fortune 500 companies. The solution is designed for users that wish to implement an enterprise resource planning (ERP) suite quickly, efficiently, and cost effectively.  The solution uses Infor 10x technology that is in a cloud-based or on-premises technology platform. The reduced implementation time can help decrease cost, risk and speed time-to-value for customers in specifically the automotive industry.

 

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Measuring Value in Healthcare

Healthcare payers want technology developers to create systems that measure value.  However, technology is lagging social changes. David Lansky, PhD., purchaser representative on the federal Health IT Policy Committee, is focusing on improving the nation’s healthcare delivery system by curtailing unnecessary spending and enhancing visibility by measuring outcomes and value. “To assess value, we need to measure value in the way people who get care are treated; what happens to the whole person across time and across space,” Lansky explains.

Asthma treatments could be dubbed successful if a patient reports that they slept through the night with minor to no interruptions. Depression medications would be more effective if patients return to their careers or once again participate in family life.

Patients and employees have voiced interest for this type of information. This demand for such information could reduce the overall cost of nation’s healthcare. All they have to do now is create a system that measures such value.

 

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4 Industries that Benefit from ERP Software

Today, there are four industries that benefit the most from ERP software; these industries are retail, manufacturing, farming, and real estate management. With an order management system, retailers across multiple stores can update their inventory and manage tracking and shipping in real-time. In manufacturing ERP software can improve productivity by decreasing information errors. For farming ERP software can can create an organized solution for tracking and planning of crops. In real estate management ERP software aids in the process of recurring bills, track rent payments, and process revenue.

 

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Infor’s President Duncan Angove Interview- Talks Strategy

As an application-focused company, Infor is determined to stay as consistent as it has in the past three years; since the  introduction of  its next generation of middleware known as “ION”.  “ION is the connectivity tissue that brings all of our applications together into these end-to-end suites, segmented by industry”. Other companies can compete with Infor; however, Infor’s President Duncan Angove states that, “We’ve got lots of different people, from eclectic backgrounds, who just think fundamentally differently about how you deliver experiences”. Although, there will always be heterogeneity in an IT environment and no one supplier has a monopoly on innovation; but as a private company Infor can be more aggressive. The adoption of the cloud is faster than expected especially in Europe.

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Infor’s New Applications

Infor released two new applications, Close Management and Reconciliation Management to expand their financial capabilities in the market. Infor’s niches are industries such as banking and insurance, non-profit, oil and gas, professional services, retail, public sector, hospitality and healthcare. The two new applications will free staff from manual administrative tasks and inefficient paper processes and  help to improve efficiency, improve quality of outcomes and bottom-line results. The Infor Reconciliation Management application will give users confidence and control over their financial statements. The Infor Close Management application is designed to help users to effectively produce financially and regulatory reporting in a timely and accurate manner.

 

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More Reliable Healthcare.gov Is Coming

Since the botched launch of Healthcare.gov, a legislative achievement President Obama had hoped to utilize to improve healthcare system efforts, a new and improved product is set for second enrollment beginning November 15th.

The team is working to craft a revised user interface that’s more efficient, according to Wired; one that will attract more people to sign up when they visit Healthcare.gov. Unfortunately “about 35 to 40 percent of applicants” — people with more complex coverage needs — will be stuck with the same convoluted process as last time.

Although incorporating outside servers will require a long certification process, it should result in fewer people losing their entire application while trying to obtain something as essential as health insurance.

 

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